Europe’s Controversial Tri-State Megacity

[@MegaBuildsYT]

What do you think? Is a megacity like this one realistic in the distant future? And would that even be worthwhile? Thanks a lot for watching!💛

[@Liams-AviationYT]

the traffic is a big problem traveling but it’s cool

[@submeltedGD]

helo enjoy the video :)

[@global.citizens]

The area is part of an even larger region called by some "the Blue Banana" (of about 100 mil people) I think this is indeed the future

[@althedude7730]

There already is a project for this: Eurodelta Metropolis! You could cover what they are and how they work in another video!

[@althedude7730]

@@global.citizens Yes it is! And theres already effort to create this area or at least streamline it through the Eurodelta Project!

[@MalPhunktion]

You’ve shown province of Utrecht as if it was the city. The city of Utrecht is waaaay smaller than depicted on the map.

[@mikespearwood3914]

I'm not even from there and that's what I thought!

[@martijnprinzen7124]

Was also wondering what they were gonna say about the focus of Utrecht. Apparently it's academics.

[@buddy1155]

I am from Amsterdam, don't even know what an Utrecht is. Is that something like a Rotterdam I hear some people talking about?

[@buddy1155]

@user-hr9ht5mk3f I was kidding, I know what Utrecht is. Still unclear about Rotterdam tho.

[@nymusnymusnymus85]

He probably did that to highlight Utrecht is also the province' name. Also, if you look closely you can see the red pin point showing the city of Utrecht.

[@Bill_W_Cipher]

I hope Dr. Doofenshmirtz doesn't try to take over the tri-state area.

[@benwalter4842]

😂😂😂

[@Bykxng]

Dr. Doofenshmirtz INCORPORATED💃👯

[@ありがとう7]

Agent Perry will stop him😁

[@harrygroundwater2590]

😂😂😂

[@Comen_glutamate]

😂

[@jurjenvanderlaan8690]

3:05 You confused the city of Utrecht with the province of Utrecht

[@BrahanyVieira]

Dit is letterlijk wrm ik niet van dit soort kanalen hou. Geen haat ofzo mr ze moeten alles zo overdrijven.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@DanielBrotherston]

@@cheesycake5879 Yeah, I stopped watching when they started repeating something from Jordan Peterson's podcast...He's a shame of Canada.

[@Ominousheat]

@@DanielBrotherston Can you timestamp that, please. I missed it. Jordan Peterson is a monster. Total maga loving shill who is haplessly helping the oil industry plant even more fracking mines in Canada. Like 2 million wasn't enough. If you don't know about the destruction of wildlife in Canada check out where the major fires over the past decade have been sparked in Canada. Fracking mines and the roads that lead to them. Yes, drier conditions have enveloped Canada because of global warming and subsequent climate-changing patterns. But it is the trucks and fracking sites that clearly spark the fires. And look at places like Alberta and the Northern Territories on G-maps. It is insane how many fracking mines there are.

[@Groaznic]

@@DanielBrotherston Oh my god, what did mr. Peterson do bad to be the shame of Canada? I've only been aware of all the non-bad things he's done throughout his career.

[@emiliovisje23]

If Lille is part of the Tri state city, shouldn't it be called a Quatro state city, since Lille is in France

[@PoweringFlsh]

It doesn’t really include France though, it’s more just an convenience since it doesn’t really bring much to France

[@robertheinrich2994]

and why tri or quad state? those are whole countries. not states like NRW.

[@michaeltsui3435]

Lille always feel part of Wallonia than France proper anyway.

[@robertheinrich2994]

@@michaeltsui3435 country borders sometimes feel as if they are drawn arbitrarily. especially now, with the EU.

[@cbaten2]

Lille? You mean Rijssel? 😉BTW Where they have more Dutch Language Spelling Clubs (>=1, and yes, this actually exists) than in the whole of Netherlands (=0) h🤣

[@bentels5340]

Anybody from The Netherlands, like me? And never heard of this? Neither had I. Don't feel bad. This isn't a thing. Turns out, this "idea" is a brainfart by one guy, Peter Savelberg. There's not really anybody behind this.

[@althedude7730]

Eurodelta Metropool bestaat al bentels. Het is een initiatief van de vlaamse, nederlandse en Noord Rhein Westfalen overheden.

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

How do you feel about having the cows walk up to platforms that slowly drop so to generate electricity from there mass dropping? Water generation is water weight falling, a lot of cow farms can match some of the worlds biggest water generation projects.

[@izmesamsung2581]

This IS a thing, a Chinese one - it is to become a quite important node for their Belt&Road initiative, with Rotterdam playing a crucial role. Dig around a bit, then you'll understand WHY the farmers are pressurized: space for infrastructure is needed, a lot of it!

[@BlessedHash]

@@izmesamsung2581wonder what Giga project needs the removal to so much essential Dutch farm land

[@hansvanlennep6376]

​@@izmesamsung2581 tell me where to dig? Its not a thing.

[@andrekloer]

The Netherlands is not divided in the Randstad 'and the rest'. There is another Conurbation in the Netherlands, in the province of Brabant, with tech centers Eindhoven and Veldhoven, home to AMSL, manufacturer of computer chip machines, and the highest valued European tech company. So no: outside the randstad is not only farms!

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@leegarnier9396]

You are right, ofcourse. But for laughs, just ask someone from Amsterdam if the area outside the Randstad matters /s

[@andrekloer]

@@leegarnier9396 I am from Amsterdam, and for me the area outside Amsterdam does matter. It is for a reason that lots of people people actually do move out of Amsterdam to other places in the Netherlands, different places have different advantages.

[@leegarnier9396]

@@andrekloer I know, it was in jest. I was born in A'dam but live elsewehere. My in-laws are from Brabant. It's a friendly rivalry based with views based on stereotypes.

