The Netherlands in an International Context
The City of the Future
Business location criteria, will more than products or services, determine if organisations succeed or fail. This makes the working environments a top priority for all CEOs.
In the way we live and work, fundamental changes are taking place, some jobs will disappear, new jobs will emerge, and different types of jobs will be created. The success of businesses and institutions depends on the extent to which you can attract and retain talent. As a country, a city and an organisation. That requires Netherlands to maintain its attractive position as the ‘gateway to Europe’ and businesses must establish themselves in locations with the best access to the labour market and working environments.
If the Netherlands do not succeed in maintaining the position as the gateway to Europe, the current standard of living cannot be maintained. How money will be earned and distributed in the future is set to change fundamentally. The Netherlands must be part of this trend. This can only be achieved by with a higher level of ambition and joining forces of cities and urban areas.
Instead of predicting doom scenarios, we must recognise the vast potential of this era of change and digitisation. Being part of a generation that can decisively influence the direction socially important themes is unique. If we exploit these opportunities effectively, this wave of technological change will bring greater prosperity, reduce polarisation, make the world more sustainable and generate economic abundance.
However, the bar of ambition must be raised in the Netherlands. We have the opportunity to being part of a region where people want to live, study and work. But we must unite in making the right choices. Starting with a transformation of our spatial planning tradition. The Netherlands must focus on agglomeration, change the view on mobility and initiate a programme for creating functional cities and urban areas. These initiatives will strengthen our economic attractiveness at an international level, promote social cohesion, generate opportunities for everybody and create an attractive living environment.
This article is part of a series in which Jeroen Lokerse analyses the new roles and function of real estate in a structurally changing world and the resulting opportunities for creating sustainable (business) value for society and for project developers.
