Largest Dutch Cities Research Articles

Effects of crowding on route preferences and perceived safety of urban cyclists in the Netherlands

Bicycle use increases in many cities around the world. In the Netherlands, cycling is one of the main transport modes in cities and bicycle use is still growing. This leads to crowded cycling infrastructure in cities with high cycling shares, including in the four largest Dutch cities. Since few studies have been done to the effects of high crowding levels on cyclists’ route preferences and perceived safety, the present study aims to examine this for Dutch urban cyclists. Moreover, the relationship between perceived safety and route preferences is established. To investigate this, a questionnaire, including a route choice experiment, is completed by 1,329 cyclists from the four largest Dutch cities. The effects of varying crowding levels on route preferences and perceived safety are analysed with Mixed Logit models. Logistic regression is used to investigate the consistency between route preferences and perceived safety. The results show that crowding negatively affects route preferences as well as perceived safety, and that the impact is stronger for older cyclists and women. Furthermore, high crowding levels have a negative impact on the preference for and perception of safety of cycling infrastructure. Moreover, it is shown that all investigated route attributes have a significant effect on perceived safety, implying a more direct relationship between perceived safety and route preferences. In addition, the results show that most cyclists prefer routes they also perceive as safe. Concludingly, crowding seems an important issue for cyclists in large Dutch cities. Moreover, the perception of safety is likely to increase with the implementation of cycling infrastructure suitable for large flows of cyclists, leading to a safer cycling network for all types of cyclists.

The added value of environmental certification in the Dutch office market

Purpose This study examines the relationship between environmental building certification Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM-NL) and office rents in the Dutch office market.Design/methodology/approach A hedonic price model was used to assess the impact of BREEAM certification on office rents. The study is based on 4,355 rent transactions in the period 2015 to mid-2022, in which 331 transactions took place in certified office buildings and 4,024 transactions in non-certified office buildings.Findings The results provide empirical evidence on quantitative economic benefits of BREEAM-certified offices in the Netherlands. After controlling for all important office rent determinants, the results show a rental premium for certified office buildings of 10.3% on average. The green premiums highly differ across submarkets and vary between 5.1 and 12.6% in the five largest Dutch cities. Additionally, the results show significant positive correlation between BREEAM-NL label score and rents, whereby better performing buildings generally command higher rents.Originality/value The study contributes to the current literature on green building economics by providing, as one of the first, empirical evidence on the existence of financial benefits for BREEAM-certified office buildings in the Dutch office market.

Is multimodality advantageous? Assessing the relationship between multimodality and perceived transport adequacy and accessibility in different travel contexts

Multimodality is regarded as essential to promoting sustainable mobility because of the widely found environmental benefits, although it is unclear whether individuals experience multimodality as a benefit or a burden. This study aims to investigate the relationship between multimodality and perceived transport adequacy and accessibility in different travel contexts. Using data collected in two large Dutch cities, we realized the research aim from three perspectives. First, a multigroup multimodality index was constructed to measure the variability of transport mode use at both major-category and sub-category levels, which somehow addressed the mode classification issue in measuring multimodality. Second, by performing a regression analysis on the factors associated with multimodality, we found that multimodality occurs in different travel contexts related to certain conditions or constraints. Third, the effects of multimodality as well as the interaction effects of car-related factors and multimodality on two factors of perceived transport adequacy and perceived accessibility are assessed using stepwise regression models. Results show that multimodality is burdensome, especially for those who rely on cars. Specifically, being more multimodal is generally associated with higher perceived disadvantage and lower perceived accessibility; for people who experience the ease of driving or have limited access to a car, being more multimodal results in even lower perceived achievement or perceived accessibility. The results indicate that even in compact and less car-dependent urban settings, multimodality lacks attraction and reducing car use is difficult. The findings inform multimodal transport policies and planning to balance social and environmental values by assessing and minimizing the negative individual externalities.

Examining the crash risk factors associated with cycling by considering spatial and temporal disaggregation of exposure: Findings from four Dutch cities

Cycling levels in cities keep increasing, which is accompanied with more cyclists being involved in serious road crashes. This paper aims to contribute to safer urban cycling by examining risk factors associated with cycling in the four largest Dutch cities, incorporating spatial and temporal variations in bicycle crash risk. For this purpose, the crashes and exposure metrics are analysed on an hourly temporal resolution. The results reveal that utilising an hourly temporal resolution in the exposure metrics and bicycle crash risk gives more detailed results compared to daily averages of these metrics. Moreover, the exposure to cyclists and motorised vehicles both have a significant impact on bicycle crash risk. The results also imply that separating cyclists from high-speed motorised vehicles might be more important than implementing a lower speed limit to curb the increasing severity of crashes. Despite some local differences, the overall results of the risk factors are remarkably similar across the cities, providing increased generalisability and transferability of the study. The findings indicate that concerns about the effects of increasing bicycle use and large flows of motorised vehicles on bicycle crash risk are valid, showing the importance of efforts towards improving bicycle safety in cities.