[@mradventurer8104]

Groningen also produced billions of gas income. So no it's not just Randstad + ASML + rest.

[@Felix_Duesenburg]

The Rhein-Ruhr area between Duisburg and Dortmund is already Germany's megacity with about 6 million people. It's just not administered centrally as one city because it grew this way historically, but pretty much functions like one.

[@althedude7730]

Its also a part of the Eurodelta Metropolis ;)

[@johnbullxx]

Technically, megacity are bigger than 10 million people. Ruhr alone is biggest German urban area but they should work on integrate themselves better and create a strong label to compete with Berlin. Same goes for the Rhine-Ruhr area and its 11 million inhabitants.

[@Felix_Duesenburg]

@alessandrof.6546 It wasn't meant literally, but to say that on the ground, outside of purely administtrative terms, it already appears as one. The suggestion to officially merge them is being talked about since years. Even if this doesn't happen for quite a while longer, internal cooperation to build infrastructure keeps increasing.

[@Just_another_Euro_dude]

Rhyne-Rhur got more than 11 million people in REALITY. Bigger metro population than Chicago.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@roeland8632]

Never heard of it, and I live their. Only thing that may be this is the train network via high speed train, but not a huge city

[@Belaziraf]

Living near Lille. Never heard of this either. And I can't think or imagine this "Tri-State" as a "city" as per se. Like you, I think it will be a dense network in more or less straight lines. Probably not only railways, but also highways and regular low cost flight routes between some major cities. There are better locations for real international cities/metropolitan regions. And if one is created, it won't be an EU initiative, but the partnering cities themselves. Something that already exist in small scale.

[@althedude7730]

I live close to Kortrijk Belgium and ive heard about the Eurodelta Metropolis before! Its a really cool idea that i feel we'd all love!

[@althedude7730]

@@Belaziraf There is already the Eurodelta initiative :))) its done between belgium the netherlands and germany and is aided by the EU if im not mistaken! Was established pretty recently too :)

[@BrooklynDaDon1]

Yall do know that just because you live somewhere doesnt mean you know what goes on there.

[@Belaziraf]

@@BrooklynDaDon1 We know that when there are big serious projects, there are big fuss about it in medias and talks around town. So, unless it's only rumors or projects still only in debates, we should know. Like this one project. Seems like it's still only on talks despite gathering some funds. Nothing concrete yet.

[@bsdpowa]

that's a metropolitan region not a city ffs

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@gjorgdy]

Not everything has to be so literal...

[@B_men_apo]

@@cheesycake5879take a chill pill man the vid is generally speaking fine not every detail has got to be perfect

[@FreekDijkstra]

Dutch citizen here. The key part of this video is at 14:14: "the cities that would form Tristate are destined to become more closely interconnected anyway." Indeed, this is nothing new. This is just a large metropolitan area with multiple cities. The only reason to call is a "megacity" or "Tristate city" is to explain it to foreign investors who are only familiar with metropolitan areas that only contain a single city. So with that, I just consider it a marketing term. And to be frank, a failed one, given there are multiple Dutch here (including me) who never heard of the term "Tristate" to this day, despite being pitched 10-years ago. With the farmers backlash, I doubt it will be coined by politics. Why should they? There is already the government-backed Euro Deltametropool (covering roughly the same area from Holland in the Netherlands to the Ruhrgebiet in Germany), covering most of the ideas. The only thing that I like -which definitely could use more political attention- is further integration. With the 1995 start the Schengen Area, free flow of persons and freight is possible. And there are many more integrations, ranging from joint police teams (Grensoverschrijdend Politieteam, GPT) to integrated European energy markets. That said, it is not perfect yet. My personal annoyance is the poor border-crossing rail transport. Yes, sure, there is fuss about high-speed lines (both positive and negative), but regional train networks are either still nation-based (restricted to one of the three countries) or are poorly integrated. Change is way too slow there. There is some push by EU, which resulted in some niche companies in 2023 (e.g. Eurosleeper, Qbuzz. FlixTrain), but with NS in the Netherlands clinging to the core network, decades of negligence of infrastructure in Germany by DB (and subsequent plummeted punctuality from in the high 90% to low 70%), and the Flanders-Wallon divide in Belgium, I do no see a truly integrated intercity service anytime soon.

[@3komma141592653]

Right? All this areas are already super connected, you can move between without border control, same currency and all. It is already a metropole region. Same with Rheinland in Germany and it's neighbouring parts in France.

[@PrometheusUnbound-zy1nc]

No, I haven't heard of the Tristate either, and yes, it's likely just a (failed) marketing term. I absolutely agree on further cross-border integration of (public) infrastructure and law enforcement and speeding up the process of integration/inter-connectivity, as urban trends are moving in that direction anyways.

[@photonpattern]

Exactly. I would also like to see more rail integration but calling it a 'megacity' is just going to make Central Park feel insecure about its size, so it'll go out and buy an F150.

[@Vonnimwegen]

Utrecht is the smallest city of the 4 major cities. The video does not show the city of Utrecht, but the province of Utrecht.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@pietsnot1566]

@@cheesycake5879 lmao why is this guy commenting the same message on every comment this some crazy bot or smth

[@cheesycake5879]

@@pietsnot1566 lol i aint no bot

[@lost_porkchop]

So they want to build a transportation network? Wow, that's so revolutionary /s

[@liepsan]

People make more of it than it really is. That whole nitrogen debacle also didn't help. The fact that farmland is/was being bought is a fact. People lost their shit over it.

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

May have something more revolutionary. How do you feel about having the cows walk up to platforms that slowly drop so to generate electricity from there mass dropping? Water generation is water weight falling, a lot of cow farms can match some of the worlds biggest water generation projects by cow to water mass, and the cow moves it's self up hill.

