The Netherlands: Pride of place

Respondents in the Netherlands indicated that they are more likely to visit for shopping, leisure and collecting parcels.

This could be down to their proximity to town and city centres. Adults in the Netherlands have a faster access to the centres than any other countries, taking on average only 11.6 minutes to get there. They also spend more time there per visit.

This relatively high use of town and city centres corresponds to the low level of concern respondents have about their town and city centres. When presented with a list of concerns, respondents selected “not concerned” more than all other countries.

The increasing focus on a sustainable recovery that includes everyone could be the reason why people from the Netherlands have fewer concerns about town and city centres than other countries.

In April 2020, Amsterdam’s city government announced it would recover from the pandemic by implementing “doughnut economics”, a system laid out by British economist Kate Raworth in 2017. The initial theory was created to tackle climate breakdown, but also focuses on ensuring everyone has access to a good quality of life. Amsterdam is introducing infrastructure projects and employment schemes, with a focus on creating a better and sustainable built environment.

Raworth, when explaining Doughnut Economics to CNBC in March 2021, talked about how it could increase pride of place people might feel for their town and city. Increasing “pride of place” has been highlighted in the UK government’s Levelling Up White Paper as a key goal; perhaps lessons could be learned from the Netherlands.