| dc.description.abstract | In this research focus will be on the Bijlmer, a post-war urban neighbourhood in the Southeastern part of Amsterdam. The demographics of the district are unique within the Netherlands. Only a quarter of its population is native Dutch. Contrary to problematic districts in other parts of the country where a lot of Morrocans and Turks live, the Bijlmer is the domain of other Africans and people from Surinam and the Antilles. The neighbourhood has undergone a big restructuring process between 1995 and 2011. The question is whether this physical change has lead to changes in the social climate. As goes from that urban restructuring and social climate will be key terms in the theoretical framework.
To answer the research question, first of all the history of the neighbourhood has been reviewed. Due to various reasons the socio-economic situation of the district had become so bad, that policy makers saw massive physical changes as the only solution in 1992. Unsafety, vacancies, crime, (drugs)nuisance and illegality where the biggest problems pre-restructuring. The urban redevelopment process has been a physical metamorphosis for the area. Initially 95% of the dwellings where part of gigantic high-rise residential units, now only 45% of the dwellings are in those units. A lot of low-rise houses have been built, the level of facilities has been upgraded and the structure of the public space as a whole has been improved.
In order to research the social changes, a mix of research methods has been used. Firstly an analysis has been made of existing quantitative data ('the Bijlmermonitor' and 'Living in Amsterdam') on the Bijlmer. Secondly residents have been interviewed on the street, to get to know how they experienced the restructuring process and whether they see certain social developments in the district. Thirdly a micro-etnography has been done to report on observations by the researcher.
The social climate of the Bijlmer has undergone a moderately positive change between 1995 and 2011, due to the physical changes in the district. Inhabitants are happy with the demolishments of a lot of high-rise residential units, the renovation of still existing high-rise housing and new low-rise dwellings. The still existing high-rise units are managed better and the police is more committed. This makes drug nuisance, noise nuisance and dirty porches a lot less common problem. More low-rise has made the district more open, it allows residents to live less anonimously and interact better with their neighbours. The respondents are positive about the upscaling of the level of facilities in the area. Shopping centre 'Amsterdamse Poort' is the best example for that. The Bijlmer has become safer and overall a nicer place to live. The interviewees told that they felt very at home in the area and that it had everything they wanted. The mentality of the inhabitants is mainly that of "minding my own business" and of "looking the other way when something happens". People in this neighbourhood almost exclusively live within their own ethnic community, there's little contact between people with differing backgrounds. All in all, the Bijlmer is a special Dutch urban neighbourhood with a short but versatile history. | |
