The changing role of old and new centres: The case of the Amsterdam region

Many European urban regions have experienced a transformation from a compact monocentric toward a less compact polycentric urban region since the 1960s. The debate on emerging polycentricity in Europe so far tends to be more theoretical than analytical. The trend toward increasingly polycentric urban regions is meanwhile beyond dispute, but the effects of this transformation on urban regions and their components have only been explored to a limited extent. Are the "old" central cities only losing people, functions, and status to the new urban centers, or do these centers complement each other and specialize in terms of economic activities and population composition? This article presents evidence for the Amsterdam urban region regarding population distribution, selective migration, job growth, and economic specializations of the region's subcenters. It will become clear from our data that the Amsterdam urban region has indeed become more polycentric, but also that Amsterdam has managed to remain a vital center. The newer and older urban subcenters have become increasingly important, but rather than competing with Amsterdam, they develop in a complementary way.