Policies for a more inclusive and competitive Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague

This chapter explores the role of public policies in facilitating greater economic integration within the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH) as a means of boosting growth and well-being. It first assesses how past policies in transport, spatial planning, economic development and housing have contributed – or, in many cases, inhibited – greater functional integration in the MRDH area and, by extension, the realisation of expected agglomeration benefits. It then proposes a series of strategies to mobilise the two main tools and competencies of the new MRDH body, economic development and transport, towards a more cohesive region. The chapter concludes with a series of considerations with respect to potential changes to the MRDH co-operative structure over the long term.