Randstad
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The Randstad (Edge City, i.e. a city at the edge of a circle, with empty space in the centre) is a conurbation in the Netherlands. It consists of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht), and the surrounding areas. With its 7.5 million inhabitants (almost half of the population of the Netherlands; when other conurbations connected to this area are also taken into consideration, it would have a population a little over 10 million, almost 2/3 of the entire Dutch population) it is one of the largest conurbations in Europe. Its main cities are Almere, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Gouda, Haarlem, Hilversum, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Zoetermeer. Other centres include Alphen aan den Rijn, Amstelveen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Hoofddorp, Katwijk, Leidschendam, Maassluis, Nieuwegein, Houten, Purmerend, Rijswijk, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Vlaardingen, Voorburg, and Zaanstad.
The cities of the Randstad more or less form a crescent or chain. This shape has given the Randstad its name (rand means rim or edge and stad means city or town). The area that is enclosed by the larger cities is called the Green Heart (Groene Hart).
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[edit] Controversy
Over the last few decades, a major topic in the Randstad is the "conflict" between the cities and the towns in between. These towns are usually much greener than the cities, they house many commuters that work in the cities and the former strongly depend on the latter for facilities such as hospitals and large scale entertainment. Cities need more space to expand, yet the towns fear losing their identity and autonomy.
Another 'hot issue' about the Randstad, is the question about its borders. Nobody can tell where the Randstad begins, and where it ends. Some will say that only the four biggest cities of the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) are part of this Metropole, others would say that areas such as Alkmaar-Hoorn, Arnhem-Nijmegen and Eindhoven-Tilburg-Breda-Den Bosch are also part of this conurbation. All of these conurbations are self-sufficient areas, but for many things, they still rely upon the bigger cities.
- Further information: Global City, Agglomeration Conurbation and Metropolitan Area
[edit] Culture in the Randstad
The Randstad has a history of competition. For instance, between Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the two main cities compete on many levels, from football to art. Lately the cultural sector has tried to limit this rivalry and look for mutual strength. The main cultural organisations in Amsterdam, such as the Concertgebouw and Holland Festival, have joined forces with similar organisations in Rotterdam, via A'R'dam. In 2007 these organisations published a manifesto with plans for co-operation. One of the goals is to strengthen the international position of culture and art in the Netherlands in the international context.
[edit] The Green Heart
The Groene Hart (Green Heart) is another hotly debated issue closely related to the conflict between cities and towns. On the one hand people feel this large and relatively sparsely populated area should be protected, as it is considered a valuable rural area amongst cities. On the other hand, many people enjoy living in the relatively quiet environment near their places of work and the facilities the Randstad provides.
[edit] Randstadwings and other planners thoughts
Recently, Dutch planners have started to refer to the Randstad as Deltametropool [1]. Deltametropolis actually consists of two large metropolitan areas:
1. The Noordvleugel (North Wing, with a population of around 2.5 million people), consisting of the Haarlem and IJmuiden conurbations in the west, Amsterdam at the centre and Almere and the Gooi area in the east. The conurbation of Utrecht (pop. around an extra 1 million) could also be considered to be part of the North Wing. The main center is however clearly Amsterdam, which could - as such - be considered a classical centralistic metropole.
2. The Zuidvleugel (South Wing, with a population of around 3.5 million people), stretching some 60 kilometers from Dordrecht in the South East to Leiden in the North. The main conurbations are the Rotterdam and The Hague areas. The virtual centre of the Zuidvleugel lies in between these two major cities, near Delft. The first steps toward this development are currently being taken with the construction of a new fast light-rail connection between Rotterdam and The Hague: RandstadRail. A long delayed extension of the western A4-motorway from the south of Delft to Rotterdam has also been put back on the administrative agenda, creating a second connection between Rotterdam, via The Hague, to Amsterdam.
[edit] Transportation
The Randstad possesses a large infrastructure system, with many railways, motorways, trams and subways in various cities. Home to various mainports, transportation is an important issue in the Randstad, with the port of Rotterdam, and Schiphol airport. There are various smaller ports and airports in the Randstad, like the ports of IJmuiden, Amsterdam and Dordrecht, as well as Rotterdam airport.
[edit] Motorways
The Randstad has various motorways, most of them starting around Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Many international corridors start in the Randstad, like the A1, A2, A4, A7, A12, A15 and A16 motorways, as well as various commuter routes. Most motorways suffer from severe congestion, and is home to many bottlenecks, mostly outdated tunnels, aqueducts and bridges. There are various drawbridges across the many canals in the Randstad. Traffic jams can occur at any time of the day, however rushhour last from 6.00 am to 10.00 am and from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm.
Major bottlenecks can create traffic jams up to 20 kilometers in daily length. Most motorways are not wider than 2x2 or 2x3 lanes, however experiencing some of the highest traffic volumes in Europe. Some hard shoulders are in use as peak hour lanes, traffic is allowed to use the hard shoulder as a 3rd lane during congestion, when signed so. Because of the lack of sufficient surface streets and provincial roads, a lot of local traffic is also using the motorways.
Because motorway tunnels and bridges are usually the only way to cross major waterbodies, all traffic centers around these objects, causing traffic jams, especially in the Coentunnel, Ringvaart Aqueduct, Vechtbridge, Moerdijkbridge, Heinenoordtunnel, Beneluxtunnel and Brienenoordbridge. There are a few missing links in the motorway network of the Randstad, especially on the A4 motorway, where construction has been a topic of debate since the 1960's. Another growing issue is the number of trucks on the radiating motorways from the Randstad, truck volumes can be as high as 20,000 trucks per day, occupying the entire right lane on some motorways.
[edit] Railways
The Randstad is the keystone of the Dutch railway network, as most intercity connections start or end in some of the key cities in the Randstad. The railway network is dense, and heavily used. Delays are common, however they are improving currently. Most larger cities in the Randstad have various railway stations, as well as lightrail, subway or tram-networks.
[edit] See also
[edit] Publications online
OECD Territorial Reviews: Randstad Holland, Netherlands
