Province of Utrecht. The province of Utrecht is situated in the eastern part of Randstad Holland (5.420 km2) It is a densely populated region (1.217 residents/km2), with a great variety of economic activity. Randstad Holland is formed by a ring of four large urban agglomerations (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht: see framework below) as well as a number of medium-sized and smaller towns. In the centre of this urban ring there is an open space called the Green Heart. The urban pressure here is very high.
The province of Utrecht has approximately 1.2 million residents spread over a relatively small area (1.449 km2). Capital is the city of Utrecht (275.797 residents), second town is Amersfoort (134.768 residents). The province is little industrialised, its economic strength lies primarily in commercial activities. An area as densely populated as the province of Utrecht (844 residents/ km2) requires careful use of the space available. The demands of housing, work, traffic and transportation can't be met at the full expense of rural areas.
In the international port of Rotterdam, there is a concentration on transport, logistics and heavy chemicals industry. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, with Schiphol Airport especially for intercontinental connections. In addition, Amsterdam is the financial centre of Randstad Holland and of the Netherlands. As the seat of national government, The Hague is the country's administrative centre, where many other national and international institutions are located, as well as government institutions and international agencies. Utrecht lies in the geographical heart of the Netherlands and is a major point of convergence for the country's rail, road and inland waterways networks. In the Randstad, Utrecht is the operating base for connections to the German and Central and Eastern European markets.
This project has received European Regional Development Funding through the INTERREG lll Community Initiative.