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

​@@liepsancows falls are the future

[@xmurisfurderx]

Take your meds you schizo

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@katego370]

Belgian here. 🙋‍♀ I'm only halfway through the video but I just can't stop laughing! 🤣 This project is positively ridiculous. It could never work without major, and I do mean _major,_ compromises by the NL. 1. Language shenanigans. There is no chance in this universe that Brussels and Wallonia would let themselves be Dutchified. To illustrate my point; Belgium still holds the world record for time taken to form a new democratic government after an election. *589 days* to be exact. This comedy was entirely about Flanders vs Wallonia (or Flemish Dutch vs Belgian French). We cannot even agree on a national level on these issues so there is absolutely no way the Walloons would let themselves get outnumbered by the Dutch and their grand ideas. Effectively, the NL would have to become bilingual in everything that has to do with this "Tri-City". And that's not even mentioning German... 2. Clearly, the NL would be levied as the superior party to this project. This is precisely the reason why Belgium is Belgium and not some backwater province of the NL like it used to be before 1830. Back then, religion was the breaking point as one of the reasons the Southern Netherlands wanted independence to get out from the control the NL had on current Belgium. Now, the Benelux partnerships equalize Belgium and the NL because we both need each other in equal parts but our independence allows us autonomy and respects our cultures. Thus, the project would have to be run by an equal number of Walloons, Flemish, Dutch, and Germans. Every agreement on how to run this city would have to be agreed upon by each demographic. 3. Germany. Germany is governed in a strange way compared to its neighbors. The provinces are essentially like a mini European Union with each its own laws but working together as partners federally. The NL and Belgium do this too to some extent but the scale of it in Germany definitely changes things. Intermingling this with NL and Belgium would be _complicated_ at best. 4. Money, Money, Moneeeyy. 💸💃 One would expect the NL to be the economic hub, I suspect. So why would Belgium agree to all this trouble if they'd get less wealth out of it than its neighbors? This might sound like any other inter-nation economic agreement but it's not. The complexities are like an iceberg on this one. And as we know, money can make any ship sink. This one will be sunk before it ever sails. 5. Cultural differences. This isn't just about minor cultural nuances between each country, this actually affects the realization of this project. (general stereotype warning) The Dutch are shockingly blunt, they have zero social tact. To Belgians, they often come across as offensively rude. The Germans are very unromantic. They are punctual, organized, broody people who don't really do small talk or relationship greasing. In reality, they are just very introverted as a people but it can be a real turnoff to outsiders. Belgians are indecisive. They take a million meetings and a whole lot of "we'll see" and "let's think about it" to plan anything. It's bureaucracy at its finest. The wheels turn slowly, painfully slow. Basically, we're kinda like the French and Lord knows they're _not_ easy. Everything in Belgium is a figure of speech, the way we communicate is generally not the literal version of words. For us, this is our idea of politeness but to our neighbors, it's usually described as "Weirdddd" and stand-off-ish. None of this is ordinarily a problem because we know how to respect each other's cultures and autonomy - not my circus, not my monkeys kinda thing - but this Tri-City is more than individual economic relations. People in every branch of life would have to communicate. Most worryingly; politicians. And they're not known for their tactful communication skills. So, now that you've read my latest novel, you probably get why I find this Tri-City idea a hilarious joke. Benelux; we can do that. EU; sure sounds simple enough, a tri CITY? Goodness, this Savelberg guy sure is a funny comedian. 🤣

[@moredaan]

Think you missed to point, this is much bigger than your nostalgic politic novel. I would watch the video again, a lot is already happening for decades on economic scale and I work daily with my colleagues in Belgium and vice versa on this scale.

[@katego370]

@@moredaan No, I get it. I am not saying we can't work together, of course we can! But unifying as a city? No, absolutely not. That _does_ make it political. This idea is far more than an economic agreement, this affects how the country is run, where people work, where they shop, where they learn, and so on. People like you know how to converse with the neighbors but this project would be far bigger than that. And yes, it WILL become a giant political circus. The language debacle has been discussed daily, ever since Belgium's independence, there are a lot of unspoken rules of respect that government employees, business people, and politicians have to follow. So this is not just nostalgia, it is our reality and with this Tri-city, it will have to become the other countries' reality too.

[@Grav648]

I agree, If it became like one goverment (like a real mega city) then it would never work. Eventho i feel like your arguments are mostly felt in wallonia. The netherlands would see it mostly as a benifit. The german states are already heavy linked economaly (and an high percantige of german knowledge within the dutch population) and they would also see the benifits and thus might accept it. Where as the flemish cities (except brussels) might see it as a way to increase their power within belgium. However it might work due to the europian union already improving connections between these area's. If the project is run like sister-cities wich increasingly will cooperate i see it working out

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

The language would English. But I agree that the Tristate concept is nonsense. No one is backing it anyway, it's just one man's idea.

[@Pascalk823]

As a german not from the region, I agree. Tis seems like basicly enlargening the Netherlands and taking away (almost all or a lot of) teretory from Belgium and Germany. That is also why I think that this project will fail, because I cannot see the german governments just letting that happen, if the project goes anywhere

[@herbayum76]

As a Dutch geographer myself this idea is studied for many decades...main development obstacle here are the different mentalities and perceptions the regions have of eachother...

[@juliansebastian]

I live in that area and I can say there is definitely a very close relationship between these regions. I travel around the various cities by train frequently!

