Le périurbain: Intégration dans le système urbain

Abstract

The population of the Netherlands will age rapidly from the beginning of the twenty first century onwards. There will be extensive regional variation in the pace of the aging process however. In the past the Dutch physical planning policy has lead to migration of young families from the (big) cities in the Randstad to the suburbs followed by a process of aging in place. The initial effect of suburbanisation was the aging of the urban population and a a young and growing population in the suburban areas. At present the process of aging in the cities of the Randstad has been reversed, the urban population is turning younger. In the suburbs although the process of aging is speeding up. This is due to the termination of the former physical planning policy that used to guarantee expansion of the housing stock in suburbia and consequently the migration of new young households. New Dutch physical planning policy will only enhance current regional differences in age structure between the city and the suburb. The sites for new construction projects called 'VINEX locations' are planned in and near the urban areas. In the suburbs the planned capacity for new housing construction is severely restricted. Among elderly in the suburbs the propensity to move to the VINEX locations is low. The main effect is a growing tension on local suburban housing markets, where the housing stock does not meet the demand of the aging population. One of the consequences is a frustration of the local filtering process, others are the departure of young households, a decreasing population and a threat of declining demand for every day services.