Are you new in Amsterdam and don’t know where to find the nicest spots to live? No worries, we can help you!
Amsterdam is a city known for its wide-variety pallet of activities, such as its museums, restaurants, theatres or parks. Inner city areas are nowadays top notch locations, where everybody wants to hang out and live. With its short distances to the rest of the city, one can easily travel to all your favourite locations. In recent decades, areas such as Amsterdam’s West has undergone significant changes and have turned into some of the most desirable living areas. Wondering what you can expect? Here is a little description about de Jordaan, one of the most popular areas in Amsterdam.
De Jordaan - The return of a vibrant Amsterdam
As part of the vivid area of Amsterdam-West, de Jordaan is a perfectly integrated location with its close distance to the city centre. Located in the canal belt, de Jordaan offers a wide-variety of the typical Amsterdam canal houses with the characteristic brown bricks. Historically, de Jordaan was known as a traditional working class district but the urban landscape has noticeably changed since then. In the last 40 years, the area was fundamentally restructured and turned de Jordaan from an often described “social hotspot” to a vibrant heart of Amsterdam. Nowadays, the area offers some of the best activities of the city which are either directly located in the area or close by. Take for example the 9 Straatjes (The nine streets). They are one of the best shopping areas in the city with countless little boutiques, cafes and galleries. But also the Haarlemmerdijk and Noordermarkt provide multiple alternative shopping options. Even in the evening you will not get bored, go out and explore one of the numerous restaurants, bars and comedy clubs.
Obviously, all of that does not come for free. Living in De Jordaan has its price and the area is definitely on the more expensive side of the city, but what can we say comparing it to the many thinks it offers?
So everything is perfect, right?
De Jordaan sounds pretty nice, right? Well, it is not for all. Gentrification changes the urban landscape and that does not come without its price. While gentrification leads to changes that satisfy some, others do not feel the same way. In general, gentrification describes the migration of affluent households to poorer and lower-value areas of urban and rural settlements (Atkinson 2012: 269). It is exactly this dynamic that can be seen in de Jordaan. While it used to be a working-class area, the whole district changed to a middle to upper class neighbourhood. The city landscape has noticeably changed in the last 40 years, which is a consequence of the new needs of the new residents. The current coffee places, boutiques and bars all address the needs of the current inhabitants and makes the area attractive to a wider part of society. Rent prices increase, which can have the consequence that older residents have to move away. They feel displaced, excluded and sometimes even as unwanted citizens (Elliott-Cooper 2019). Gentrified areas become exclusive.
You want to know more about the dynamics of gentrification? Then make sure to check out these sources…
Atkinson, R. (2012). “Gentrification” in International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. Dordrecht: Elsevier, pp 269-274. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080471631006305. Last accessed on June 11 2022.
Elliott-Cooper, A., Hubbard, P., & Lees, L. (2019). “Moving beyond Marcuse: Gentrification, displacement and the violence of un-homing”, Progress in Human Geography, doi: 0309132519830511. URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0309132519830511. Last accessed June 11th 2022.