UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) The polycentric metropolis unpacked : concepts, trends and policy in the Randstad Holland Lambregts, B. Publication date 2009 Document Version Final published version Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Lambregts, B. (2009). The polycentric metropolis unpacked : concepts, trends and policy in the Randstad Holland. Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt). General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:26 Sep 2021 The Polycentric Metropolis Unpacked Concepts, Trends and Policy in the Randstad Holland Bart Lambregts The Polycentric Metropolis Unpacked Concepts, Trends and Policy in the Randstad Holland Academisch Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof.dr. D.C. van den Boom ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties ingestelde commissie, in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Agnietenkapel op dinsdag 10 maart 2009 te 14.00 uur door Bartholomeus Wilhelmus Lambregts geboren te Alkmaar Promotiecommissie: Promotor: prof. dr. R.C. Kloosterman Co-promotor: prof. dr. ir. H. Priemus Overige leden: prof. dr. ir. L. Bertolini prof. dr. S. Musterd prof. dr. N. Phelps prof. dr. W.G.M. Salet prof. dr. A. Thierstein prof. dr. W.A.M. Zonneveld (reservelid) Faculteit der Maatschappij- en Gedragswetenschappen This research has benefited from financial support provided by: NWO; de Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten; gemeente Amsterdam, gemeente Rotterdam, gemeente Den Haag, gemeente Utrecht, and Habiforum. ISBN 978-90-7524-698-8 NUR 900 Design: Bart Lambregts Printed in Bangkok, Thailand, by Pimsuay Co., Ltd. Published by: Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt) © 2009 Bart Lambregts. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro- duced in any form by print, photo print, microfilm or any other means, without the prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Contents Preface 1 1. Introduction 3 1.1 Metropolitan regions taking centre stage 4 1.2 Polycentric metropolises join in 8 1.3 Issues and challenges: the conceptualisation and measurement of polycentrism at the metropolitan scale 10 1.4 Issues and challenges: the economic, environmental and social (dis)advantages related to polycentrism at the metropolitan scale 12 1.5 Issues and challenges: governance and polycentrism at the metropolitan scale 14 1.6 Research objectives 15 1.7 Research design and techniques 18 1.8 Outline of the dissertation 21 2. Randstad Holland: Multiple Faces of a Polycentric Role Model 29 2.1 Introduction 30 2.2 The Randstad as a polycentric business services complex 30 2.3 Complicating the picture: connectivity and intra-firm linkages 35 2.4 Business services markets in the Randstad 38 2.5 Governance and policy 40 3. From Randstad to Deltametropolis: Changing Attitudes Towards the Scattered Metropolis 45 3.1 Introduction 46 3.2 The invention of the Randstad concept: the birth of a Dutch world city discourse 48 3.3 The resurrection of the Randstad metropolis thesis 56 3.4 From Randstad to Deltametropolis: the world city perspective embraced for real? 59 3.5 Concluding remarks 66 4. Between Accumulation and Concentration of Capital: Toward a Framework for Comparing Long-term Trajectories of Urban Systems 73 4.1 Introduction 74 4.2 Accumulation and concentration of capital: the long-term view 75 4.3 The global city region as the dominant post-industrial urban configuration 80 4.4 The post-industrial transition and the Randstad global city region 84 4.5 Conclusions 91 5. Clustering of Economic Activities in Polycentric Urban Regions: The Case of the Randstad 97 5.1 Introduction 98 5.2 Agglomeration and specialisation 100 5.3 Cluster formation and polycentric urban regions 104 5.4 Cluster formation: the empirical evidence for the Randstad 106 5.5 Conclusions 112 6. Connected Cities in a Polycentric Mega City-region: Exploring Intra- and Extra-Regional Linkages Through Office Networks in the Randstad 117 6.1 Introduction 118 6.2 APS firms and intra- and extra-regional knowledge transfer 119 6.3 Measuring network connectivity: methodology and data 122 6.4 Extra-regional pipelines and network connectivity in the Randstad explored 125 6.5 In conclusion: making sense of pipelines, network connectivities and polycentricity 134 7. Geographies of Knowledge Formation