Now a days, an area-based approach seems to be common for urban policies in Western Europe. Policies are directed towards spatially defined areas in order to be more efficient in solving problems in cities. Yet, besides solving problems in the targeted area, an area-based approach has an in-built danger: it might lead to a displacement of problems. This so-called spatial knock-on effect is an effect of an area-based policy for other areas then the ones involved in the policy. Especially in the field of urban restructuring, spatial knock-on effects might be expected. In order to learn more about the effectiveness of area-based urban policies, spatial knock-on effects should be more central. In this paper we therefore take a closer look at spatial knock-on effects.

On the basis of a case study in the Dutch city of Utrecht we analyze the following questions: In which way can spatial knock-on effects be observed as a result of area-based urban restructuring policies according to policy makers? What is the geographical dispersal pattern of those who are forced to move as a consequence of urban restructuring and how do policy makers explain these dispersal patterns? In which way do policy makers try to prevent spatial knock-on effects? In this paper the focus is on the perception of policy makers. Their opinion is important because they are the ones who define the policies and are thus at least partially responsible for the emergence of spatial knock-on effects.

In many West European countries the traditional forms of urban policies have changed. In the 1990s national governments faced budgetary difficulties and decided to cut down their expenses on local governments and expand their responsibilities at the same time. For lower levels of government, like municipalities, this meant they had to change their policies to adapt to these changes (Elander, 2002). Nowadays, the term urban governance stands for the new way cities deal with various urban problems. One of the features of urban governance is that not only local and national government are involved, but also actors from the private and the voluntary sector.