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@omabep]

i live in nijmegen, almost right in the centre of this tri-state city, and i would highly advocate pro this idea! i love progression, and i already notice that our cities in the netherlands are already connected, and i condone this progression a lot i believe that the source of mankind has always been in working together, sticking our heads together to make a better tomorrow... and i feel this falls right in its place in the tri-state-city idea

[@andrekloer]

A serious error at 10:16 : nitrogen is not the same as nitrous oxide. The Netherlands doesn't have a nitrous oxide (or greenhouse gas) problem, but a nitrogen deposition problem, causing loss of biodiversity. The nitrogen deposition causes an explosion of some plants that do well on nitrogen rich soils, taking over many other plants that do well on poor soils, resulting also in the loss of many insects that are depending on those plants, and many birds and other animals that are depending on these plants and insects.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@B_men_apo]

@@cheesycake5879in the Netherlands we have just given up and use the term nitrogen to mean nitrous oxide so in researching you couldn’t have known this

[@lukasrentz3238]

Its always difficult to determine a Cities Population. The Borders of Chinese Municipalities are huge. Chongqing has 32 Million inhabitants, but on an Area the Size of Austria or Kansas. In other Cases the built up Area is huge like in Tokyo-Yokohama. Europes Municipalities are rather small by Area. The City of Paris only has 2.1 Million inhabitants because it only has a Size of 104km². Ile des France though has 12 Million inhabitants on a still rather small Area of 12,000 km² (1/7 of Chongqing). London is a complicated example. The City of London has only 11,000 Inhabitants but Greater London (thats what usually get called London, the City) has 8.9 Million Inhabitants. Theoretically we could create a Rhine-Ruhr City, which then has 11.3 Million Inhabitants. And then there is still Istanbul which has 15.7 Million Inhabitants in its Municipality/Province (though only partly Europe) and Moscow, which has 13 Million in its Municipality. The Municipality of Los Angeles has less a similar number of Inhabitants as Berlin. The way we define Cities is complicated and often not consistent. London could easily absorb some surrounding Municipalities since the Build up Area stretches even beyond the Borders of Greater London. While the City of Tokyo ... doesn´t exist.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@pagclaud]

The Mittelland in Switzerland essentially functions as such an integrated city. For example, it takes less time to travel between Basel, Bern and Zurich than once across Berlin.

[@pixelguy1yt]

the project with the tri-state train between Maastricht, Aachen and Liege does exist and there are plans to make a railway from Maastricht to Hasselt (a smaller Belgian city)

[@weeraanmelden]

3:20 Pretty sure you used the province of Utrecht vs the city of Utrecht,...

[@Twan850]

Viel me ook op

[@dunk92]

@@Twan850 Hij benoemde Den Haag ook als stad, terwijl dat geen stad is.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@nickreinders6347]

@@dunk92wat is Den Haag dan? De afgelopen 12 jaar op school is het altijd een stad geweest en ook op Google is het een stad dus of alle boeken en Google zitten fout of jij zit hier fout

[@Amadeu.Macedo]

As mentioned in this channel (elsewhere), one should always speculate what could be done circa 2224.

[@oliviercwergermusic]

I live in the city of rotterdam and i did not know many of these things🤣

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

I live near Niagara falls, and I didn't know eather, but I think I may have a solution to the cows. COW FALLS! A gravity battery powered by cows walking up a grade they can't walk down, and then riding a platform down, each weighing about that of a car, I've found there are actually farms that do have enough cows to equal the powers of the falls, water weight to cow weight.

[@kurosha8934]

It is ilusion ​@@alphonsobutlakiv789

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@niekv9683]

@@alphonsobutlakiv789 You do it then. Nobody stoppin you.

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

@@niekv9683 no, I can't do it, I have not one cow, only chickens, and it doesn't work well with chicken. Need to convince a farmer or a government

[@Skipping2HellPHX]

so many words in this video with exactly nothing said. No specifics. No proposals. Just the highest level of a concept

[@LordDustinDeWynd]

The transport network, mostly electric, is already in place. There's a good number of European railroad engineers have their own KZbin channels.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@Seek_35]

Doofenshimirtz would try to take over this

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@DungeonDevils]

It's because of the WEF

[@nepsyasudra3262]

The future of humanity in mega cities? Perhaps. Then there's me wanting more distance from people...

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@BoyKhongklai]

If only NS and DB would ride on schedule. And I don't even want to think about Belgium trains 😂

[@mahakalabhairava9950]

German trains are worse than Belgian. Belgium just has bad connections.

[@BoyKhongklai]

@@mahakalabhairava9950 Well if find Belgian trains just as shitty as German trains, if not worse.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@pegit_purple]

🎵Doofenshmirtz evil in-co-po-ra-ted 🎵

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@anuragtumane5227]

Randstad would be pretty instrumental for the formation of the Tri State City.

[@MoempfLP]

Flemish is often regarded as a dialect of Dutch, not a separate language. Thus, the region only has 2 languages. Edit: Aussuming Wallonia and France are not part of it like shown in 0:25

[@screamingbirdheart]

You still would end up with 3 languages. German, dutch and French. In Belgium they speak al three of them.

[@Nyhtii]

​@@screamingbirdheartnot in flanders

[@MoempfLP]

@@screamingbirdheart 0:25 He only shows Flanders, North-Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands, not Wallonia. But later on he lists Liège, where French is spoken. Strangely he also lists Lille, but claims there are only 3 nations involved. 🙄

[@dasstigma]

French German Dutch You are right, 1+1+1 equals 2 ♥ Thank you for your correction.

[@MoempfLP]

@@dasstigma France+Netherlands+Belgium+Germany = 3? Read my other response.

[@Suffy_69]

Makes sense to include Lille (Rijsel) it's part of a conurbation with neighbouring flemish cities; historically also part of the lowlands and very densely populated

[@ludgerey8155]

As a German living in the region, I never heard about this project.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@Soonshain]

There's a similar thing going on in Denmark and Sweden where the Danish capital Copenhagen and Sweden's 3rd largest city Malmö are becoming more interconnected and have also started rebranding themselves as one region called the Öresund region.

