Over the past few decades, Turkish immigrants have played a very visible role in Amsterdam’s public space, but this is changing rapidly. The elimination of minorities from the streetscape reflects the decline in the city’s inclusiveness, argues Ceren Sezer in her PhD research.
The many Turkish immigrants who tried their luck in the Netherlands over the past sixty years have certainly left their mark. Turkish shops, restaurants, tearooms, kebab shops, mosques, barbershops and garages are familiar features of the Dutch cityscape. At least, they were until recently. Sezer’s research in Amsterdam’s shopping streets has revealed that this image has in fact started to change. Gentrification is driving up rents which small businesses can no longer afford, and restructuring is pushing large groups of people away from the old urban districts. “Democracy manifests itself in the public space. Minorities have the right to be visible in that public space,” says Sezer. “The fact that certain urban groups are disappearing raises questions about the open, democratic and inclusive character of the city.”
For her research, Sezer focused in particular on a street inside (Javastraat) and outside (Burgemeester de Vlugtlaan) the ring road. She mapped out demographic trends and the type of residents who lived there in the period between 2007 and 2016. Her research shows that the number of immigrant facilities fell sharply during that time. This was partly due to the exploding housing market in Amsterdam, which pushed property prices to record highs. In Javastraat especially, gentrification led to the displacement of groups of people who were less well off. But that is not the only reason behind the ‘dispersion’. Sezer observes that public space is also increasingly becoming a marketing tool for cities, to attract tourists, expats and higher income groups. Urban renewal and public housing policies have also changed tack, from ‘building for the neighbourhood’ to market-oriented strategies. “The label ‘migrant neighbourhood’ does not fit that picture. It does not attract people.”
Where are the former residents and shopkeepers now? Many of them moved to Amsterdam-West or Zaandam. According to Sezer’s research, they generally didn’t have a choice. Interviews that Sezer had with affected shopkeepers revealed that they rarely, if ever, had a say in major spatial changes that occurred in their neighbourhood.
Policymakers of the future
Strangely enough, she observes, this “erosion of democratic public space” is scarcely addressed in urban development and planning literature. Yet her research demonstrates that it is possible to make this very clear, by studying spatial and social changes in urban districts. It can also provide an insight into the relationship with urban trends and policy.
All the more reason to do something about it, she says. As far as she is concerned, prospective architects and urban planners should be made aware of the fact that public space is an indicator of the state of democracy during their studies. “They are the policymakers of the future.” Today’s decision-makers are taking on radical neighbourhood transformation projects despite having only a cursory understanding of the organisation of the public space, she argues. “Urban groups with different social, cultural and economic backgrounds feel welcome in a public space that is diverse. You have to be mindful of that.”