Hamilton, as medium sized city in Netherlands.
In the Netherlands there are about 17 medium-size cities with between 100,000 and 250,000 inhabitants.
Comparing Hamilton NZ to medium sized cities in the Netherlands, Hamilton is one of the most medium of medium sized cities.
Even Hamilton’s 14-89m elevation would not be out of place: Enschede is sited on land 42m above sea level, with a hill reaching 85m above sea level within 10 km of its centre, and the hills around Nijmegen and Arnhem are in the order of 50-80 metres.
Arnhem itself is sited 14m above sea level, with a hill reaching 110m above sea level within 10 km of its centre. In addition, its 100 km distance to Holland’s leading large city, Amsterdam (and only 115km to Rotterdam) is similar to Hamilton’s 125 km distance to New Zealand’s leading city, Auckland.
All medium-size cities invest in themselves differently. Could density be the most limiting factor in a city’s economic growth, wealth and health – should we encourage people to work and live closer together?