[@hh2n]

0:16 Europe does have city on a scale found in Asia, Americas or even Africa, it's called Moscow, Russia

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

And London, though slightly smaller. This list greatly exaggerates the population numbers anyway. Guangzhou is listed as having an urban population of 70 million, while it's only 27 million on Wikipedia. That 70 million includes independent cities who's centers are over 100 kilometers away from each other.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@thijstimmermans183]

To me this feels a bit like some map enthousiast just saw a map of the area and thought of drawing some lines between them and calling it a 'mega city'. It' s dumb. doesn' t mean parts of it are. the Randstad definitly is heading towards becoming a megalopolis (an large urban area comprised of multiple cities/urban cores instead of one), but even that isnt currently the case and I can' t see it becoming a truely continues urban area completely. People from those cities definitely don't feel like the randstad is one city, let alone something on the scale of this tri-state megacity. The biggest continues urban area in this proposed megacity would probably be the Ruhrgebied, but that place has zero connection with dutch and belgian cities, except that they' re both in the EU and reletivaly close together. you have more of these urban blobs that aren' t quite megalopolis', like Brabantstad which is honestly more of a citycooperation nothing more, but they will be profiting of of Eindhovens growth. Furthermore you have the Belgian diamond, which is important for Belgium and Europe. I personally believe, like said in the video, there is a lot of potential for better transport connections, trade and just more cooperation in general, but I just really dislike the whole 'megacity' sensationalising. It gives me the feeling that the people that came up with it have no idea how not close these cities actually are in terms of cultural identity. It feels like they're trying to look at it from an American or Chinese scale when it really doesn' t translate well. tldr: lot of ideas good: better transport connectivity, better cooperation etc marketing it as one big megacity is just stupid. final thoughts: I would love something like a Euregio type cooperation. and improving transport between the cities is great. but I would like them to focus less one 1 big homogeneous region and more in the multiple urban areas that already exist and increase cooperation between the urban areas. this way it's less monoculturaly homogeneous.

[@garethelvin6451]

Lille is in France so technically that's 4 countries

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@PendelSteven]

While you are correct, histroricly both Terneuzen and Lille on the later map are histrocialy part of the County of Flanders. As such Terneuzen is iin Zeelandic Flanders and Lille is in French Flanders. You call that three countries, I see the region historicly as one.

[@flamma_larnaque]

​@@PendelSteven Yeah and the County of Flanders was a part of... France ! Yep.

[@ThaJay]

Rijsel (Called Lille in France) is a part of Belgium and Belgium is a part of the Netherlands. Maastricht is a part of either Germany or Wallonia, no one knows, but Wallonia will dissolve into irrelevance so it doesn't really matter. The Netherlands is Germany their only viable transport hub for global trade so they have to work together or they both have nothing much. So in the end it's just strengthening Dutch German relations.

[@leonvanpetegem1663]

@@cheesycake5879bro why on every comment

[@PaulTTN]

This is genius stuff, and like all innovative and creative genius stuff it won’t be understood unless we teach people to appreciate. This is really ahead of its time but needs to be demonstrated the first phase at least. Thank you for sharing.

[@ruud9767]

The nitrogen issue is not a greenhouse problem but an over-fertilization problem. There are quite a few more inaccuracies.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@DenUitvreter]

No, it's model problem. A model that is not only very questionable scientifically, but only targets farmers and lets all other nitrogen of the hook.

[@markven7875]

​@@DenUitvreteryes like how construction is facing absolutely no limitations whatsoever

[@pietsnot1566]

he ment methane gas i think

[@DenUitvreter]

@@pietsnot1566 It doesn't matter. Climate, nature, greenhouse gases, nitrogen in whatever compound, animal welfare, meat consumption, anything goes in the populist rethoric to grab land.

[@levilawliett2569]

2:33 The first reserve currency was the Spanish Silver Dolar not the Guilder.

[@andrekloer]

Lille is in France, meaning it is a quadruple state city.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@damiengitt]

one of your best video

[@Snowwie88]

If The Netherlands is the 2nd largest exporter of agricultural products it seems illogical to remove all the farmers in order to build this megacity. If the Dutch want to do things big, well, then they can do that by doing that thing they are very good at: Draining the sea. The country can combine an idea and a problem in one solution: That would be to make a very large dike, maybe 50km off the shore and put it all around the country. That dike will be massive and much higher to take into account rising sea levels. Making it 30 to 40 meters high and up to 100 meters wide. Behind that dike new area's of land can be created, the national airport can move there and grow and the amount of cargo that can be taken in would be a lot bigger, putting Rotterdam back on spot 1 as the largest harbor in the world. With this idea, we would create: 1. more safety against flooding 2. more land for people to live, 3. more land for farmers to farm, 4. more room for the airport to grow, 5. reduce the urban density in the Randstad and 6, maybe create extra fresh water lakes as reservoirs.

[@RealConstructor]

Not if, they really are the second agricultural exporter inn the world. But not for long, the former government and the EU made this an impossible spot to keep for The Netherlands. The EU is currently there for the bigger countries to suck smaller countries dry of business, industry and agriculture and move it to the bigger countries. And leftwingers are cheering this, because they hardly work in business, industry or agriculture, they mostly work for government (organizations), education, health, arts and media. They wanna get rid of business, industry and agriculture. Leftwingers are in favor of asylum seekers and help ferrying them in from the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, France and Greece. So they can receive them with open arms in Sweden, Denmark, Austria, The Netherlands and Belgium, making every problem in these countries bigger. The smaller countries inside the EU are doomed to insignificant roles on the world stage and leftwingers are collaborating to achieve this.

[@skurinski]

​@@RealConstructorEU is a communist fascist nightmare

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video..

[@stofjes4204]

@@RealConstructor well said

[@mormacil]

The Dutch are the second largest exporter not because of their production but because of their re-export. They import a lot of goods and then export those. Combine that with high value agri goods like flowers that need very limited space the export is primarily to non-farmers.

[@VladimirVladimirov-he1rp]

Luxembourg: I understand, I'm not the most beautiful....not the most interesting....

