Get involved

Discover the Randstad Excursion

Sign up here!

This event is organised by the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.
The excursion starts at 8:30 and we will be back in Groningen before 23:00. You will be expected at 8:15 in front of the train station. Optionally you can leave the excursion in Rotterdam at around 18:15 and stay in the Randstad region.
“Randstad Holland” is a unique ‘polynuclear city’, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, and many more cities. The name ‘Randstad’ is directly related to the ‘Green Heart’ situated in the middle – an “oasis of green, peace and rest”. Should the ‘Green Heart’ be (partly) sacrificed in order to allow for continued urban growth and acceptable levels of the liveability of the Randstad?
The tour will introduce you to various aspects of the (limits to) growth of the Randstad. Site visits to Amsterdam (1960s Bijlmermeer neighborhood, and business district Zuidas) and Rotterdam (seaport, inner city) are included, as well as an attempt to find the “Green Heart”.
Why and how did the 1960s Bijlmer expansion of Amsterdam turn into a social and planning disaster? Is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol located in the wrong place? What exactly is the “Green Heart”? Does it really exist? Should it exist? What makes the city of Rotterdam work? Is Rotterdam City still a port city? Where do you put your bookshelf in a cube house?
These and many other questions are the narrative of an excursion, offered to you by Chris Diederiks and Bart Popken (tour guides, Faculty of Spatial Science of the University of Groningen). The excursion focuses on the separation of functions in the Western Netherlands, and discusses the ongoing debate about the development options of the Randstad cities and the so-called “Green Heart”.
After signing up, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions 1 or 2 days before the excursion.


Buy tickets