The Effects of the Jump-In Whole-School Intervention on the Weight Development of Children in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

This study assessed the effects of the "Jump-in" whole-school intervention in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on children's weight development by comparing children exposed to the intervention and controls from 3 other large Dutch cities. Jump-in is a comprehensive intervention that aims to stimulate healthy nutrition and physical activity in children at primary schools in Amsterdam. In addition, the relationship between the intervention's implementation degree and its effectiveness was studied. Demographic and anthropometric data, collected by youth health care professionals via routine health checks at T0 (2014) and T1 (2019), were used to analyze possible intervention effects by comparing the weight development of children exposed to the Jump-in intervention versus unexposed controls. Implementation logs from health promotion professionals were used to determine intervention effects per implementation degree. Multilevel regression analyses were used for all analyses. In total, 4299 children were included mean age ± 5.5 years (T0), 10.6 years (T1), and ≈50% boys/girls at both times. Receiving the fully implemented intervention resulted in a decline in standardized body-mass index (zBMI) compared to the controls (-0.23, confidence interval [CI] -0.33, -0.13). It also led to higher odds to move into a healthier weight category over time (odds ratio [OR] 1.36, CI 1.06, 1.74), yet no statistically significant shift towards a healthy weight was found. Relative to the controls, children exposed to the intervention showed positive zBMI developments, with stronger effects when the implementation degree was higher. Despite positive results, creating more impact might require the further integration of school-based programs into whole-systems approaches that include other energy-balance behaviors.

Social security or insecurity? The experience of welfare participation by financially vulnerable households in the Netherlands

AbstractSocial welfare aims to support financially vulnerable households by protecting them from financial shocks and providing them with a basic standard of living. Many eligible households, however, do not take up social welfare. We present the results of in‐depth interviews with 31 members of financially vulnerable households in two large Dutch cities about their experiences with welfare. We examined the role of money in their lives, what inhibited them from taking up social welfare, and how they sought support. For many interviewed households, money was a source of stress. The fear of reclaims and mistrust of government institutions were the main inhibitors to participating in welfare programs. Whereas the experience of shame and stigma were substantial inhibitors for claiming local welfare benefits, they were not for participating in national welfare programs. Formal and informal help promoted welfare participation, but many participants lacked access to both. We discuss policies that could decrease the perceived uncertainty of benefits receipt and give directions for future research.

Ethnic differences in functional limitations: a comparison of older migrants and native Dutch older population.

BackgroundAlthough the older migrants population in Europe is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, there is little information about their health status and particularly functional limitations. This study examined the association of ethnicity and mobility, hearing and visual limitations in comparison to the general population in the Netherlands, and whether relevant characteristics explained the potential differences between older migrants and non-migrants.MethodsSecondary data analysis of 12 652 subjects 55 years and older who participated in the health survey in the four largest Dutch cities. To establish limitations in vision, hearing and mobility, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between limitations and ethnic background, subsequently adjusting for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and relevant health- and lifestyle-related factors.ResultsOlder migrants had higher prevalences of functional limitations. The age- and- gender adjusted ORs were 2 to 8-fold compared with older non-migrants. After adjusting for socioeconomic status and health-and lifestyle indicators, Moroccan, Turkish and Surinamese migrants still had increased ORs for visual limitations [ORs (95% CI), respectively: 2.48 (1.49–4.14), 3.08 (1.75–5.41) and 1.97 (1.33–2.91)] compared with the Dutch. For mobility limitations, only the Turkish migrants had an OR twice as high (2.19; 1.08–4.44) as the non-migrants. No significant differences were found between Antillean/Aruban migrants and non-migrants.ConclusionsImportant ethnic inequalities exist in various functional limitations, particularly in vision. These results underline the importance of tailored preventive interventions in older migrants to detect and prevent these limitations at an early stage.

Euthanasia in the Netherlands: a claims data cross-sectional study of geographical variation

BackgroundThe annual incidence of euthanasia in the Netherlands as a percentage of all deaths rose from 1.9% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2017. Scarce literature on regional patterns calls for...

