Cities in the Netherlands Facts and figures on cities and urban areas Cities in the Netherlands Facts and figures on cities and urban areas Cities in the Netherlands 06 Dutch Agenda Stad 08 Cities are popular 10 An urban nation 12 Less growth and more decline 14 The gravitational pull of the Randstad 16 Large cities attract migrants 18 Cities are where the jobs are 20 Economic growth has many faces 22 Income disparities in the city 24 Wealthier = Healthier 26 Cities as incubators for innovation 28 A day in the life of Amsterdam Introduction In the Netherlands, about three quarters of of Dutch cities compare to those in other the population live in urban areas and most European countries? people work there. The largest metropolitan areas also show the strongest population This book covers three topics that are vital for growth. In 2015, the Dutch Government the city: economy, liveability, and innovation. launched its Agenda Stad, a national urban How strong is the gravitational pull of Dutch agenda. Agenda Stad aims to promote cities in comparison to competing urban economic growth, improve liveability regions? What factors determine liveability and stimulate innovation in urban areas. and health in cities? And how do cities fare The Dutch urban agenda affirms that cities when it comes to innovation? These urban play a key role in the future development issues, challenges and opportunities are of the country. clarified using 12 infographics. What is going on in Dutch cities? This book This publication consists of two parts. strives to provide insight into the most This part, Cities in the Netherlands, examines important facts and factors affecting our cities in the context of the Dutch Agenda cities in an accessible way. How have cities Stad. The other part, Cities in Europe, looks developed in the recent past? How many at urban developments across Europe within people live and work in cities and their the context of the Europe 2020 strategy and environs? And how does the structure the Urban Agenda for the EU. Dutch Agenda Stad Three priority areas of the Agenda Stad Europe faces increasing urbanisation which Opportunities and challenges in urban City Deals is a means to achieve the goals brings both opportunities and challenges. areas that require collaboration between of the Dutch national Agenda Stad, which is Major urban challenges manifest them- the national government, cities and other to strengthen economic growth, innovation selves within a variety of societal domains, stakeholders lie at the heart of the Dutch and liveability in Dutch cities. The Dutch such as climate adaptation, inclusion of Agenda Stad. These are oen complex, national Agenda Stad and the Urban Economy low-income groups, and new economic radical and transitional challenges that do Agenda for the EU are in line with each • Job growth through innovation drivers. Business, local governments, civil not t in existing policy frames. This other. The national agenda can be an • Circular economy society and universities in urban areas are collaboration takes shape in City Deals. example of an innovative way of collabora- • Knowledge exchange anticipating on these opportunities and City Deals contain concrete cooperation tion for other European countries and challenges. The Dutch national Agenda arrangements between dierent levels of cities, while at the same time Dutch cities Stad focuses on the overlapping areas of government, business, civil society and can learn from the way other European Innovation economy, liveability and innovation. other stakeholders. Coalition building in cities deal with major urban challenges. • New technologies • Sustainable mobility and urban environment • Adaptation to climate pbl.nl change Economy Liveability Innovation Urban economies are more productive, The liveability of Dutch cities has improved Urban regions are incubators of innovation Liveability grow faster and have a greater innovative dramatically over the past few decades. and entrepreneurship. It is here where • Healthy and safe urban environment potential. Dutch cities lag behind in growth Local problems regarding air pollution, individuals, businesses, institutes and • Aordable housing of labour productivity however. Their trac congestion, income disparities and governments meet and prot from each • Access to education economic position can be strengthened safety still remain however. Cities can others’ knowledge and creativity. Smart by improving connections between urban contribute to improving the liveability by and clean technologies are vital for regions, coordinating investment projects investing in sustainable mobility schemes, sustaining economic growth over the long and increasing the complementarity aordable housing and quality of the term. Using up resources and energy at between cities. public space. current rates is no longer an option. 