Europe is the second most densely populated continent in the world and is home to 10 of the biggest economies.
Yet despite its economic power and population density it doesn’t come close to the world’s biggest cities as found in Asia, the Americas or Africa.
As such, a new proposal has been brewing for almost a decade of building a new Tri-State City.
The idea, which is still very much an early stage concept, would mean merging four countries into a new metropolitan region in Europe.
It would be a new emerging megacity that would see the three countries working together and capitalising on each’s strengths.
The new Tri-State City would merge the Netherlands with the Flanders region of Belgium, the North Rhine-Westphalia of Germany and Lille in France.
This proposed Tri-State City would then further stretch out to Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam with an integrated public transport system reducing carbon emissions.
It would mean that the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and possibly France would become one international network, presenting them as one unit.
The Tri-State City would be a giant metropolis attracting investors and connecting around 45 million people who live and work in the different cities as a whole.
The concept isn’t far off from what is being seen in the Netherlands already as the country is divided in two parts including the Randstad and the rest.
Within Randstad, four major cities operate together like a massive network of cities and includes Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague.
Amsterdam is the financial capital, Hague is where the government is located, Rotterdam is logistics and Utrecht is the hub for research and education.
Each city is easily accessible thanks to its transport making them all work together cohesively.
This is how the Tri-State City concept is hoping to work by having less competition and more diversity and resilience among the three countries.
Urban planner and the Tri-State City visionary behind this project, Peter Savelberg said: “In recent years we have seen enormous urbanisation with 70 to 80 per cent of the world population in very large urban areas.
“This means that the world economy is also concentrated in those big cities, and we need to relate to that, not as a country or small Dutch cities, but as a whole with the Netherlands, Flanders and North Rhine-Westphalia together.”
He believes this mega city will attract far more investment and talent in a way that smaller regions cannot.
Savelberg added: “Around 30 million people live within the triangle and 150 billion in internal trade volume circulates within it.
“We want to present the Netherlands as a large green megacity to the world, with the goal of offering the business community an international showcase to promote exports.”
The concept of a megacity has been favoured by several high profile backers including an international law firm, real estate and the Netherlands biggest employers’ organisation known as the Tri-State City Network.
However not all share the same enthusiasm for a new megacity including both farmers in the area and the government who have yet to have given any financial support for this concept.
Dutch farmers are up in roar as they believe this megacity does not protect the environment and that they are being evicted from their land.
Major protests from these farmers has meant the City Network website has removed most of its content with the idea still hanging in the balance.
