How housing, infrastructure and water determined the spatial structure of the Randstad

Figures & data

Figure 1. Randstad Holland.

Table 1. Growth of population, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, 2000–2016.

	1.1.2000	1.1.2016	Index 2001–2016
Amsterdam	731.288	833.624	114
Rotterdam	592.673	629.606	106
The Hague	441.094	519.988	118
Utrecht	233.667	338.967	145

Notes: The population growth of Utrecht between 2000 and 2016 was much larger than the population growth in the same period in the other big cities. The population growth of The Hague can partly be explained by the increase of the territory of the city. The smallest population growth took place in Rotterdam.

Source: CBS.

Table 2. Aspects of spatial development of the Randstad before and after 1990.

	1950–1990	1990-now
Main driver	Housing policy	Infrastructure policy (transport, ICT, energy) Since about 2000: water
Main focus	Growth management Growth poles, VINEX locations Mainports (Schiphol, Europoort)	Central cities (creative class, innovation, knowledge, culture) Increasing priority for blue and green networks; biodiversity Delta programme
Impact on central cities	Urban economy lagging behind; urban renewal as counter development Spatial decentralization	Positive urban economy Spatial concentration
Agglomeration effects; network impacts	Mixed: weak synergy between housing and infrastructure policy	Increasing synergy between housing and infrastructure resulting in positive agglomeration effects Network cities, urban networks
Internationalization	Mainports as the nodes of international communication	Cities as the nodes of international communication via open networks

Figure 2. VINEX development areas in the Randstad Holland. Source: Kruythoff and Teule (1997, p. 115).

Figure 3. Five tunnels, proposed by the Ministry of Transport (1988). Source: Priemus and Visser (1995).

Figure 4. Dyke Ring 14: Central Holland. Source: Priemus (2010).

Figure 5. Randstad Holland: compartmentalization with elevated infrastructures around and between cities. Source: Priemus (2010).

Kruythoff, H., & Teule, R. (1997). VINEX policy moves into the implementation phase. Netherlands Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 12(1), 113–133. doi: 10.1007/BF02502626

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Priemus, H., & Visser, J. (1995). Infrastructure policy in the Randstad Holland: Struggle between accessibility and sustainability. Political Geography, 14(4), 363–377. doi: 10.1016/0962-6298(95)95719-E

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Priemus, H. (2010, November 11–13). Global eco cities: Climate change and flood risk. Paper presented at the Global Eco-Cities Conference, Shenzhen.

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