TIP Final Debate
Transcript
completely abolish all the rules, but to create more freedom through different regulatory programmes. Annemiek Rijckenberg (audience): Besides that, his message was also to preserve the rules that we do have. In the Netherlands, it is always too much one or the other, but his point was about creating better rules that are taken seriously. Jaap Modder: So it is about creating that space for society. How will this be achieved though? Will it happen organically? If you look at the past lectures, for example, will Fesel’s cultural clusters, McCann’s knowledge clusters, Lecroart’s flagship developments and Corijn’s international organisations come about naturally if we change the rules? Just imagine: the conclusion for the metropolitan region is that the region needs a superintendent that will ensure that the
programme runs well. This will then happen through small-scaled metropolitan interventions that form by themselves. What else is then needed? Jan Brouwer: If you look at the dimensions of the area that are truly metropolitan in nature, i.e. places with high intensity and interaction, then the area is actually relatively small. Of course there are a few more places, such as a number of historical centres, but that’s about it. There are many more potential places, however, where intensity and (international) interaction can be stimulated through settlements policies, accessibility and so forth. Stedenbaan has researched the places where large-scale provisions currently lie along the Stedenbaan. These are potential centres with high levels of interaction and intensity: places where more mass can be created and which exude a certain degree of
TIP Final Debate
Transcript
internationalism. I once made a simple map of the municipalities in the Netherlands, and the dimensions of their centres. From this, it became apparent that the more a city grows, the more significant the centre is for its surrounding environment. This in turn also creates more interaction. Amsterdam is not only the biggest city in the Netherlands, it also has a relatively big centre. If you therefore want a metropolitan region in South-Holland, then you will also need to broaden the area where the interaction and intensity takes place. This does not necessarily have to be the centres of Rotterdam or The Hague however: there are many other potential places, such as Delft for example. The campus there is currently an empty, barren area, with a lot of potential. It attracts many international people. Delft would really benefit from added facilities and
provisions in this area, as it would give the campus a whole new appeal. Jaap Modder: So Luuk: spatial planners still have enough work to do, it isn’t just about the small-scaled projects. Luuk Boelens: Yes, I’ll still be busy for a while. There is actually still a lot of work for spatial planners, but the type of work is very different from what it used to be. When I first worked for the Province of South-Holland, spatial planning was much more about mapping and ‘colouring in’ so to speak. These days, it is much more about facilitating and connecting people, and then ensuring that these are eventually given the spatial dimensions that give them spatial significance. This also means, that we now have different expectations of politicians. Luckily, Marnix is starting to think this way, because I remember that this wasn’t the case five years 30