[@ashortone]

1:08 they are 2 languages In Flanders they speak Dutch just like in the Netherlands

He meant French too I think

[@ashortone]

No in flanders they dont speak french. In flenders they speak dutch And in Wallonië they speak french.

@@ashortone That's what I meant. In Brussels and Flanders and Lille

[@djvincekline7338]

Where would you put Lille and Liege? Dutch or German speaking cities??

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@etbadaboum]

Happy to learn that French Lille is part of Flanders...

[@ArienvanRijswijck]

oh yeah , didn't you know? we conquered it back like last week.. We wer bored on a school trip , so we we're like : Hey now we are in Lille , wasn't it part of Flanders? And Kevin and Maarten wer like : " yeah? " And Steven yelled : "LET'S GET IT BACK!" Yeah greate moment.. ( Sarcasm )

[@trails3597]

8:32 What? A river runs over a highway.

[@Mosesinmusic]

So I live in The Netherlands and I loved this video. Never heard of the concept but I’m very enthusiastic. I do stand with the farmers though. Maybe there is a way the farmer could co excist in this plan. I’m all for it. Those three countries seems to be most stable in the eu for now. Lets link up 😎

[@andres983265]

In the first 10 seconds, you say that there aren’t any European cities counted in the top 25 largest in the world, but the 18th and 25th largest are Moscow and Istanbul respectively, which technically are in Europe.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@thomasmerlin4990]

Imagine thinking, in 2024, that a Russian city should be a reference for the European economy.😑😑

[@Fire_ous]

@@thomasmerlin4990 imagine not thinking at all in 2024.. oh, wait, there is contradiction for you

[@Imperial_Dynamics]

nice video. Respect from Greece.

[@oddiethepug2355]

As a person living in this region I can tell you this will never happen.

[@althedude7730]

It already is: Eurodelta Metropool

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

How do you feel about having the cows walk up to platforms that slowly drop so to generate electricity from there mass dropping? Water generation is water weight falling, a lot of cow farms can match some of the worlds biggest water generation projects.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@sirwemby9180]

I live near the threepoint of the 3 countries and have to say that the different culture, people and the cooperation between them make this region beautiful and a very nice place to live in.

[@rogerwilco2]

Ehm no. The strength of the Dutch has been the lack of a mega-city.

[@frobosnop6660]

As someone living in this area who also enjoys geography I can't help but note a couple of things. As some other comments already noted Lille is located in France and thus this would include 4 states instead of one. Secondly, technically this network would comprise of 5 governments. Since both Flanders (Vlaanderen) and Walloon (Wallonne) have their own governments including a overarching federal government.

[@mormacil]

Doesn't Brussel also have it's own government on an equal level?

[@neilchisholm797]

This is a nightmare scenario. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht are already interwoven and they are reaping the benefits. If other closely aligned or geographically close cities wish to form an interwoven network go for it but Europe doesn’t need a 45m mega city. It would destroy so much of the appeal of the cities being different for very little economic gain.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@aldersdavid6785]

I think farmers who think that this is some kind of evil plan to transform the region into a concrete jungle are the ones who didn't read anything about the project. It's not about building every piece of land with infrastructure but making a larger cooperation between cities. Building connectivity between them. The region grows naturally regardless if you want or not. But it doesn't have anything to do with the TriState project.

[@floris44]

I can imagine the criticism (i’m dutch btw). Infrastructure projects like this tend to be a disaster, even in a well organized country like the Netherlands. Two notorious examples are the Fyra train that would run between Amsterdam and Brussels and the Noord-Zuid lijn in Amsterdam. The latter took 100 years to build, because when they build the metro line, the historic city started to sink.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@KKT1299DMN]

The Noord Zuidlijn took 15 years to build, not 100 😂

[@jemoedermeteensnor88]

Think the best example would be the "Betuwe lijn" a connection between the port of Rotterdam and the heart land of Germany. After the Netherlands finished their part Germany said we didnt agree on building our part so it ended up being a huge financial disaster.

[@Bike65729]

when ur so early u dont know what to say

[@TRMrStone]

But just want to comment something

[@Liams-AviationYT]

lol

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@TRMrStone]

@@cheesycake5879 Like?

[@cheesycake5879]

@@TRMrStone the size of Utrecht and that The Netherlands is splitted into 2 regions etc

[@pascaledelmann2153]

Very interesting. I guess there could be a few places in Europe where this kind of project could happen and the Tri-State City may be a model for that development. Mixing three different countries in one single project is really great: it deepens connections and permits communication... which ultimately brings innovation. Beautiful project if they also keep nature and humans strongly in mind.

[@althedude7730]

Isnt it called the Eurodelta metropolis?? Ive never heard it be called tri-state before :/

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@charlyvanbuuren2947]

Interesting seeing Van der Plas in an English interview calling pollution by farmers bull. While in Dutch she is more carefull and doesn't deny it but seeks a sollution in technical development of products. Showing her true self here...

[@Jasper-Holland]

This video needs some work, some things are just not true

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@ColaMolaLP]

Luxembourg be like: Am I a joke to you? 🥹👉👈

[@memesfarsi3111]

4 country actually, lille is in France next to border.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video.

[@fopdoodler9427]

I would vehemently oppose this idea if it means that all power in our cities gets decentralized.

[@diegoarc4380]

It should be called greater Zoetermeer

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@MazeMe]

I remember the last time the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany were politcally treated as part of the same entity. Back then it also caused a big increase in train traffic across the area.

[@MurvMuzik]

Hahah what. Where did u even found this idea? Nobody in the Netherlands ever heard of it 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@p.m.8316]

Is al jaren bekend.

[@MurvMuzik]

@@p.m.8316 bij de meerderheid niet. Hoe ben je er achter gekomen ?

[@dannybrandt1231]

Well most ppl live under a stone in the Netherlands. I am from the Netherlands and did hear about it.

