An update on our research for the City of Amsterdam. Together with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and lyongo architecture, we are conducting research focused on social cohesion and creating livable spaces in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam Zuidoost. The first part of the research is now complete.

We selected two neighborhoods as case studies. The project team has started in Venserpolder with the research. The first part of the research covered a survey filled in by 131 residents about the use of shared spaces The team also conducted interviews with 30 community members to get a more in-depth understanding.

Responses of the residents

The team spoke with a wide range of residents of Venserpolder’s typical 5-floors high housing blocks, consisting of so-called portiekwoningen. Some had lived there for more than a decade, while others moved in less than five years ago. The group included both people with a migration background and those without. An interesting subgroup is formed by people who report a lot of interethnic contact – more than half of the people whom they have contact with have another ethnic background than themselves – and who state to see the ethnic diversity in the neighborhood as enriching. We call this group the connectors. And indeed, they fulfill this role. About two-third report having pleasant interactions with neighbors in shared spaces within the block such as entrance halls and in their shared staircase leading up to the apartments.

However, contrary to what would be expected, when it comes to encounters in the street and in the inner courtyard the connectors do not play this role. The way the streets and inner courtyards are designed, people experience them as anonymous and also as less safe. It seems that how the shared space is currently designed, it is more likely to prevent the encounter rather than to stimulate it. Telling is that social interactions that take place between residents are almost exclusively initiated by residents themselves, mostly with their neighbors in the staircases, not motivated by the public spaces that were designed to facilitate neighborhood encounters.

Sharing the results

Mid-April, we presented our outcomes of Venserpolder to several housing corporations and the City of Amsterdam. For them these first results were very insightful. For example, one housing corporation is developing a new neighborhood center, and another is creating a community garden. The question, however, is if these interventions will solve the structural problems in the urban design of the neighborhood. We, for instance, noted that more people report having social interactions on the way to the metro station than in the inner courtyards that are designed to facilitate this.

What’s next?

This research is not aimed at concrete improvements in the neighborhoods of the case studies. The goal is to gather insights into what works (or doesn’t work) when it comes to creating livable neighborhoods. Lyongo architecture is involved to do spatial analyses of the results and the VU for the sociological part of the research. The project team is currently analyzing all of the findings from Venserpolder. At the same time, they are starting our research in the second neighborhood: the high-rise of the K-neighborhood called the K-towers. Here they will also engage directly with residents to better understand their experiences and needs.

In the coming months, we will process and synthesize the results from both neighborhoods into a report. This report will help the municipality shape future urban developments or existing neighborhoods. Once complete, the findings will be published on our website.