Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a population of 747,290 comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the 6th-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million. Amsterdam's main appeal lies in its rich cultural heritage, diverse & creative culture, commercial dynamism and high quality of life. Ultimately, the city's strongest asset is its people: the people who live here, the people who work here, the people who study here, and the people who visit here. The city is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch corporations and banks have their headquarters in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, part of Euronext, is located in the city centre. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House and its red-light district draw 4.2 million tourists annually.

The specific challenge we wish to address in this Working group as a Project Partner is to interact with other European partners in the field of urban renewal and spatial planning. We would like to share our experiences on these themes and we are open to learn from other practices in order to improve the current approach in Amsterdam. An element of learning is how to make local urban renewal processes, with its own dynamics and interactions, a (more) common responsibility for the region and the city. Political decisions in the field of spatial and social-urban affairs are mainly made by the municipality. The connection with the region could be in this respect more tight. Lessons from other European partners could help Amsterdam to improve the current way of working.

Links between Urban Regeneration and Spatial Planning

The whole spectrum of urban renewal has a relationship with spatial planning. Most obvious is the restructuring of existing neighbourhoods. But also economic programs (restructuring local shopping streets) and social programs (neighbourhood centers) have influence on the spatial organization and therefore spatial planning.

In urban renewal projects there is no larger consideration of existing spatial laws or boundaries then in normal spatial projects. In all cases projects must comply with the general spatial recommendations such as ecological requirements, noise reduction, height restrictions and so on.