ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the origins of the Delta City known as Rotterdam and Rijnmond we intermittently use these two names, in most cases referring to the wider Rotterdam area: the city and the dozen or so municipalities on either side of the Nieuwe Waterweg. The city of Rotterdam can ascribe its economic 'raison d'tre' and power as well as its increasing vulnerability to the same source, its position in the RhineMeuse delta, at the edge of the north-western European 'megalopolis'. Certain issues which are important for Rotterdam and Rijnmond and could be considered as part of a wider interpretation of sustainability are not considered here. The city administration of Rotterdam is quite aware of the importance of the development of an effective policy concerning the mentioned aspects of sustainability. The open connection between the sea, the port and its hinterland has been a crucial factor in the development of the Port of Rotterdam.
