Trends, challenges and opportunities in the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague

This chapter introduces the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH), which corresponds to a geographic area of 23 municipalities including Rotterdam and The Hague, as well as a new metropolitan-scale body created in 2015 to manage responsibilities for transport and economic development in this area. Rotterdam and The Hague have only recently begun to consider themselves as partners in a larger metropolitan region. This chapter begins with an analysis of the dense, polycentric spatial structure of the MRDH, which reflects urban development patterns in the Netherlands as a whole. It then assesses issues of competitiveness, quality of life and governance in the MRDH area, comparing outcomes with national and international trends. Finally, it measures the extent to which the MRDH area exists as a single, functional region, based on commuting trends and inter-municipal economic interactions.