Government control in a polynuclear metropolis

Abstract

The Randstad, together with London, Paris and the Ruhr region, is one of the most important urban agglomerations in Western Europe. These agglomerations are densely populated and have many functions. Distinct and autonomous developments have caused these functions to gradually increase in scale. As a result, they are claiming increasing amounts of space precisely at a time when lack of space is characteristic of all urban agglomerations. The ‘struggle for scarce space’ is a conflict that occurs in all the large urban agglomerations of Western Europe.