The Netherlands in 2015: cities develop in different directions 18-08-2006 By 2015, the gap between the Randstad and its periphery will have increased.
Whilst some cities in the provinces of Brabant, Gelderland, Overijssel and
Flevoland will profit from the Randstad’s economic strength, other areas will
lag behind. This is one of the conclusions drawn in the report entitled "
Nederland in 2015" ("The Netherlands in 2015") issued by the Ministry of the
Interior and Kingdom Relations as part of its project on exploring the future of
urban areas.
This exploration of the future is intended to contribute to the discussion
about the future of the Large Cities Policy. The agreements made with the 31
large cities will expire in 2009. In 2007, the cabinet will decide how the Large
Cities Policy should be followed up.
Certain conclusions drawn from research are as follows:
Ethnic minorities
The number of people living in the Netherlands who are classified as members of non-Western ethnic minorities will increase from 1.7 million in 2005 to 1.97 million by 2015. Within the next decade, members of this population group will also be moving away from the city to new centres of urban development such as Almere, Flevoland, Haarlemmermeer, Lelystad and Zoetermeer. Barendrecht and Almere are expected to experience a doubling of their ethnic minority populations. By 2015, members of ethnic minorities younger than 15 years of age will live primarily in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In terms of percentages, Almere will be a match for these cities. Educational level
Whilst people with high and low levels of education will be living in close proximity in 2015, these groups will still have little to do with one another. Highly educated people will provide cities with purchasing power and create employment in areas such as the hospitality and retail branches for those with less education. But social problems may emerge due to inequalities in incomes and the segregation of these groups. Ageing
The Netherlands will not experience the trend typical of France and Spain where the elderly spend the remainder of their days in declining rural villages. This is due to the fact that the entire country is easily accessible. Even so, certain parts of the country will have higher populations of senior citizens than elsewhere. This will occur in parts of Zeeland, Limburg, the eastern and northern regions of the Netherlands and along the coast of North Holland. An ageing population also provides opportunities: people in their sixties are healthy, have accumulated wealth and have a good pension. Seniors are not particularly attracted to urban life. Source: Press release issued by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Links"The Netherlands in 2015: Material for exploring the future" on EUKN back |
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