1. CONTEMPORARY GEOGRAPHICAL ISSUESIN
SOUTHERN
LIMBURG

2. POPULATION DECLINE

3. Ageing population
Today 15% is over 65 years
In 2030 it will be over 28%
Excess of deaths over births
Increase in single-parent households and households of just one person
Many older dependents- there will be 25% less workers in 2035; less tax income.

4. Out-migration
Stage 5 of the demographic transition

5. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ENCOURAGING MORE IMMIGRATION
GIVING MORE FLEXIBLE WORK PERMITS TO BELGIANS & GERMANS
PROVIDING ECONOMIC STIMULUS TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH AND IN-MIGRATION
NATIONAL POLICIES TO ENCOURAGE BIRTHS

6. ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND CHANGES

7. Collapse of coal mining industry and other heavy industries
ENCI – limits to quarrying and eventual closure of site
More unemployment (11%)
Changes from secondary to tertiary sector
Many people on disability (19%)
Income is lowest in all of Limburg

8. PROBLEMS OF GLOBALIZATION

9. DSM – certain sectors being sold off (SABIC)
NEDCAR – FORD take-over
KNP – taken over by SAPPI
This can lead to possibilities of unemployment, production changes, plants moving overseas.

10. OPPORTUNITIES OF GLOBALIZATION

11. VODAFONE – telecommunications industry which allows Maastricht to become one of the European centers
Boston Scientific and Medtronics which allows southern Limburg to become a place of medical research
Internationalization of University of Maastricht
Intention of United World Colleges to set up a Maastricht campus

12. INCREASED URBANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT

13. Increased traffic on A2 motorway due to new A73 motorway
Increase in truck traffic due to bypassing of Germany because of truck fees
A2 Maastricht – tunnel development
Maastricht airport – building extra east-west runway leading to more noise pollution
Debate: economy or the environment?

14. AIR POLLUTION

15. Due to high urban density and geographical conditions= high degree of air pollution.
Maas Valley region- keeps pollutants in= quarrying industries from Liege to Maastricht and other industries. This leads to many soldid particles in the air and as a result one of the most polluted regions of the Netherlands.
Sittard-Geleen – west mining region has a high concentration of pollutants due to DSM
Heerlen-Parkstad – East mining region gets a lot of pollution from the German Ruhr area
In the summer with easterly air flow and a high pressure system the region gets high ozone concentrations.

16. DRUGS!

17. Clash of liberal/tolerant Dutch policies on soft drug use and coffee shops. These become selling points for the surrounding countries of Belgium and Germany which have more repressive policies.
Southern Limburg has many ‘drug tourists’ from Belgium, Germany and France
Attraction point for hard drug dealers which increases crime and other problems in the area.

18. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Spread of coffee shops near the border areas; development of ‘weed boulevards’
However, this has led to strong opposition from Belgium and neighboring villages

19. TOURISM

20. Development of tourist centers
Maastricht (historic and cultural)
Heuvelland (nature)
Eastern Mining region (human-made attractions= Mondo Verde, Industrion, Gaia park, Snow World)

21. BUT WHAT IS TOO MUCH?
Traffic pressures on Heuvelland = possible solution is to limit car traffic and to close off certain routes; however this could also lead to pressure to other routes
Future of Maastricht= is it living beyond its means; example of Harrods casino coming to Maastricht

22. CORE-PERIPHERY ISSUES

23. Southern Limburg’s dilemma
Southern Limburg will always remain on the Dutch periphery
The future: should it forge greater links with the neighboring international regions and develop more clearly a Euroregion?

24. This is not so easy:
There are conflicting national policies and conflicting regional interests. They do not always coincide
Euroregion competition:
example: Wallonia- development of Liege airport
example: Aachen- new international school