Do you ask what the nicest places in our country are to live; then you can probably name a few beautiful Brabant cities. But none of our province can be seen in the top 10 of most attractive cities. The first one you come across is Den Bosch, twenty in a thin spot. “Ridic”, says Frank Lammers. “That research can immediately be thrown in the trash.”
Every year, the fifty largest cities in the Netherlands are compared with each other by research agency Atlas Research. This includes looking at accessibility, safety, jobs, the culinary offer and how green it is.
Amsterdam is number one with a dot. This is followed by Amstelveen, Leiden, Utrecht and Leidschendam. The most popular city in Brabant is Den Bosch, in 20th place, followed by Eindhoven, Breda, Tilburg and Bergen op Zoom. Helmond scores the worst in Brabant.
“You cannot say with dry eyes that Zoetermeer is more beautiful than Breda.”
Remarkable, thinks Tilburg cabaret artist Leo Alkemade. “I have lived in Amsterdam myself and it is terrible there. It is not friendly. There are only junkies, people are quite selfish and it is full of tourists. If you want to be addressed in English at the bakery, fine. But I just order a bag of sausage rolls in Tilburg and then I get it.”
Actor Frank Lammers may live in Amsterdam, but he was born in Brabant and he also understands nothing about the research. “Have you ever been to Zoetermeer (place 16)? That is the ugliest city in the Netherlands. You can’t say with dry eyes that that city is more beautiful than Breda,” he says.
According to Lammers, the research is only based on the Randstad. “Eindhoven is a beautifully developed city, with an airport, good accessibility, theaters and cinemas. And Helmond has developed enormously and is now beautiful and accessible. But that’s all too far away. I invite people to live in Leidschendam (place 5) for a while. I wish them every success.”
“It is also a mirror that we are held up to.”
Mayor Paul Depla of Breda also takes the results with a grain of salt. “They do this research every year and the outcome is always about the same. They mainly measure facilities, such as work. But if they had really asked people where they would rather live or grab a beer: Breda or Zaanstad? Then I know the answer.”
However, he believes we can also learn from the research. “It is also a mirror that we are held up to. Our cities individually can never compete with all the facilities in Amsterdam. That is why we need to work well together on culture, sport and jobs. “And then we as Brabant have very good assets.”
According to the researchers, what people especially appreciate is greenery, such as trees and parks in the neighbourhood. Oss scores the worst in our country. Bergen op Zoom is doing quite well in that area and is in fourth place in the Netherlands. When it comes to going out, you are in the right place in Tilburg and Eindhoven. They are in seventh and eighth place in our country.
Ranking list of the most attractive cities in Brabant:
- Den Bosch (place 20)
- Eindhoven (place 26)
- Breda (place 31)
- Tilburg (place 32)
- Bergen op Zoom (place 38)
- Oss (place 40)
- Roosendaal (place 42)
- Helmond (place 43)