6 Groningen +25,000 Population change, 2000–2014 Cities are popular On a grid of 2x2 kilometres Source: CBS, adaptation by PBL Population The Netherlands is a highly urbanised (e.g. Amsterdam and Roerdam), while million inhabitants country. At the same time, the share of the others contracted. In the second half of the 10 population that lives in large metropolitan 19th century, aer a period of stagnation areas (over 500,000 people) is remarkably and contraction, a new era dawned; growth City Amsterdam small. The majority of Dutch ‘urbanites’ live resumed in existing towns and, for the 8 +73,000 in small and medium-sized towns. This is rst time since the Middle Ages and in the result of the polycentric urban structure the wake of industrialisation and railroad 6 of the Netherlands; most urban regions are construction, new towns were being formed Commuting zone The Hague made up of multiple urban cores at relatively (e.g. Eindhoven and Tilburg) (Rue and +61,000 short distances from each another. Abrahamse, 2016). 4 Rural area Utrecht +71,000 The roots of our modern polycentric urban Currently, aer an extended period of structure can be traced back to medieval suburbanisation and urban decline in the 2 times. Twenty of the 35 largest Dutch cities 1960–1990 period, cities are regaining their Roerdam Arnhem +14,000 originate from the 11th to 15th century, former status. City centres in particular have pbl.nl +12,000 0 mainly as towns with important ports. enjoyed a resurgence of population growth, 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 While, in the 14th century, large parts of especially regarding families with children Europe struggled with epidemics and an (Evers et al., 2015). The outlook for the future economic recession, parts of what is now the is also favourable. CBS/PBL (2013) predict a Projection (CBS/PBL) Netherlands experienced an economic peak strong concentration of population growth and urban boom. Aer this period up to the in urban municipalities, particularly in and Eindhoven mid 19th century, some cities, especially in around big cities. +19,000 the west of the country expanded greatly City Commuting zone Rural area Population growth in the city Population growth in the commuting zone Population growth in the rural area Population decline Growth and decline smaller than 100 persons per grid cell are not shown on the map pbl.nl 8 Important characteristics of the city An urban nation Source: CBS, LISA and RIVM, adaptation by PBL City Commuting zone Rural area Land use ¡% ¥% ¢% 2012 In the past, it was easy to tell where the city ended and countryside began. In the course of the 20th century, the dierence between Population % % % urban and rural became increasingly blurred. 2013 Cities have transformed into urban regions with a wide variety of spaces and functions. Jobs £% % % People have also become much more mobile Commuting zone 2013 and have adopted much more complex lifestyles in their work and leisure time. Knowledge workers % % ¡¢% In order to dene and delineate urban areas, 2010 Eurostat and the OECD use a harmonised denition that makes a distinction between Immigration ¢% ¡¢% ¡% ‘cities’ (municipalities of more than 2012 50,000 residents) and ‘commuting zones’ (municipalities with a signicant commuting relationship to the urban cores). Almost Household use of natural gas % % ¢% 2012 three quarters of the Dutch population live City in urban areas, making the Netherlands one of the most urbanised countries in Europe. Household waste £% ¤% % 2012 Most of the jobs in the Netherlands can be found in the urban areas. These also have PM10 emissions % ¥% ¢% the highest share of knowledge workers and pbl.nl aract the most foreign immigrants. The 2013 high population density and concentration of human activity in cities has disadvantages as well, for example, in terms of air pollution and waste. In relationship to the land area, PM10 emission levels Rural area in cities are four times higher than in rural areas pbl.nl 10 e r e m l A t m t h a h c S c e d e S r i e dam r r r i r t e t e t e U a s U a t m rd l s r K K m A d He - He er Less m e growth A - G r G A kr k e e e e r l rl r a e l a l e e e d e d e n n n e e n The Hague H o o g The Hague ijk e w and more v js e i e R n D am e D d l er f e z l n f o i e j t z R l u o i H j decline l Rijs wijk Ro erdam 1997–2012 Hoo 2012–2027 gev een Past 15 years Coming 15 years pbl.nl pbl.nl H o u Over the past 15 years, most Dutch munici- t en palities experienced population growth. Decline Growth more than 2.5%, with most of them located This mainly occurred in the suburbs and 0–5% in peripheral areas (CBS/PBL, 2013).