Clones or Complements? The division of labour between the main cities of the Randstad, the Flemish Diamond and the RheinRuhr Area

Abstract

In the contemporary debate on the spatial organisation of urban regions much emphasis is put on the development of polycentric urban patterns on a variety of spatial scales. Polycentric development at the intra-urban scale of the polycentric city implies an unfolding of a spatial division of labour between the centres. This article analyses whether also on the inter-urban scale of polycentric urban regions such a trend towards complementarity can be found. Opposing trends occur, however, as the division of labour in service sector activities between the main cities of some prime examples of polycentric urban regions is diminishing.