Dutch cities with a large number of old, listed buildings are growing at the expense of new towns, according to the latest local council atlas, which looks at urban trends.

Living in cities is becoming increasingly popular and cities are recovering faster than rural areas from the economic crisis, the researchers say. At the same time, older, established cities are out-performing new settlements.

‘This is a recent trend,’ said researcher Gerard Marlet. ‘In the mid-1980s, these older towns were being written off. They became run down and their populations shrank. Now the opposite is true. Everyone wants to live in a city with a past.’

Older cities not only have better facilities and provisions, but attract tourists which benefits the local economy, the researchers say. Their populations are also relatively young, which also attracts industry.

The research also showed people are prepared to pay a premium of €125,000 to live in an old neighbourhood with historic value.

Maastricht, Leiden and Amsterdam have the most listed buildings within their boundaries.