The impact of ethnic density on dispensing of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication among immigrants in the Netherlands

PurposeA higher own-group ethnic density in the area of residence is often associated with a lower risk for psychotic disorder. For common mental disorders the evidence is less convincing. This study explores whether these findings are mirrored in data on dispensing of antipsychotics and antidepressants. MethodsHealth insurance data on dispensed medication among all adults living in the four largest Dutch cities were linked to demographic data from Statistics Netherlands. Dispensing of antipsychotics and antidepressants in 2013 was analyzed in relation to the proportion of the own ethnic group in the neighborhood. ResultsHigher own-group ethnic density was associated with lower dispensing of antipsychotics among the Moroccan-Dutch (N = 115,455), after adjusting for age, gender, and SES of the neighborhood (ORadj for the highest vs. the lowest density quintile = 0.72 [0.66–0.79]). However, this association vanished after adjustment for household composition (ORadj = 0.93 [0.85–1.03]). Similar results were found for the Turkish-Dutch (N = 105,460) (ORadj = 0.86 [0.76–0.96] and 1.05 [0.94–1.18]). For those of Surinamese (N = 147,123) and Antillean origin (N = 41,430), in contrast, the association between ethnic density and lower risk remained after each adjustment (P < 0.001). For antidepressants, a negative association with own-group ethnic density was consistently found for those of Antillean origin (ORadj = 0.62 [0.52–0.74]) only. ConclusionThese data on dispensing of psychomedication confirm the ethnic density hypothesis for psychosis alongside earlier equivocal findings for other mental disorders. The negative association between own-group ethnic density and dispensing of antipsychotics among the Moroccan- and Turkish-Dutch may be explained, at least in part, by a favourable household composition (i.e., living in a family) in high-density neighborhoods.

Dispensing of psychotropic medication among 400,000 immigrants in The Netherlands

PurposePreviously, a high prevalence of certain psychiatric disorders was shown among non-Western immigrants. This study explores whether this results in more prescriptions for psychotropic medication.MethodsData on dispensing of medication among adults living in the four largest Dutch cities in 2013 were linked to demographic data from Statistics Netherlands. Incident (i.e., following no dispensing in 2010–2012) and prevalent dispensing among immigrants was compared to that among native Dutch (N = 1,043,732) and analyzed using multivariable Poisson and logistic regression.ResultsHigh adjusted Odds Ratios (ORadj) of prevalent and high Incidence Rate Ratios (IRRadj) of incident dispensing of antipsychotics were found among Moroccan (N = 115,455) and Turkish individuals (N = 105,460), especially among young Moroccan males (ORadj = 3.22 [2.99–3.47]). Among Surinamese (N = 147,123) and Antillean individuals (N = 41,430), slightly higher rates of dispensed antipsychotics were found and the estimates decreased after adjustment. The estimates for antipsychotic dispensing among the Moroccan and Turkish increased, following adjustment for household composition. Rates for antidepressant dispensing among Turkish and Moroccan subjects were high (Moroccans: ORadj = 1.74 [1.70–1.78]). Among Surinamese and Antillean subjects, the rates for antidepressant dispensing were low and the ORadj lagged behind the IRRadj (Surinamese: 0.69 [0.67–0.71] vs. 1.06 [1.00–1.13]). Similar results were found for anxiolytics. For ADHD medication, lower dispensing rates were found among all migrant groups.ConclusionsThe findings agree with earlier reports of more mental health problems among Moroccan and Turkish individuals. Surinamese/Antillean individuals did not use psychotropic drugs at excess and discontinued antidepressants and anxiolytics earlier. The data strongly suggest under-treatment for ADHD in all ethnic minority groups.

Buying and Selling Crack

To assess key characteristics of the retail crack market and the role of users as buyers and sellers, data from a survey inside and outside institutional setting among 1,039 crack users in the three largest Dutch cities were analyzed to explore their role in the crack market as buyers and sellers. Of the total number of users, 42.3% bought crack in public places, 39.6% through home delivery, and 13.9% at dealer’s addresses. Near one-third reported participating in selling drugs, defining themselves as “go-betweens” (21.4%) or “dealers” (9.2%). User-sellers and nonselling users did not differ with regard to gender and ethnicity. Cluster analysis resulted in three distinct types of user-sellers (freelancers, assistants, and amateurs), each characterized by time spent selling drugs, type of drugs sold, and earnings. Amateurs seem quite similar to what scholars have labeled “social dealers” in recreational drugs markets. This study suggests the need for a more differentiated law enforcement policy toward drug-selling users.

