Tourist shops on the shovel, nine buildings bought in Amsterdam: “Not the city that makes us economically happy”
The Amsterdam municipality has been pushing back tourism in the city for years. Now public real estate company NV Zeedijk has bought out nine properties in the Oudebrugsteeg in the city center from the former owner in order to bring more homes into the street.
The connecting road between Damrak and Warmoesstraat currently consists of tourist shops, cafes, sex shops and a coffee shop. “In the evenings it is usually very busy and pleasant,” says the salesman of one of the stores. The spaces above the shops are used as storage space, according to Janny Alberts, director of NV Zeedijk.
More than half of the alley is now owned by Alberts’ company. “Corona has of course made it clear to us that if you only come to visit tourism and that is not the city where we can become economically happy again.”
It is therefore the intention, according to her, to counteract that tourism. “At the top of homes. That’s also possible on the ground floor, but I’m also thinking of organizations that both need one and one online.”
Shopkeepers disagree: “The city needs tourism, that’s part of Amsterdam,” says an employee of one of the four sex shops in the street.” Another shopkeeper sees a pattern: “They probably want to then a nice studio in its place, but that won’t work. Let’s be honest, it’s not PC Hooftstraat here.”
Previous attempt
It is not the first time it has been used to change the character of the downtown. In 2007 ‘Project 1012’ started tens of dozens of window brothels in the city center were bought up.
“This project is different,” Alberts thinks. “At Project 1012 we were mainly concerned with what we didn’t want, we are now tackling what we do want.” She knows that the realization of a cleaner city center that is more like living is a long one. “But it is also the drop that will erode the stone. We must continue in a city where we all want to live, work and have fun together.”