‘Delivering for the Fancy as Well as the Shabby’ Amsterdam’s Post-war Utopia of Urban Diversity
Over the last few years, Amsterdam’s inner city has seen a rapiddecrease in quality of life. Long-time residents and established retailers are increasingly giving way to the needs and demands of mass tourism.The advent of low-cost airliners, the rise of a global middle class and the uncontrollable spread of apartment sharing have put the affordability of central districts at risk, threatening the future of a socially and functionally mixed inner city. Most local residents respond with feelings of resignation, some of them even catering to the wishes of international visitors by renting out their flats using platforms such as Airbnb. Looking at these developments of gentrification and displacement, it seems as if Amsterdam has forgotten how its beloved inner city was once saved from similar threats.