New Entrepreneurship in Urban Diasporas in our Modern World

Entrepreneurship among migrants – often called new, migrant or ethnic entrepreneurship – has over the past years become a significant component of the urban economy in many developed countries. Migrant entrepreneurship has a considerable welfare enhancing impact on the city, notably a contribution to innovation and growth, creation of new jobs for less favoured population groups, advancement of benefits from cultural diversity, and reinforcement of economic opportunities related to international connectivity. The present paper aims to investigate the backgrounds of migrant entrepreneurship in large Dutch cities, in particular, the critical success factors of business performance of these entrepreneurs in relation to their ethnic background, their levels of skill, and other specific and general contextual factors. To address the drivers of break-out strategies for new markets, a sample of second-generation Moroccan entrepreneurs is extensively interviewed to extract detailed information at a micro business level. The wealth of qualitative information on both input factors and output (performance) achievements is next systematically coded in a qualitative survey table which is converted into a format that is suitable for application of a rough set analysis. This is an artificial intelligence technique that is able to extract and identify the set of combinations of different drivers that altogether make up for a final outcome. The results show that longer stay in the host country, male gender, family network support and education of the entrepreneurs concerned are critical variables for the business performance of these urban diaspora entrepreneurs.

Estimating the Prevalence of Crack Dependence Using Capture-Recapture With Institutional and Field Data: A Three-City Study in the Netherlands

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of crack dependence in the three largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague), stratified by gender and age. Three-sample capture-recapture, using data (collected between 2009 and 2011) from low threshold substitution treatment (n = 1,764), user rooms (n = 546), and a respondent-driven sample (n = 549), and applying log-linear modeling (covariates: gender, age, and city), provided a prevalence rate of 0.51% (95% CI: 0.46%–0.60%) for the population aged 15–64 years, with similar estimates for the three cities. Females (23.0% of total estimate) and younger crack users (12.8% aged <35 years) might be underrepresented in drug user treatment services.

Comparing students by a matching analysis – on early school leaving in Dutch cities

In case of regional discretionary on the implementation of policy measures, central governments often consider differences in outcomes as an indication that one policy was more effective than another policy. If uniform incentives are provided to motivate regional policy makers, these incentives can be discouraging when the underlying populations differ. Empirically, this study compares early school leaving between the four largest Dutch cities. It shows that considering regional differences as performance measures can be dangerous if differences in population characteristics are not properly taken into account. Methodologically, this study contrasts the use of a traditional probit model with a more advanced iterative matching procedure.

Perceptions on the use of pricing strategies to stimulate healthy eating among residents of deprived neighbourhoods: a focus group study

BackgroundPricing strategies are mentioned frequently as a potentially effective tool to stimulate healthy eating, mainly for consumers with a low socio-economic status. Still, it is not known how these consumers perceive pricing strategies, which pricing strategies are favoured and what contextual factors are important in achieving the anticipated effects.MethodsWe conducted seven focus groups among 59 residents of deprived neighbourhoods in two large Dutch cities. The focus group topics were based on insights from Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory and consisted of four parts: 1) discussion on factors in food selection; 2) attitudes and perceptions towards food prices; 3) thinking up pricing strategies; 4) attitudes and perceptions regarding nine pricing strategies that were nominated by experts in a former Delphi Study. Analyses were conducted with Atlas.ti 5.2 computer software, using the framework approach.ResultsQualitative analyses revealed that this group of consumers consider price to be a core factor in food choice and that they experience financial barriers against buying certain foods. Price was also experienced as a proficient tool to stimulate healthier food choices. Yet, consumers indicated that significant effects could only be achieved by combining price with information and promotion techniques. In general, pricing strategies focusing on encouraging healthy eating were valued to be more helpful than pricing strategies which focused on discouraging unhealthy eating. Suggested high reward strategies were: reducing the price of healthier options of comparable products (e.g., whole meal bread) compared to unhealthier options (e.g., white bread); providing a healthy food discount card for low-income groups; and combining price discounts on healthier foods with other marketing techniques such as displaying cheap and healthy foods at the cash desk.ConclusionThis focus group study provides important new insights regarding the use of pricing strategies to stimulate healthy eating. The observed perceptions and attitudes of residents of deprived neighbourhoods can be integrated into future experimental studies and be used to reveal if and how pricing strategies are effective in stimulating healthy eating.