[@MurvMuzik]

@@dannybrandt1231 waar heb je dit gehoord? Ben benieuwd

[@boerde6202]

@@MurvMuzik Weet je wel zeker dat je een complotdenker wilt worden genoemd?

[@Timmhermans]

3 languages? Yes, dutch, german and french. 3 governments? No , you have the dutch, the belgen and the german but also the flamish, the Brussels, the Walloniën (Liege was pictured) , the east-canton (Eupen) and rijnland-westfalen government

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@B_men_apo]

And the Dutch provinces of North Holland south Holland Zeeland Brabant Limburg Gelderland and Overijsel

[@Timmhermans]

@@B_men_apo does every province in the netherlands have a own government? In belgium they only have a gouverneur but no real government. I also did mention french flanders in france (lille/Rijsel)and the french government.

[@kenny4459]

​@@Timmhermans You forgot the North of France. Add at least 2 more govt's ;) Welcome in Europe :p

[@Timmhermans]

@@kenny4459 dear Kenny, you didnt read my comment from 8th days ago apperently. It's just above yours.

[@tomchupick9450]

Before I retired, I lived in The Hague and worked in Amsterdam, with frequent trips around The Netherlands. This was already very easy with the existing smart infrastructure, including real-time tracking on one pay-as-you-go card/phone application for all metros, trains, trams, and buses country-wide. I have since moved to the Paris region and must suffer with multiple systems for transport that have inaccurate scheduling for suburbs. Before you you build a 3 country system, first expand city infrastructure to include suburbs on the same EU-wide systems. This will pave the way for eventual full-EU integration.

[@walltertje]

Most dutch people don't want our country to become a megacity

[@danieldevries5203]

It already is. It's just a special version of mega city.

[@walltertje]

@@danieldevries5203 What do you mean? Only 13% are buildings and infrastructure. That aint a mega city. I live there

[@hgu123454321]

@@walltertje It means you can't go anywhere without hearing cars or running into people. It means that 'nature' comes in tiny parcels that are barely worth looking at. It means that the horizon is always filled with endless buildings and wind mills. It means you can never be alone, anywhere. It may not be as dense as most cities, but it's still a city.

[@walltertje]

@@hgu123454321 That's not the case for the whole of The Netherlands, it maybe true in the provinces Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and in Utrecht but in the rest of The Netherlands it is not nearly as bad

[@johnbullxx]

Most of countries are in the 0,5%-3,0% range. 13% is already a massive number. And there is nothing wrong being a megacity. There are plenty of amazing ones around the globe.

[@eastfrisian_88]

I think the contrast from the north and east to the west and south of the Netherlands are very fascinating. I live in northwest Germany and when you drive across the border, you have small towns and villages and lots of agriculture as far as Groningen, then the same again and when you take the northern route to Amsterdam, you're surprised when you're just 10 km from Amsterdam away and everything is full of tulip fields and then you blink twice and are suddenly stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the city 😂It's not just the big cities that are interesting there, I think the small towns are the real gems. Big love to the Netherlands, I was just in Emmen two days ago and enjoyed it very much 😍

[@markopolo8136]

This region is already as integrated as the New York City region, split between three US states and with a multitude of state and sub-state governments and planning commissions. And separate transit fare schemes. This "Tristate" project is the equivalent of the Regional Plan Association in NYC - puts out lots of white papers and occasionally gets something adopted by the actual governments.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@awabaziz7029]

Pretty sure China tried to copy that too...💀🙏 (The greater bay area.)

[@MazeMe]

Also great idea, a Tristate branded train between Aachen, Maastricht and Liege! Finally it will be possible to move between these cities for the first time!

[@kamilpustula2454]

Dutch, Germans and Belgs together? Lmao.

[@chimoinu]

More like the Randstad with the port of Rotterdam, Antwerp with its port, Brussels as the capital of EU and the economic and industry hub Reingebied including Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt and former west-German capital Bonn. All situated around the bigger rivers delta’s that connect to the rest of EU. And besides that the Belgians and the Dutch together are not at all a stretch since we speak the same language have been one country more then once and have been united in the BeNeLux together with Luxembourg since like forever 😂

[@PhillipAmthor]

So basically germans with weird accents+ germans with weird accents+ germans with weird accents Sincerely a german without a weird accent

[@Orpheus.Machine]

You may laugh, but it is already happening for a while. The ports of Antwerpen and Zeebrugge fused to become one big port, the train connections between Belgium and The Netherlands/Germany are getting improved, the exchange of electricity is getting better, etc. We need each other to be able to compete in this new global environment.

[@kamilpustula2454]

@@Orpheus.Machine ok, how are they splitting the money then? I am really curious

[@kamilpustula2454]

@@chimoinu Ok, Belgium is not really a country, so I can imagine, but witch Germans? We are talking about same Dutch people, amongs which I live , and share my life with one from almost a decade already? Bulb stories, Rotterdam, destroying Gulden, etc etc

[@adamcarnegie5660]

What a fantastic idea! Because identity and emergence is how we grow into the future - generating intimacy and well being by opening our minds to the potential of absorbing others.

[@Drace90]

I guess we have the future capital of a federalized European Union. This is awesome!

[@Unbreakable2070]

Proud to be Dutch. Let's say that!

[@LetsGo-wl5zo]

Lol, that area is already overcrowded.... Lets make it more overcrowded & unlivable 😂🤣 . What a Joke Idea, they just thinking only about how to fill there own Pockets. NEXT.

[@carlcramer9269]

Lille is included in the current map you show us, and Lille is a city in France. So France is already involved.

[@TruffelChocolade]

One of the first things you said was already wrong, Moscow is clearly number 18 on the list of biggest cities.

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@Ionnico9891]

Love the idea ❤; And it should be a must at this point, standing for a united europe symbol point of view ✌;

[@jaggerbushOG]

I bet the Dutch would shoot this down and I wouldn't blame them.

