The mental map of Dutch entrepreneurs. Changes in the subjective rating of locations in the Netherlands, 1983-1993-2003

Figure 2 Changes in the rating of locations

2a 1983-1993

2b 1993-2003

A direct comparison of the results of the first survey with those of the last one shows
that no less than 30 of the 70 locations have decreased significantly in rating. They are
concentrated in an east-west zone that covers the provinces of Gelderland, Flevoland,
Utrecht, North Holland, and South Holland. The city of Amsterdam is an important
exception in this respect. Its decrease in rating is not significant, suggesting that its
competitive position within the Randstad area has become stronger during the period
under consideration.

A plausible explanation for the decreased rating of the Randstad would be the increased
congestion on the roads in that region. Entrepreneurs look upon accessibility as an
important location factor. Therefore, it should be expected that the problem of
congestion has a negative effect on the rating of the Randstad as a possible location
area. The fact that the decrease started in the western part of the Randstad makes sense:
this particular area was the first to be confronted with the consequences of congestion.
Here, the distance that one has to travel through congested areas in order to reach less
congested areas, is larger than elsewhere. The increasing scarcity of land and the rise in
land prices in the Randstad, as mentioned by Kemper and Pellenbarg (1993), may also
have played a part in the decreased rating of this area.

The decrease of the ratings in the adjacent areas during the second half of the study
period should be seen in the same context. The problem of congestion has become

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