Almere Haven features a mall that, for the most part, closely resembles the downtown area of a small town.

[6] As more schools were built in Almere and younger people and families settled in other parts of the city, De Bijenkorf became less important and eventually ended up with just a handful of teachers.

[9] Among other houses and other things, it features a lot of greenery, a big park called Stadswerfpark, a sports center with an external playground (Playground Stadswerfpark) specifically for sports (like a soccer field and basketball court) and a public pool building.

The city was planned before increasing population pressure in Almere and rising property prices caused compromises on the original vision.

Almost all housing developments are built to provide views of greenery and open spaces, and each group of houses is clustered around a little park (although this concept has changed in newer areas), usually with easy access to the surrounding forests, so most residents of Almere Haven do not have the sense of living in a crowded urban area.