Edge Cities, European-style: Examples from Paris and the Randstad

Abstract

Across the developed world, metropolitan regions have become increasingly polycentric. One of the new centre types emerging in the metropolitan periphery in North America in particular is the Edge City. These are recently formed, large multifunctional concentrations of offices, retail, leisure and housing areas at a considerable distance of the ‘historic’ central city. This paper discusses the extent to which Edge Cities are a typically North-American phenomenon, or something we might also expect in Europe. A review of American and European literature and four case studies in the metropolitan regions of Paris and the Randstad demonstrate that recent development tendencies in European metropolitan regions bear resemblance to Edge City development in several respects. However, because some clear differences can also be found, we argue that the European Edge Cities are not mere copies of their American counterparts, but rather a ‘typically European’ variation of the original Edge City model.