How Amsterdam Built A Dystopia
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- Опубліковано 21 гру 2023
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Disclaimer:
The retro English voices are AI generated.
Sources:
docs.google.com/document/d/1Y...
Thank you to GŁOWA for the intro and outro song (Fall): / _glowa_
Thank you Wies de Wit, Lars Verheul, Andreas Durr, and Somil Jangra.
Special thanks to the Bijlmermuseum and the Stadsarchief.
Images via Getty,
Music from Epidemic Sound,
Map source by MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors via Geolayers 3,
This video uses footage licensed by Getty Images
The retro English voices are ai generated. The quote from the mayor is also ai generated. The rest of the Dutch retro voices are not*
I do remember that one time i woke in the morning and thought, "Damn, why doesn't everyone live in massive concrete prison complexes?"
Seperation of zoning almost always leads to disaster. Basically all well designed living spaces mix commercial and residential areas. The Bijlmer is now a much better neighborhood, and that's exactly what they did, they added commercial activities everywhere. You needs shops, bars and restaurants if you want a livable space. The high rise itself is not even the big issue here, it's the fact that these high-rises are completely seperated from commercial activity.
It seems urban planners consistently miss the value of being able to walk to restaurants, shops, cafes, pharmacies, gyms and other facilities. Good transport links to work areas and large shopping centres are great, but being able to simply walk 5 mins to get most of your day to day needs is also such a great thing to have.
I've lived in the Bijlmer for over 5 years now and honestly it's amazing. I know it used to be bad, and it still has a reputation, but these days that just means they still have the most affordable prices in Amsterdam, and for the largest apartments at that. I can walk 5 minutes to get to a grocery store, pharmacy, GP, Gym, a Metro that takes me directly to the center of Amsterdam in less than half an hour, and I'm surrounded by nature (and limited/calm car traffic on the sparse roads). All my neighbors are either elderly, students or nice immigrant families and even though there isn't much neighborhood cohesion in my experience, people still greet each other when walking their dog or just passing each other in the hallways :)
I live in Bijlmer right now and the place has improved a lot in comparison with past decades. It's such a nice place to live for young families.
One of the saddest stories in my family history - my uncle sold his beautiful old appartment in Amsterdam's city center to move to a fancy new Bijlmermeer appartment in ca. 1974. He fell for the idealistic concept and lost tons of money/value from it. I cannot imagine how much his previous place would be worth today.
I'm in love with how the voice telling us about the promising Bijlmer, turns on it about halfway through. Really well done.
We had (and still have) neighbourhoods like this all over Eastern Europe. Though they are stigmatized somewhat as "low income" the infrastructure always was and still is phenomenal in every regard (stores, community centers, restaurants, schools, even local hospitals, my neighourhood even having a college) and this makes them still desirable. Worth mentioning that the infrasturcture was very deliberate by the planners, it wasn't an afterthought.
I live just past the Bijlmer and can say that the area has changed a lot. This video shows it at it's worst - but a large number of the flats have since been removed and the entire area has been rebuilt. Right now there are several areas that still being built up and it is quite a pleasant place these days. :)
I appreciate the aesthetic choice of using AI voices. It makes the turn at
dude these graphics are absolutely beautiful. wow. good coverage of the subject in the title. cant wait to see more of your videos (im less than 10 min in to this one)
I grew up in former USSR. Huge share of people there lived in high rises build in 70-80 and many do still prefer it. I think those neighborhoods were very well designed and some of it was simmilar to Bijlmer but many things differ:
1:00
I’ve been following your channel since the beginning and your production keeps getting better. The Secret Base/Summoning Salt style synth music is nice. The AI voice was also a nice touch. Great video!
I lived in one of the original blocks 2017-2018, Kleiburg Klust - this video perfectly sums up everything I was told about the place when I lived there, the funny looks I would get when I told colleagues I loved it! After the Biljmerramp, the plane crash, this area went through huge renewal. The neighbourhood I lived in still held a shadow of the stigmas from the times mentioned in this video, but it was a vibrant, beautiful place; I lived in a cultural crossroads. Hundreds of nationalities intermingled and living together. It still had its rough edges, but it was one of the most significant, and I dare say happiest periods of my life. I returned to live in the Netherlands in 2021 because of my experiences in the Bijlmer, not in spite of them!
Fun fact:... I study urban planning in a new building called "Jakoba Mulder House". After looking up more information about this woman (Jakoba Mulder), it turned out that she was also involved in Bijlmermeer. She submitted an alternative plan with far fewer high-rise buildings, but more mid- and low-rise buildings. This was because mothers could not keep an eye on their children from the high-rise flats (on a sports field, playground, etc.). That alternative plan unfortunately was discarded, so please let this be a lesson for the future!
I was a child in Amsterdam when this was built. At that time, intelligent people already knew that it would become a ghetto quickly.
👏 Round of applause 👏 from me! KUDOS to you my man. This script was phenomenal I'm sorry you weren't satisfied with it. I'm quite moved and impressed with the delivery of so much information, in such a nicely packaged video. Very nice job good sir. ❤