N e t h e r l a n d s S t u d y T r i p
Arrival
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After arriving at Amsterdam-Schipol Airport, our group piled into vans and were shuttled to the Owl Hotel, located on the northern edge of Vondelpark. Vondelpark is a 120-acre urban park, designed by architect Jan David Zocher and opened in 1865.
After a short walking tour through Max Euweplein (thank goodness the Hard Rock Cafe is still there) and Leidseplein, we made our way to Amsterdam Centraal to buy train tickets for the week.
No matter how often I travel to the Netherlands, I'm still struck every time by the transportation networks within the city. Most obviously are the canals, which are striking in their beauty. Further the major roadways are divided into train lanes, automobile lanes, bicycle lanes and pedestrian lanes.
Hungry, and weary from travel, we found dinner in the Leidseplein area.
Amsterdam: Beer, Bubbies and Bricks
Old Amsterdam
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We started off our morning with a walking tour of the Begijnhof, one of the oldest inner courts in the city of Amsterdam. Originally a Béguinage, or community of the Beguine Sisterhood, the private square was founded during the Middle Ages. It lies within the Single, (the innermost ring of the canal system) it was originally surrounded by water. The only entrance was through the Begijnensteeg. However, we entered through the 19th century Spui entrance, a lovely experience through a unimposing door and a short corridor with vaulted ceilings and subway-tile adornment. The square boasts the restored Houten Huys, dating from about 1528. This is the oldest wooden house (and one of only two) in the city center. After the Alteration, the Begijnhof was the only Roman Catholic institution allowed to survive, however the chapel was taken over by the English Presbyterians (the English Reform Church.) In 1671, the architect Philip Vingboons converted two dwellings opposite the Chapel entrance into a schuilkerk, or a conventicle chapel for use by the Beguines. This house church would have been secretive in the period, and today is only marked by a small added vestibule.
Our group then took a tour of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, located in the old city orphanage, dating from 1634. The highlight of the museum was the structure itself and the ways in which they re-used the structure for the display of exhibits. The upper-most floor was particularly interesting, as they left the beams and roof structure exposed. Great curving rafters and collar beams stole the show. In a close second place, was the deconstructed and reconstructed bar room from a nearby pub called Cafe 't Molentje. Formed in 1892, this bar was possibly the city's earliest gay bar. It was started by a notorious lesbian who allowed public displays of affection and same-sex dancing. A electric owl in the bar corner had been wired with red lights in the eyes. When police would come, a switch behind the bar alerted those occupied in 'promiscuous' behavior to act 'straight' until the coast was clear. The bar had become very run-down and dangerous in the 1970s, and the owner sold the remaining vestiges of the historic institution to the museum. In recent years the bar has been renovated. On our walk from the museum to the Anne Frank House, we passed the bar, and so Rachel and I stopped to have lunch. It was the most lovely experience. Inexpensive, quiet and located right on the canal in a largely residential area, it was an ideal situation.
In the afternoon, our group met again at de Duif (the Dove) a church which has been restored by an organization called Stadsherstel. We received a briefing presentation about the projects that the organization has been undertaking since the 1970s, including the purchasing of canal houses and restoring them. The organization strategically chose corner houses, and the success of these endeavors inspired private contractors to buy and restore the houses between. It is the work of organizations like Stadsherstel that allowed Amsterdam to become the city it is today, and it is because of their work that the city has become an UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the time of our visit, the organization owned 452 of the 6,000 buildings located within the World Heritage Site. Nearby, we also toured their office building, another renovated church. The Amstelkerk is a 17th century Gothic Style wooden church designed by Daniel Stalpaert, the renowned Dutch architect who helped create the Royal Palace as well as several city gates. During the French occupation of the Netherlands, Napoleon allegedly housed his horses inside the church. Stadsherstel's international presence is incredible. Today, they only take on high-profile projects. Instead of purchasing individual residences, the company has turned its sights on industrial complexes, churches, factories and shipyards. Their model is commendable: the excess company value after dividends is used to start new projects. This way the company does not go into debt from project to project, however, it required a tremendous initial investment. Importantly, we asked about issues of gentrification to which he gave the most elegant answer: "issues of gentrification are difficult, and there isn't an answer, instead we must be aware of the dangers and work to find ways to incorporate spaces available to all people."