[@althedude7730]

They actually coined the initiative with the Eurodelta Metropolis!

[@rubensrides]

Being someone who has lived in Utrecht, Hilversum and Liège (which btw isn't in Flanders, just like Brussels isn't), and who speaks all three languages of this region, there will never be enough connecting these places to consider them one "megacity". Sure they're relatively close to each other, and better (ie. cheaper and faster) public transport between the countries would be great. But the area is still much too big and diverse to be considered one city. Calling it a "megacity" won't suddenly bring them physically closer together (For comparison, greater Tokyo has 37 million people in an area one third of the size of the Netherlands, while the Netherlands, Belgium, North Rhine Westphalia and greater Lille have approximately 48 million people in a vastly bigger area - thanks Chat GP. And that area also includes lot of countryside). And these 4 countries already work together as EU member states, which is something I hope will stay that way. Instead of some megalomaniac "megacity" project, it would be better if smaller parts of it - like the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and even Hamburg - worked together instead of competing. P.S. there were always trains between Maastricht, Liège and Aachen (you missed the Liège-Aachen branch), the only thing that changed is that they started calling it the 'three-country train'.

[@mandibiedermann2246]

This looks like the begining of an great Germanic unification

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@mandibiedermann2246]

@@cheesycake5879 no even if something is inacurate for me, always i'm with the right of free speech or free opinions from everyone. i don't like the censure of goverments or mainstream medias

[@2295timon]

there is definitely a border between Belgium and The Netherlands, you can see it and feel it when you drive between both countries

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@bringmeneweyestomars]

I think calling it a megacity is misleading, all they're proposing is a better connected transport network and specialised hubs of industry that work closer together. However it does sound like the main dude in support of it has some kind of ultra-capitalist hellscape in mind of what it could be, you know full well he'd be investing in it for the benefit of profit and not people lol. Also why do the farmers have to stop? I understand the concern around nitrous oxide, but surely combatting emissions should be about implementing alternatives and solutions collaboratively with farmers, rather than paying them to sell up and lose their livelihoods.

[@thio59]

love your pronunciation of Randstad

[@87kingpim]

The idea sound great

[@dewaard3301]

@12:00 The Randstad model is the opposite of a 'mega city'. It aims to use high-quality infrastructure to prevent concentration of urban resources, which improves availability of housing, office space, nature, leisure, commerce by an order of magnitude compared to the Tokyo/London/New York model at the scales we're talking about. This new structure will not be called a 'city' or 'metropolis' or any such archaic name; it's an entirely new type of animal that could become home to a billion people or more.

[@adriennepelletier9934]

You lost me at Jordan Peterson

[@paul1224ford]

Peterson thinks this is a left-wing conspiracy 🤣

[@adriennepelletier9934]

@@paul1224ford like people who will be trappen in “15 minute cities”?

[@AndreaFasani]

That's actually a project for Europe to create regions that unite more countries that already have a big network (like north italy, switzerland and south germany).

[@martijnprinzen7124]

I don't really understand from the video what would change from what it is now. Netherlands is already the most densely populated country in the world. Is it just about train connections?

[@gs3931]

And also something about energy grid, which is already connected on a European scale I think. Honestly, this sounds like an agency that wants to suck up government funding and produce absolutely nothing

[@almarvogel]

Dutch guy here. Never heard of it. The Netherlands has multiple big conglomerates like randstad, Arnhem-Nijmegen, Eindhoven-Tilburg-Breda and so on. All above 2-3 million people. The whole idea is already up. It just doesn’t have a name. There’s also a lot of info that’s not correct. Yes we are the 2nd exporter in agriculture but we do not produce most of it. We trade for example.

[@TorreFLoeckx]

1:12 3 languages? You mean two

[@r.nemery1345]

No, three. Wallonia, the south part of Belgium, use french. (And Lille too)

[@crowleyokpebholo3464]

French German and Dutch

[@chaoticdanor]

He said Flanders would be a part, not Wallonia so French is not one of the languages leaving only Dutch and German.

[@paul1224ford]

@@r.nemery1345 Not Wallonia as a whole, just Brussels (bilingual) and Liège.

[@LazyStory]

@@crowleyokpebholo3464 .. Frisian

[@bartvanderzanden5856]

I live in Nijmegen, apparently right in the middle of this megacity. For the last 30 years people from both sides of the border have been trying to get a train (or lightrail, or tram) to run across the border, on already existing tracks. So far, they've managed a bus once every hour. A slow one. Not passing quite crucial locations like the university. As long as mister Savelberg doesn't come and fix practical things like that, I'm just going to believe that he's not interested in anything resembling a city of any size and just talking hyped crap about markets and 'the international business community' 😂

[@happyfeet7280]

Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today

[@cheesycake5879]

Report this vid for misinformation. They didnt do their research there are so many mistakes in this video

[@supersonic4863]

Now i finally understand why doofenshmirtz wanted to take over the entire tri-state area. impressive that he was thinking so grandly.

[@hardyvonwinterstein5445]

Well, I'm Dutch since 1952 ( B 52). And very informed. I was born and raised and still live near Aachen where three countries meet. But, but but, I never ever heard of this plan. It's fake and fabricated. The Dutch have a cultural alliance with Belgium and Luxembourg which is called the Benelux. That's it. The EU does the rest. There are regional organizations across the borders, yes. The Euregio is a fine example. And most things go naturally. People in my region speak Dutch, German or French on paper, but in reality they have a common language, a lingua franca like Swahili. That lingua is called Ripuarian after a Frankish tribe in these regions. You can speak it in Köln, in Eupen, in Aachen, in Kerkrade and all the natives will hear you. Even in Luxembourg they easily understood me. Sad to see that language disappear slowly. If there is anything that people binds, it's their language.