in Mega-City Regions: Some Evidence from the Dutch Randstad 141 7.1 Introduction 142 7.2 From spatially bounded to transscalar geographies of knowledge creation 143 7.3 Knowledge creation and the transnational multi-office firm 146 7.4 Advanced producer services (APS) firms’ knowledge needs 147 7.5 Knowledge practices of multi-office advanced producer services (APS) firms in the Randstad 149 7.6 Conclusions and implications for regional policy 156 8. Polycentrism: Boon or Barrier to Metropolitan Competitiveness? The Case of the Randstad Holland 165 8.1 Introduction 166 8.2 History matters: alternative routes towards polycentricity 167 8.3 To close the circle or not: the search for metropolitan qualities in the Randstad Holland 170 8.4 Conclusions 174 Summary 179 Samenvatting 193 Curriculum Vitae 207 Preface Slow food has much to recommend it. Slow travelling, I would like to add, has its charms as well. It is thanks to the bold and meticulous tunnel drilling skills of the Swiss and other Alpine peoples that the Alps today can be traversed in about two hours of time. But let’s be honest, quick and convenient as it may be, as a travel- ling experience it cannot compete with either the excitement of winding up and down the curvy roads of a great mountain pas or the marvel of the scenery one is likely to encounter on the way. Travelling slow enables the traveler to submerge into worlds different from his own, let the views sink in at ease, and stumble upon and actually get acquainted with some of the treasures that he would oth- erwise miss out in passing. The rewards can be extraordinary. This is not to say, however, that it should be tried to stretch all journeys to the max. Some journeys ought to be ended timely, both for the sake of the traveler in question as well as for the inner peace of those awaiting his return. The journey leading to this PhD thesis cannot be hailed as an example worthy of imitation in this respect. It has lasted for about a decade, which is longish to say the least. Reasons for taking the long way round were plenty, and little time did actually go wasted. However, especially with hindsight, it could be argued that taking a short cut or two, would have been a smart thing to do. But alas, what’s done is done. From the people that have been eagerly awaiting the end of this journey, I have tested the patience of my supervisors – Robert Kloosterman and Hugo Priemus – probably the most. I would like to thank them very much for their endurance, for the trust they put in me and for the useful guidance they were always able to provide. In addition to that, I would also like to thank Wil Zonne- veld who usefully jumped in to temporarily guide me at a time when Robert and Hugo moved slightly out of sight. Along the way, many other people – friends, colleagues, former col- leagues – have either ‘traveled’ with me, given me directions, provided me with shelter, supplied me with food (for thought mostly) or supported me otherwise (if only by now and then not uttering the proverbial question). I thank you all, especially those who worked with me in one of the various projects from which this thesis draws. There are actually too many of you to be named here, but I take it you know who you are when you read these words. Yet, a special word of thanks goes out to Tong, who helped me out in getting the book printed in Bangkok. The last words are for the nearest ones. Mum, dad, Linda and Erik and their ‘gang’: thanks for supporting me in this one. I hope to see you all in Bang- kok soon, to show you the better parts of my new whereabouts. Finally, App, it looks as if your worst nightmare is about to become true: before long you might be living with a doctor for real – a dreadful perspective for you, I know. My next challenge will be to prove that it is wrong. 1 2 Chapter 1 Introduction It was Sir Peter Hall, who halfway through the 1960s, in his seminal study of seven world cities, observed that next to the traditional ‘highly centralised giant city’ there exists a ‘polycentric type of metropolis’ as well (Hall, 1966 p. 9-10). This polycentric metropolis, Hall proclaimed, consists of ‘a number of smaller, specialised, closely-related centres’ and should be understood as ‘a perfectly natu- ral form, which has evolved over a period of history quite as long as the single metropolitan centre’ (ibid.).