New Amsterdam
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We started another of our mornings by visiting the Amsterdam Physical Planning Department where we were given a briefing by Errik Buursink. It was he who said my favorite quotation from the trip: "In many ways, Amsterdam is a more successful city than either Rotterdam or den Haag because of the utilization of the historic buildings that survive in the city." A theme of the trip had become, by this point, an emphasis on personal responsibility, a trait seemingly inherent in Dutch culture that is largely lacking in the American system. However, the level to which the government controls there citizens is slightly shocking. During this briefing, Errik mentioned 'humane institutionalization' efforts, including rehabilitation of individuals for whom it is deemed necessary. These institutions provide 're-socializing' programs to change people to better fit into Dutch society. The city actively works to keep large groups of immigrants from settling in a certain area, citing overcrowding as their primary concern. However, the issue of the 'preservation of Dutch culture' seems to always be at the front of their minds. Overpopulation is physically policed, with officers going door-to-door in problematic neighborhoods. Errik also discussed the issue of gentrification. He said that the tightly regulated housing stock, as all social housing is controlled by the municipality, this results in a plateau affect in gentrification. It keeps the neighborhoods mixed. Because all of the land is owned by the city, the housing stock can be controlled. This control results in the kinds of housing that is built. It also allows the city to control so that areas don't become overrun by certain income-levels. However, Errik left us with a slightly sour note, the city is strongly considering re-integrating the street, eliminating separate lanes for separate modes of transportation. A system that we as Americans all admire may soon no longer exist.
After this meeting, a small group of us has to travel out to see some of the social housing projects of the 1960s in the Bijlmermeer. The neighborhood became a haven for Surinamese refugees in the 1970s. Then identified as a 'problem area.' The relatively low incomes and social status of its inhabitants made for a problematic mix with the area's large scale buildings, which afforded littlesocial control. It used to have a relatively high crime rate, but this has decreased dramatically in recent years. The revitalization efforts are incredible. They have begun to fix some of the apartments to target a avant-garde artist class. They have added commercial space along the bases of some of the 1960s towers. The area still feels very disconnected from the city, and so they have a long way to go to integrate the area to have the same successful feel of the central city. However, I praise them for not giving up on the structures. Instead they recognize the embodied energy in the structures and are working to find sustainable solutions for these modernist blocks.
The following morning we visited the Federatie van Woningcorporaties (Amsterdam Federation of Housing Associations.) There we received a briefing by Jeroen van der Veer. There we learned that the Netherlands has the highest percentage of social housing in the EU at more than 20% of the housing stock. Currently, the federation is concerned with rehabilitating the post-war building stock. A concern most Americans do not share. The highlight of the morning was the visit to the Western Garden neighborhood. The neighborhood had a large Turkish population and so after the walking tour was finished, a small group of students and I explored the markets and ate at a small Turkish food stand.
Westerpark
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On our afternoon off, a small group and I travelled to the Westerpark. I really wanted to visit Het Schip the most important example of the Amsterdam School of Architecture in the world. The structure was designed by Michel de Klerk as an Expressionist vision of a ship. Designed in 1919, the building contains 102 homes for the working class, a small meeting hall and a post office. Amazingly, a majority of the building is still used as social housing. The Amsterdam School originated as an association of friends and took over from the Amsterdam society of architects Architectura et Amicitia in 1916. Revolutionaries such as De Klerk, Kramer, Van der Mey, Staal, Gratama and Wijdeveld had ambitious political ideals. They explored new forms that reflected their vision of society. The time had come to abandon old shapes and to seek solutions that differed from Berlage's approach. While he had discontinued the traditional designs inspired by the past, his basic, straightforward style was indeed a dry alternative. Instead, the new Amsterdam School exuberantly conveyed the architecture's dynamics and structure, using vivid colours and materials and extensive ornaments. Much of this embellishment is dedicated to architecture's spatial role. Amsterdam School buildings determine and manipulate their surroundings, both outside and inside. They also tend to focus on characteristics of their context, such as elegant squares, secluded residential streets or idyllic outdoor areas.
