Thee intent of this article is to explore the scope and working of “framework-rules” in relation to self-organization in urban development, both theoretically and empirically. It explores the strategies promoted in Oosterwold (Almere, e Netherland), and the framework-rules that discipline its emergent development, without wanting to suggest that Oosterwold is a “best practice”. It is an extreme case that helps us to broaden our thinking about governing urban development