Evolving regional spaces in the southern Randstad

The Randstad in the Netherlands is known for its polycentric configuration resulting in daily urban systems and planning realities that do not match the formal government tiers. During the years many soft governance spaces have been put forward to address this issue. The situation is particularly complex in the South Wing of the Randstad, an area struggling to maintain its competitive position while at the same time improve spatial quality and social/economic cohesion. The paper will address the way in which governance in the southern Randstad has been organized in the domain of spatial planning. Applying the notion of soft spaces we will examine two overlapping governance arrangements: the South Wing Cooperation and the Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague. Often the rationale of a soft space is ‘to get things done’, to overcome the rigidness and inflexibility of hard administrative structures. The wider public does not even have a clue that networks as the South Wing Cooperation or the Metropolitan Region exist. While these soft spaces undeniably are a reality for administrators and officials, they are unknown quantities for many.