Rotterdam Case Study: Quality of life in remaking Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second largest city of the Netherlands and one of the major cities in Northwest Europe. The city, situated at the Rhine–Meuse Delta in the province of Zuid Holland, has always been part of a dynamic delta where sea, land, rivers, and urban areas come together. This can be seen in many aspects of the city. Water is an integral part of Rotterdam. In 2015, Rotterdam’s population was more than 624,000 and comprised 173 nationalities. It is one of the youngest cities in Europe with 30 percent of the population younger than 25 and only 15 percent older than 65. The annual population increase in the past five years has averaged 5 percent. Approximately 50 percent of Rotterdam residents (or their parents) are foreign born. On January 5, 2009, the first mayor in the Netherlands of Moroccan ethnicity, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, took office. The City covers an area of 213 square kilometers, including the port area (Figure 10.1). Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port city with a varied history in shipping and logistics. The port facility along the riverfront is 40 kilometers long and stretches between the city and North Sea. Rotterdam hosts one of the largest refining and chemical clusters in the world. Due to energy and resource constraints, many companies are slowly shifting towards cleantech, one of the major focal points in the port’s development master plan. Although the port industrial complex is still a big driver for the city’s economy, since the 1980s other economic clusters have emerged in the city. Important metropolitan regions close to Rotterdam are Amsterdam (55 kilometers), the Ruhr Valley (125 kilometers) and Antwerp (60 kilometers.)