Knowledge as a crucial resource in policy making for mainport Rotterdam

Access to information and synthesis of advanced knowledge form critical success conditions for a knowledge society. This also holds for regional development and infrastructure. Rotterdam exemplifies a region that benefits from a longstanding openness as a seaport serving large parts of Europe. Nowadays, Rotterdam is facing increased competition with seaports serving the same areas. An answer to this situation is to expand the port area, in such a way that new demands for land for port activity can immediately be satisfied. This policy is based on the old logic of mass transport and mass manufacturing. Critics prefer a structural shift to innovative activities focusing on added value, a policy line that requires an improved use of the learning capability in the region. This chapter shows that new policies including a radical turn in development may face resistance from traditional forces.