Evert Meijers

Polycentric Urban Regions and the Quest for Synergy: Is a Network of Cities More than the Sum of the Parts?

Polycentric urban regions, or urban networks, are often associated with the notion of synergy, the assumption being that the individual cities in these collections of distinct but proximally located cities relate to each other in a synergetic way, making the whole network of cities more than the sum of its parts. Drawing on economic network theories, an analysis of the presence of synergy is carried out for the Randstad region in the Netherlands, which is often considered a classic example of a polycentric urban region. The analysis focuses on the synergy mechanisms of co-operation and in particular complementarity. The results are mixed. In terms of co-operation, the Randstad has become more synergetic. However, the less complementary economic roles of the cities caused a reverse effect.

Form follows function? linking morphological and functional polycentricity

Empirical research establishing the costs and benefits that can be associated with polycentric urban systems is often called for but rather thin on the ground. In part, this is due to the persistence of what appear to be two analytically distinct approaches in understanding and measuring polycentricity: a morphological approach centring on nodal features and a functional approach focused on the relations between centres. Informed by the oft-overlooked but rich heritage of urban systems research, this paper presents a general theoretical framework that links both approaches and discusses the way both can be measured and compared in a coherent manner. Using the Netherlands as a test case, it is demonstrated that most regions tend to be more morphologically polycentric than functionally polycentric. The difference is largely explained by the size, external connectivity and degree of self-sufficiency of a region’s principal centre.

Spatial Planning and Policy Integration: Concepts, Facilitators and Inhibitors

While the concept of policy integration is not a new idea within spatial planning discourse, it is becoming increasingly prevalent. Frequently, however, the term is used without any clear definition of what it means, or how it might be achieved. The aim of this paper is to provide more clarity about the concept and to identify the types of actions in the field of planning where integration with policy can be improved. In so doing, the paper assembles a range of material from different disciplines, and identifies some of the key inhibitors and facilitators of policy integration.

Measuring Polycentricity and its Promises

Even a decade after the concept of polycentric development became popular and increasingly widespread in Europe as a normative policy stance allegedly leading to cohesion and competitiveness, its empirical basis is still rather weak. This is partly due to a lack of conceptual clearness, which makes its measurement difficult. This research briefing synthesises the results of two recent ESPON projects that aim to create a quantitative measurement of the extent of polycentricity of national urban systems, as well as the links they find between polycentricity and economic and social objectives. Both approaches have their limits and have been, and can be criticized from various perspectives. Some suggestions on how to proceed with this research agenda are presented.

Realizing Potential: Building Regional Organizing Capacity in Polycentric Urban Regions

Regional planning for and in polycentric urban regions may entail certain competitive potentialities over a stand-alone development of their individual cities or city-regions. These potentialities relate to the pooling of resources, complementarities and spatial diversity. It seems that planners are increasingly aware of these potentialities as in several European countries attempts are made to identify such polycentric regional systems of formerly independent and distinct cities that are located close to each other, often building on increasing functional relationships between them. This article argues, however, that in order actually to exploit the theoretical potential planning for polycentric urban regions has, one needs to do more than just identify a polycentric system on the map. Rather, an active building of regional organizing capacity is needed - that is, the ability to regionally co-ordinate developments through a more or less institutionalized framework of co-operation, debate, negotiation and decision-making in pursuit of interests at the regional scale - to shape a polycentric urban regions competitive advantages. This need for regional organizing capacity may sound obvious, but in practice successful examples of proclaimed polycentric urban regions developing networks for regional co-ordination and action are rather thin on the ground. Basing our argument on evidence from four polycentric urban regions in North West Europe, it was found that the building of regional organizing capacity is conditioned by a number of spatialfunctional, political-institutional and cultural factors. Major constraints in the examined regions include institutional fragmentation, an internal orientation of key persons and the lack of identification with the region at large.

Summing Small Cities Does Not Make a Large City: Polycentric Urban Regions and the Provision of Cultural, Leisure and Sports Amenities

The paper explores whether a polycentric urban region can reap the advantages of its combined urban size to a similar extent as a similar-sized monocentric city-region. This question is elaborated for the provision of cultural, leisure and sports amenities. Their presence in 42 Dutch regions is expressed in an index, which serves as the dependent variable in a multiple regression model. An explaining variable is the extent of polycentricity of a region. Correcting for differences between regions in terms of population size, the number of visitors and average income, it turns out that the more polycentric a region is, the fewer cultural, leisure and sports amenities are present. Conversely, the more monocentric a region, the more such amenities.

Borrowed Size, Agglomeration Shadows and Cultural Amenities in North-West Europe

Abstract It has been argued that the concept of “borrowed size” is essential to understanding urban patterns and dynamics in North-West Europe. This paper conceptualizes this idea and provides an empirical exploration of it. A place borrows size when it hosts more urban functions than its own size could normally support. A borrowed size for one place means that other places face an “agglomeration shadow” because they host fewer urban functions than they would normally support. This paper explores the extent to which size and function are related for places in North-West Europe and tries to explain why one place borrows size while the other faces an agglomeration shadow by examining the position of places within the regional urban system. The presence of urban functions was approximated using high-end cultural amenities. We conclude that the largest places in their functional urban area (FUA) are better able to exploit their own mass. The largest place in a FUA is also better able to borrow size from nearby places and from (inter)national urban networks than the lower-ranked places.

Stretching the concept of ‘borrowed size’

‘Borrowed size’ is an emerging policy concept in several European countries, presenting theoretical potential to explain contemporary urban dynamics unaddressed through conventional urban growth theories that emphasise the role of agglomeration economies. In its original conceptualisation by Alonso, the concept describes and explains the situation that especially smaller cities that are located in a larger ‘megapolitan complex’ do perform better because they have access to agglomeration benefits of larger neighbouring cities. This paper scrutinises the concept of borrowed size, thereby focusing on its conceptualisation and reviewing its empirical justification thus far. Our empirical analyses show that the concept must be stretched in terms of scale and scope to enhance its policy value. Borrowed size occurs when a city possesses urban functions and/or performance levels normally associated with larger cities. This is enabled through interactions in networks of cities across multiple spatial scales. These networks serve as a substitute for the benefits of agglomeration. Theoretically, the borrowed size concept demands a recasting of the geographical foundations of agglomeration theory.

Twin cities in the process of metropolisation

Metropolisation is understood here as the process through which a loose collection of proximally located cities starts to become more functionally, culturally and institutionally integrated. It can be assumed that in theory metropolisation enhances performance, and indeed this conviction underlies many European metropolitan development strategies. Yet little is known about how this potential is realised in practice. This paper explores the process of metropolisation in three European ‘twin cities’: Linköping–Norrköping (Sweden), Rotterdam–The Hague (Netherlands) and Gdansk–Gdynia (Poland). We find preliminary evidence that metropolisation is an upward spiral of integration in which policy-makers play an active role.

Editorial: The Development and Functioning of Regional Urban Systems

Research interest in urban networks in research has grown recently, coinciding with the increased prominence of concepts such as polycentric development, metropolization and polycentricity in spati...