Dutch Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Organic Olive Oil

This study focuses on the identification of Dutch consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for organic olive oil. The analysis and results of a large-scale consumer survey carried out in The Netherlands are presented. The survey was carried out in grocery malls in the 5 largest Dutch cities. From the collected data an ordered logit regression analysis was constructed to assess the impacts of selected explanatory variables that drive 290 Dutch consumers' stated WTP for different price premiums of organic olive oil. The results suggest that WTP is influenced by consumers' experience, awareness, perceptions regarding better quality and high price, and preference for the retail distribution of organic olive oil.

Classification of Residential Areas in the Three Largest Dutch Cities Using Multidimensional Data

This article explores the variety of residential area types in the three largest Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The data are characterised as multidimensional, as they pertain to socio-demographic and other `objective' indicators produced by official statistics, as well as to more `subjective' location preferences expressed by the residents themselves. The method used is a clustering and classification approach based on two-dimensional models generated by the self-organising map (SOM) and learning vector quantisation (LVQ). Using sub-district-level data, the study shows that, while some characteristic residential milieus can be found in all three cities, they have a broader variety in Amsterdam than in Rotterdam or The Hague. This supports the commonly held presumption that Amsterdam is less segregated than Rotterdam or The Hague in terms of intraurban housing patterns.

Accepting Father Rhine? Technological Fixes, Vigilance, and Transnational Lobbies as 'European' Strategies of Dutch Municipal Water Supplies 1900-1975

Abstract Downstream users of river water (e.g. municipal waterworks) always face the problem of controlling the behaviour of upstream polluters. In the case of an international river like the Rhine this is exacerbated when there are no international arrangements constraining upstream polluters. This demands flexibility and creativity from downstream waterworks. In this article I describe the repertoires developed by the municipal waterworks of two large Dutch cities, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Two main repertoires are visible: 1) 'coping' by means of technical fixes and vigilance and 2) 'transnational technopolitics' aimed at institutionalising regulatory regimes to curb pollution. Rotterdam, totally dependent on Rhine water, emphasised 'coping' on a day to day basis, placing its trust on technologies of purification and vigilance. Amsterdam, using dune and lake water though envisioning future use of Rhine water, pursued a long-term strategy aimed at improving the purity of the Rhine's waters - including extensive longitudinal pollution measurements and transnational technopolitics. During the 1950s, the Amsterdam waterworks played a major role in forging international links among waterworks along the Rhine culminating in a sectoral organisation of Rhine Waterworks. This was one of the foundation stones on which the riparian nations were gradually able to build an effective regime for pollution control.

New Culture-Oriented Economic Development Trajectories: The Case Study of Four Dutch Cities

Culture is a key ingredient of post-industrial, information-intensive economic activity. Culture-oriented economic development (COED) is emerging as a dominant paradigm, integrating the symbolic and creative elements into any aspect of the urban economy, pursuing distinction, innovativeness, and a higher level of interaction between localised individual and collective knowledge and globalising markets. This article presents a dynamic analysis of the effects of culture on the economic development trajectories of European cities. It may contribute to shed more light on the relevance of cultural industries for spatial development, addressing issues such as: cultural endowment, identity and urban competitiveness; dispersed vs. concentration; cultural participation and social inclusion. The analysis uses data collected within the ESPON project 1.3.3 and other information of qualitative and quantitative nature collected by EURICUR in occasion of a study of a sample of European cities. In this paper we present the investigation conducted in the three largest Dutch cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague, which are part of the city-region of the Randstand, and the fifth largest Dutch city, Eindhoven, one the most important economic and educational centres in the Netherlands.

STABLE SIZE, CHANGING COMPOSITION: RECENT MIGRATION DYNAMICS OF THE DUTCH LARGE CITIES

The number of inhabitants of the four largest Dutch cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, has stabilised since the mid-1980s. This stability in population size, however, hides considerable dynamics in population composition, especially regarding ethnicity, household type and socio-economic status. In this paper, we focus on the influence of international migration and residential migration flows on changing ethnic population structure. A selective residential outflow of natives and influx of foreigners, together with higher natural growth of ethnic minority groups, have contributed to very fast changes in ethnic composition of the four largest Dutch cities. The latest national population forecasts of Statistics Netherlands in December 2004 indicate an ongoing influx of foreign population groups into the Netherlands for the decades to come, despite the recent more restrictive immigration policy. One can expect from this a continuous international migration towards the large Dutch cities in particular. If the observed trend in native outflow continues, the foreign city population will soon cross the 50 per cent mark.