This paper documents an evaluation of the consequences of the Netherlands national physical planning policy for an individual’s travel behaviour. Four components of this policy are considered: the concentrated decentralization of the 1970s and 1980s; the strict compact-city policy of the 1980s and 1990s; the A-B-C location policy; and the spatial retailing policy. The analysis of the 1998 National Travel Survey suggests that national spatial planning has been most effective in retaining high shares of cycling and walking in the large and medium-sized cities, in particular for shopping trips. In terms of travel time, however, spatial policy seems to have been less successful. The building of new towns and, more recently, the development of greenfield neighbourhoods close to cities do not appear to have reduced commuting times. Some alternative strategies to promote the use of public transport, the bicycle and walking through the regulation of land use are discussed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract