The Randstad and the Central Netherlands urban ring: Planners waver between two concepts

Abstract The Randstad, consisting of a city ring made up of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, in combination with the Green Heart, may be considered the most stable planning doctrine advanced by Dutch planners and policy‐makers. There is, however, a growing competition from the concept of the larger Central Netherlands Urban Ring, covering large parts of Gelderland and North Brabant. This contribution presents an overview of the political debate and the house‐building and economic developments with regard to the Randstad and the Central Netherlands Urban Ring. We conclude that the increasing congestion in the Randstad results in an extension of economic activities and residential fractions to Gelderland and North Brabant: the so‐called Sandy Town. The Randstad and the Sandy Town operate more and more as a Siamese twin: together forming the Central Netherlands Urban Ring. The Sandy Town derives its growth primarily from the propellingforce of the Randstad with its two main ports and four large cities. The Randstad is able to keep up its momentum because of the space for development of economic and residential amenities that the Sandy Town offers.