What ’s-Hertogenbosch teaches: location synergy in practice. Dealing with the complexity of the redevelopment of inner-city station areas asks for a integral approach. This can be achieved by orientating the process on the concept of location synergy. In this way parties involved are encouraged to look beyond their individual goals to common ones. Using three strategies for redevelopment, namely acceleration, concentration and enhancement, can trigger this attention on common goals. These strategies can in turn be translated into practical steps by making a clear distinction between the fast and slow sub-areas of a station area. The development of the station area of ‘s-Hertogenbosch shows how a large number of steps have been taken in line with the three strategies. However, when one or more of the strategies are neglected in an area’s development, bottlenecks can arise that threaten the overall success of the area. A check of the consequences of each of the three strategies should reveal the conflicts, and can therefore offer an opportunity to revise plans. Research in ‘s-Hertogenbosch reveals that rail traffic has benefited from the actions taken in the redevelopment. The net result is a more than average growth in the number of users of ‘s-Hertogenbosch station. (Author/publisher)
Abstract