{"id":2922,"date":"2025-06-23T12:09:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T10:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/waar-publieke-ruimtes-verdwijnen-slinkt-kansengelijkheid\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T12:44:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T10:44:29","slug":"waar-publieke-ruimtes-verdwijnen-slinkt-kansengelijkheid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/waar-publieke-ruimtes-verdwijnen-slinkt-kansengelijkheid\/","title":{"rendered":"Where public spaces disappear, opportunities for equality shrink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a society in which equality of opportunity is increasingly high on the agenda, it is striking how little attention is paid to the physical places that promote social mobility. Libraries are disappearing, youth centres are closing and schools are merging, forcing people to travel further and further to make use of essential services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to VU Urban Economics researcher Mathieu Steijn<\/a>, this has major consequences. \u2018The disappearance of public services limits access to useful contacts and resources for the children who need them most\u2019, he says. \u2018And ironically, that ultimately costs society more than it saves.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The backbone of social mobility<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Steijn investigates the role of public services in social mobility: the extent to which someone can improve their socio-economic position. \u2018Facilities such as schools, libraries and sports clubs are not just practical facilities\u2019, he explains, \u2018they are places where different groups meet and learn from each other. Engaging in a shared activity, such as playing football, ensures that barriers in other areas, such as culture and level of education, can be overcome. The right contacts can make the difference between a child moving on to education or ending up in crime.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the places that facilitate useful contacts are disappearing at a rapid pace. Libraries are closing, schools are being centralised and sports fields are making way for housing. \u2018This has an insidious effect\u2019, warns Steijn. \u2018Fewer meeting places to make useful contacts ultimately means less progress for children from vulnerable backgrounds.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An increasing gap in opportunity<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Steijn’s research shows that, on average, the physical distance to most basic facilities across the Netherlands has increased. Especially in more sparsely populated and poorer areas. \u2019That means talent goes untapped, just because of a lack of access. In some parts of the Netherlands, for example, you have to travel more than 40 kilometres for a HAVO\/VWO school\u2019, he says. \u2018For many families, that is simply not feasible.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true for libraries. Especially in neighbourhoods where children have less access to study places and books at home, these public spaces are disappearing. \u2018That’s the poignant part\u2019, says Steijn. \u2018The people who benefit most from an accessible library have less and less access to it.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hidden costs of austerity<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, closing a community centre or library may seem like a cost-saving measure for the municipality. But if you look further, you will see that it actually turns out to be more expensive in the end. \u2018A recent study on London calculated that every pound saved by closing youth centres ultimately resulted in three pounds in economic damage\u2019, says Steijn. \u2018This is due to factors such as lower productivity resulting from lower education levels and higher crime rates.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his research, Steijn aims to examine whether similar trends can be observed in the Netherlands, and whether this effect also occurs in other facilities. \u2018The impact of cuts to facilities will only become evident in society years later, but they are likely measurable\u2019, warns Steijn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social interaction as a missing link<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important lessons from Steijn’s research is that social mixing alone is not enough to combat inequality. \u2018You can place rich and poor households in the same neighbourhood through housing policy, but without shared services, they remain separate worlds\u2019, he says. \u2018It’s all about social interaction: places where people really meet and talk to each other. It is tailor-made to find the right facilities and target groups for this.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

International research shows that children from disadvantaged families who grow up in neighbourhoods where they regularly come into contact with children from other socio-economic groups earn more later and have better opportunities. \u2018But that doesn’t happen by itself\u2019, Steijn emphasises. “It requires urban policy to take social infrastructure just as seriously as housing.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A call for reappraisal<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is the solution? According to Steijn, it starts with a revaluation of public facilities. \u2018Policymakers need to realise that preserving libraries, sports fields and youth centres is not a luxury, but a necessary investment in the future\u2019, he says. \u2018Equality of opportunity has many facets, one of the most relevant being the neighbourhood facilities where children grow up.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research will continue in the coming years, focusing on the long-term effects of facilities. \u2018We hope to give policymakers insight into which facilities promote useful social interaction and in what way.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a repost of an interview by Mika Linse for Vuurwerk magazine.\u00a0<\/em>Read the latest edition of our alumni magazine Vuurwerk from the VU School of Business and Economics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a society in which equality of opportunity is increasingly high on the agenda, it is striking how little attention is paid to the physical places that promote social mobility. Libraries are disappearing, youth centres are closing and schools are merging, forcing people to travel further and further to make use of essential services. According…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2922"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2926,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions\/2926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spatialeconomics.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}