From Randstad to Deltametropolis: changing attitudes towards the scattered metropolis1

This article is based upon research that was conducted within the framework of: (a) the EURBANET project which was co‐financed by the European Community through the INTERREG IIC programme for the North Western Metropolitan Area (NWMA); and (b) the ESR programme ‘Spatial Developments and Policies in Polynuclear Urban Configurations in Northwest Europe’ which is financed by NWO, BNG (Dutch Municipalities Bank) and the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

Abstract

Although the Randstad planning concept is primarily known as a concept aiming to control urbanization, this article shows that world city ambitions have been inherent in the concept right from the beginning and that spatial planning for the Randstad over the past 50 years can also be seen as a prolonged attempt to give shape to these ambitions. Throughout much of this period it has proved politically impossible to turn these ambitions into concrete policies, although the recent turn to ‘Deltametropolis’ adds a rather interesting new chapter to this history. For the first time since its introduction, local and regional actors have themselves taken the initiative to frame and reframe the Randstad concept—by Dutch standards quite a remarkable sign of capacity building at the Randstad level. By spotlighting this particular dimension of the planning history of the Randstad this article touches upon some of the more notorious dilemmas planners may come across while pursuing world city ambitions for polynuclear urban regions.

Notes

Bart Lambregts, at the time of writing, employed at OTB Research Institute, currently at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E‐mail: [email protected]

Wil Zonneveld, OTB Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. E‐mail: [email protected]

This article is based upon research that was conducted within the framework of: (a) the EURBANET project which was co‐financed by the European Community through the INTERREG IIC programme for the North Western Metropolitan Area (NWMA); and (b) the ESR programme ‘Spatial Developments and Policies in Polynuclear Urban Configurations in Northwest Europe’ which is financed by NWO, BNG (Dutch Municipalities Bank) and the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

The Working Commission was made up of representatives from the three provinces involved and the councils of the three largest cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The relevant ministries also took part, particularly Traffic & Water Management, Economic Affairs and Agriculture.

Before WW‐II spatial policy in the Netherlands was mainly an affair of local and regional authorities. After WW‐II the national government decided to take up responsibilities in this field as well, by issuing amongst other things ‘national policy documents on spatial planning’. These documents state the spatial policy for Dutch territory for the years to come. They introduce policy instruments that serve the spatial development goals and they serve as a framework for spatial policy plans that are drawn up at lower levels of governance. National policy documents on spatial planning materialize in four steps. First the government presents its policy intentions (part 1). Next comes a document reporting on the results of the public enquiry and consultation procedure (part 2). Based upon part 1 and 2, the ‘cabinet's decision’ is issued (part 3). Finally, the cabinet's decision is discussed by parliament, after which the result is published as the country's official spatial policy for the years to come (part 4). Years may pass between the moment the decision is taken to start working on a new national policy document and the time the new document becomes official policy. On average a new national policy document on spatial planning is drawn up every ten years or so.

ICES stands for the ‘Interdepartmental Committee for the strengthening of the Netherlands Economic Structure’. This Committee is in charge of advising the national government about the allocation of specially earmarked national funds to projects and programmes that serve the nation's economic structure. At present (Winter 2002) the third round is being prepared. The first and second rounds covered respectively the periods 1994–1998 and 1999–2002. Since a large share of the funds are allocated to infrastructure projects, ICES can also be seen as a distinct form of spatial policy (see Hajer & Zonneveld 2000).

The committee came to function alongside the other existing platform for cooperation in the Randstad, the ‘Randstad Region’ although it was soon decided that both would share the same secretariat (the Utrecht‐based ‘Bureau for the Randstad Region’).

The regions identified (North, South, East and West) were made up of three (North and South), two (East) and four provinces (West) respectively. The provinces were charged with making sure that a region would eventually come up with a joint position on the region's spatial development strategy and spatial investment priorities.

These were roughly described as greater Amsterdam, greater Utrecht and the South Wing (i.e. the greater Rotterdam‐The Hague region). Actually, these regions were labelled ‘network cities’, but this notion was exchanged for ‘urban networks’ in the official Fifth Policy Document two years later.

In early 2002, the Association had more than 30 members, including municipalities (12), chambers of commerce (5), various interest groups (5), district water boards (6) and housing corporations (4) (source: www.deltametropool.nl).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wil Zonneveld

Bart Lambregts, at the time of writing, employed at OTB Research Institute, currently at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E‐mail: [email protected] Wil Zonneveld, OTB Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. E‐mail: [email protected]