CHAPTER 2: PROBLEM FIELD
THE FRAGMENTED & INCOHERENT RANDSTAD
IONAL T A N R E T IN PETITION COM
fig. 2.2.i: Cities within the Randstad are still to much focused to each other, instead of joining forces to compete with regions at world level. OTH ER INT REGIONERNATIONAL S
D
RANDSTA
of the middle- and highclass Randstad lifestyles then the neighbourhoods which were a few decades older. This resulted into that the older neighbourhoods went down in the local hierarchy of neighbourhoods and became more unpopular. Amenities left the older neighbourhoods and the lower social classes had no other choice then to stay. These concentrations of unemployed and low educated people, let too many social problems in these neighbourhoods. The liveability ratings in the older areas decreased. But these VINEX-suburbs are again built to similar ideas and again at a very large scale. It is still hard to recognize the difference between a development in Pijnacker and one in Barendrecht. These areas fit to the behaviour of today’s Randstad inhabitant, but are these neighbourhoods flexible enough to adapt socio-economic changes in the future? 3. LACK OF OUTSTANDING PROJECTS There is a lack of projects that are interesting at supraregional and supranational scale. Cities within the Randstad are all spreading their economic centres, iconic living areas and landscape elements in small particles all over the region instead of cooperating with each other to form them into a strong interrelated urban system (PBL, 2015). Occasionally someone comes up with a plan housing an uncommon project that has potential to ad to a more coherent metropolitan region, like an interconnecting park or cultural sub-centre. But it has seen a lot of times that in the end the qualitative parts of such a plan have to be left out, for example due economic reasons, ending up as a general development. The first plans for the Zuidplaspolder in 2004 for example, one of the last ‘empty’ areas within the south of the Randstad (VROM, 2004), contained projects which were quite unique and had a potential added value at the scale of the Randstad. So was there a highly urban interconnecting city-quarter at an intersection of public transport, motorways, the city of Gouda and the canal. There also was planned a very lowly-densed residential area, employing the unique features of its landscape, focusing at an international target group whose numbers a now very little presented in the Randstad. But mainly because of the financial crisis in 2007, the appeal to develop new large scale living and working loca-
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tions decreased and the plan for the Zuidplaspolder became an uncertainty. Around 2012 however, it was decided to develop the area again, but now within a more ‘bottom-up’ like approach. Every neighbouring municipality is now developing small particles of similar retro-style residential areas and grey glasshouse/logistic areas at this location. The more unique projects just described, which had a potential to give added value to the Randstad, were once again scrapped (Province of Zuid-Holland, 2013; Municipality of Zuidplas, 2012).
“Cities are spreading their economic centres, iconic living areas and landscape elements in small particles all over the Randstad instead of cooperating with each other to form them into a strong interrelated urban system.” As could be read in 2.1, Neutelings insisted that for a coherent urban region a planner needs to look why a certain development is necessary for the carpet metropolis of the Randstad as a whole. For too long the cities within the Randstad were competing with each other, spreading their economic centres and more qualitative areas, instead of forming strong interrelated urban systems and compete at international scale. Small focused projects do not create good conditions for attracting international businesses and highly talented knowledge workers: they are looking for metropolitan regions with a strong identity and larger scale qualitative environment (PBL, 2015).While other international regions are improving to distinguish themselves, the Randstad and in particular the Zuidvleugel the diversity of living, working and recreational areas is decreasing. This has consequences as the region of the Randstad is lowering at the international list of strong economical international regions (VROM, 2008; PBL, 2015). A more coherent urban structure, where the innovative industries, economical sectors, qualitative landscapes and sectors with talented people already present in the Randstad are joining forces, would give the Randstad more economical benefits. This brings new job opportunities