MOVED BY MOVING Frederique de Ridder
T
he fundamental right of having a home is universal, which makes its protection a common crucial concern at all costs. It is commonly known that parks, forests and other natural environments, are beneficial for one’s mental well-being. After having worked from homes, having socially distanced by forcibly staying inside, spending time outside has become something to long for. Not for long, when the peace one used to encounter around the edges of the city, has seemingly disappeared. Unavoidable overstimulation intervenes one’s moment of selfcare when a mind full of drilling noises dominate, caused by jackhammers combined with sputtering engines of wheelbarrows, bulldozers and dump trucks. Not having mentioned the visual pollution; the outskirt of Amsterdam North transformed into Dutch dupe of a ‘Manhattan’. It is actually fair to ask oneself whether the skyline of Amsterdam would still be in a recogniseable state, considering the
city gained nowadays besides the “Zuid-as” a similar-looking “North-as”. What is moving Amsterdam to actively invest in pursue this reshaping? In what way is imposing the new style, affecting the city’s embodiment of its true identity? The pace of the change comes across as rather impressive. Impressively alarming actually.
‘‘Irreversible segregation veiled under gentrification is namely literally set into concrete.‘‘ Movements are often defined as a hype. The ongoing movement that is taking place concerning the housing crisis however, is not reducible to a fashion trend. The irreversible segregation perceived amongst the public, is feeding the shared aspiration to stand up against it. During the housing protest of the 12th of
September in Amsterdam, more than 15,000 people voiced their disagreement upon an alienated interpretation of normal. The reason behind what is making the current situation alien, is the fact that having a home is rapidly becoming unprecedently impossible. The demand for housing in the Netherlands is high, but the possibilities are increasingly scarce and unaffordable. Social rent offers the opportunity to have a home according to convenient measures, however the waiting lists offer a hopeless perspective. Waiting for ten years in order to achieve a position to become qualified, is becoming nowadays namely a crucial requirement. This consequences plans, which were supposed to be subordinate under the category “back-up”, being pushed to the front. The crisis drives students into such extreme circumstances, in which living in tents has become a more respectable solution. Let alone the option of returning to your parents’ house after having studied in a completely different environment. Or not being
