The implementation of concepts of multiple land use seems to be relevant in the context of large-scale urban projects, which are now predominately monofunctional. However, current governance settings at these projects seem to be unreceptive to this new planning concept. Our in-depth case study of the South Axis project in Amsterdam embraces an actor-centred institutional perspective and seeks to understand how more receptive conditions for norm alignment between key actors can be attained. We reconstruct the introduction of quite radical concepts of multiple land use in this project, which started as an office-development proposal. The implementation was severely hampered by the fact that ambitions were formed in a rather introvert local government – business setting. Only in the last stage, with the adoption of a more extrovert mode of governance that included a variety of national government departments, were more receptive conditions for multiple land use created.