‘Housing Pain
Healing Strategies'
2023 - ongoing
Self-initiated social, urban research
Supported by: Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Photography by: Giovanni Salice, Karolien Chromiak
Thanks to: Veerle Alkemade, Tayfun Balçık, David Bernstein, Sarah van Binsbergen, Lina Etzkorn, Arjan Gooijer, Vera Luciano, Arna Mačkić,
Housing Pain, Healing Strategies is a self-initiated research and counter project about the current revitalization wave of social housing neighborhoods in the major Dutch cities. It focusses on Amsterdam, and places the current urban, architectural and social-ethnic transformations of its outskirts (particularly Nieuw-West) next to Amsterdam's urban development and housing policy history, looking in particular at the affects it had on the housing conditions and internal migration of its so called 'guest workers', former 'ex-fellow citizens' and 'non-Western immigrants' over the years since the 1970ties.
Next to a historical framework, the project focusses on current urban developments and housing policies that affect local residents of Nieuw-West nowadays, of which more than half has a 'non-Western migration background'. After years of housing struggles and resilience the project proposes to imagine an alternative urban future, taking into account the perspective of local (protest) parties and residents of Nieuw-West left behind in the urban renewal process as a starting point to redesign the transformation of the Johan Piet neighborhood, without demolition and displacement.
PAST
ALTERNATIVE BRIEF
An alternative brief was composed after talking to remaining residents who were not part of the future development plans, uncertain of their housing/ business situation prior to the demolition of the Johan Piet neighborhood:
* A thorough renovation of the old buildings. Since 'we do not agree with demolition', Since 'we have fungus on all the walls, but we want to stay in our neighborhood'. Since 'we lived here for over 25 years, we don't want to leave'. Since 'the alternative housing proposed to us is worse than this'. And, since 'we are in the Netherlands, anything can be renovated!'.
* Densify on top of the old garages and drying attics, so all existing residents can temporarily move within their own neighborhood, to then, if wanted, return to their renovated apartments. In addition, new residents can find a home, since waiting lists of social (affordable) housing are immense.
* Design the new buildings with (affordable) flair and flexible plan, since apartments should be able to adapt over time according to the necessary apartment typologies. And since so many are jealous of all the new, expensive homes around them, 'it's like gentrification porn, we can look at it, but cannot touch it'.
* Use leftover corners in the urban plan to add neighborhood houses and facilities, providing extra space and to old and new residents, since 'nowadays we only meet in the Albert Heijn'.
* Design, play and build further on what exists, since next to the struggles, identities are formed here over the years.
ALTERNATIVE FUTURE
REALITY
[This project is part of the exhibition 'Bouwen op woongeschiedenis: van verzet tot vernieuwing' at Arcam, in Amsterdam]