Dear Mr. Rutte,

Ministerie van Algemene Zaken
Zijne excellentie M. Rutte
Postbus 20001
NL-2500 EA  Den Haag

Rotterdam 20 June 2011

Dear Mr. Rutte,

I hereby enclose a copy of the open letter that I sent to the House of Representatives.

The open letter is entitled “A plea for better asphalt 2 – How a road can make the Randstad greener”. It treats (infra)structure as the guiding principle for the Randstad (physically, mentally and culturally). I arrive at this assumption through an extensive analysis of networks of roads abroad. This shows that roads are the mirror of society.

I think this theme may interest you because structures touch on the concept of freedom. After all, freedom is not a non-committal, but freedom is creating space for the individual. This is done by setting frameworks. In the case of spatial planning, this must therefore be done by means of the construction of roads. Freedom is not a desert, but freedom is Route 66!

I think that this subject may also be of interest to you because in the United States, the concept of equality as the basis for freedom has been deliberately steered through the street system. Straight, open-ended streets are the physical conditions for freedom that are strongly felt in a city like New York, for example. The Open Letter briefly discusses this.

Last week, your cabinet presented its Structural Vision for Infrastructure and Space. Decentralization of decision-making and deregulation in open areas seem to be the key words here. In addition, there is a conscious commitment to solving bottlenecks, especially in the Randstad.

None of this is surprising. Indeed:

1. the natural centrality of the Netherlands lies in the Randstad.
2. in the Randstad, there has always been a historically rooted desire for autonomy of the individual cities.
3. Our understanding of public space is generally defined as collective property rather than state ownership.

What the government is proposing, in other words, is to formalize the prevailing culture in the Netherlands again. It is commendable in itself that space is given to that which naturally wants to arise. However, it is a fallacy to think that the Netherlands and especially the Randstad does not need guidance.

The physical structure of the Randstad as a whole has not been systematically worked on for decades. That is striking. We live close together with 7 million people, but we just can’t get around to making a Randstad plan. The last map dates from the 60s of the last century. An update of this map with roads, routes and connections can show us where we are and where we want to go. Whether that is a fuller or a greener Randstad. Roads make the city. Without structure, the Randstad will eventually become inefficient and incomprehensible. A Randstad without a plan is rudderless.

For you and your cabinet, which values freedom, it will create the condition for freedom, having to win over non-commitment.

With every cabinet term, the Randstad becomes a little fuller, so the chances of shaping this city become smaller every time. Not a reason to capitulate, but rather an incentive to action. Structure must come from the top. So the Randstad plan will have to be made in The Hague.

My plea is for a Randstad plan with connections, networks of roads and structures. Structure as a condition for freedom, it will appeal to you!

Sincerely,

Henk Hartzema