Bijlmermeer
Encyclopedia
The Bijlmermeer or colloquially Bijlmer ([bɛilmər]) is one of the neighbourhoods that form the Amsterdam Zuidoost
('Amsterdam South-East') borough (or "stadsdeel") of Amsterdam
, Netherlands. To many people, the Bijlmer designation is used to refer to Amsterdam Zuidoost and Diemen Zuid as a pars pro toto
. The other neighbourhoods in Amsterdam Zuidoost are Gaasperdam
, Bullewijk, Venserpolder and Driemond
.
The Bijlmermeer neighbourhood, which today houses almost 100,000 people of over 150 nationalities, was designed as a single project. The original neighbourhood was designed as a series of nearly identical high-rise buildings laid out in a hexagonal grid. The apartments were meant to attract a suburban set, rather like condominium
housing. The buildings have several features that distinguish them from traditional Dutch high-rise flats, such as tubular walkways connecting the flats and garages. The blocks are separated by large green areas planted with grass and trees. Each flat has its own garages where cars can be parked.
The Bijlmer was designed with two levels of traffic. Cars drive on the top level, the decks of which fly over the lower level's pedestrian avenues and bicycle path
s. This separation of fast and slow moving traffic is beneficial to traffic safety. However, in recent years, the roads are once again being flattened, so pedestrians, cycles and cars travel alongside each other. This is a move to lessen the effects of the 'inhuman' scale of some of the Bijlmer's designs. It is felt a direct line of sight will also improve safety from mugger
s.
Because of the Bijlmer's periferal position relative to the city centre, it was decided a metro
line was to be built towards the Bijlmer. The Oostlijn (east line, actually two lines later numbered 53 and 54) links the Bijlmer to the Central Station of Amsterdam, while the Ringlijn links it with the port area at Sloterdijk
.
's independence in 1975, many of its inhabitants migrated to the Netherlands. The government placed these immigrants in affordable social housing in the Bijlmermeer.
The neighbourhood quickly gained a reputation for being a "black" part of town. The relatively low incomes and social status of its inhabitants made for a problematic mix with the area's large scale buildings, which afforded little social control
. It used to have a relatively high crime rate, but this has decreased dramatically in recent years; the number of registered complaints to the police decreased from 20,000 in 1995 (2,000 of which were robberies) to 8,000 (600 robberies) in 2005. The latter figure may be underreported due to the presence of illegal immigrants
who are afraid to report crimes to the police.
As people came and went, cheap social housing remained a central fixture of the area, attracting more immigrants. As a result, the Bijlmer lost its desirability to conservative middle class families. The Bijlmer has always been host to many different ethnicities simultaneously. Throughout the years, claims of rising social segregation
or ghetto
ization have been both denied, and pre-empted by local government.
Due to its relative low cost housing, it has also been an attractive place to settle for avant garde artists and other city escapees.
crashed into two Bijlmermeer buildings in 1992 (the incident was known as the Bijlmer disaster Bijlmerramp), it was decided that the neighbourhood needed some further change. In recent years, many of the high rise buildings are being renovated or torn down. More expensive low-rise housing is being built, to attract more middle- and high-income residents. This resulted in significant reduction in crime and more balanced socio-economic composition, whilst at the same time maintaining the area's ethnic mix.
's ArenA
football stadium, which hosts football matches and musical concerts, the Pathé ArenA multiplex cinema
with 14 screens, the Heineken Music Hall
and music and theatres, located in the business park area of Amsterdam Zuidoost, just to the west of the Bijlmer. The recreational strip is called the ArenA Boulevard. The strip mostly hosts concerts, with a very small number of bars and no night clubs. It has not been able to compete with Amsterdam's city centre for the casual Saturday night crowd.
The Bijlmer boasts Amsterdam's biggest shopping centre, the "Amsterdamse Poort
", though Amsterdam's city centre remains the largest shopping area. Alongside the shopping centre, the "Anton de Kom
plein" (square) is completed, it houses a cultural centre and the borough administrative offices ("stadsdeelkantoor").
The annual Kwakoe Festival is a six-weekend long, free, multicultural festival during the summer, with Surinam, Antillian and African food, music and other events.
Amsterdam Zuidoost
Amsterdam-Zuidoost is one of fifteen boroughs of the city of Amsterdam. It consists of four residential areas—Bijlmermeer, Venserpolder, Gaasperdam and Driemond—as well as the Amstel III/Bullewijk Business Park and the ArenA Boulevard area.Amsterdam-Zuidoost has approximately 86,000...
('Amsterdam South-East') borough (or "stadsdeel") of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands. To many people, the Bijlmer designation is used to refer to Amsterdam Zuidoost and Diemen Zuid as a pars pro toto
Pars pro toto
Pars pro toto is Latin for "a part for the whole" where the name of a portion of an object or concept represents the entire object or context....
. The other neighbourhoods in Amsterdam Zuidoost are Gaasperdam
Gaasperdam
Gaasperdam is a neighborhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands....
, Bullewijk, Venserpolder and Driemond
Driemond
Driemond is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 11 km west of Bussum....
.
The Bijlmermeer neighbourhood, which today houses almost 100,000 people of over 150 nationalities, was designed as a single project. The original neighbourhood was designed as a series of nearly identical high-rise buildings laid out in a hexagonal grid. The apartments were meant to attract a suburban set, rather like condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
housing. The buildings have several features that distinguish them from traditional Dutch high-rise flats, such as tubular walkways connecting the flats and garages. The blocks are separated by large green areas planted with grass and trees. Each flat has its own garages where cars can be parked.
The Bijlmer was designed with two levels of traffic. Cars drive on the top level, the decks of which fly over the lower level's pedestrian avenues and bicycle path
Bicycle Path
Bicycle Path is a historic road in Central Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, built in the late 19th Century in order to capitalize on the bicycle craze of that period...
s. This separation of fast and slow moving traffic is beneficial to traffic safety. However, in recent years, the roads are once again being flattened, so pedestrians, cycles and cars travel alongside each other. This is a move to lessen the effects of the 'inhuman' scale of some of the Bijlmer's designs. It is felt a direct line of sight will also improve safety from mugger
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
s.
Because of the Bijlmer's periferal position relative to the city centre, it was decided a metro
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
line was to be built towards the Bijlmer. The Oostlijn (east line, actually two lines later numbered 53 and 54) links the Bijlmer to the Central Station of Amsterdam, while the Ringlijn links it with the port area at Sloterdijk
Sloterdijk (Amsterdam)
Sloterdijk is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 3 km northwest of the city centre...
.
Bijlmermeer in trouble
Bijlmermeer was built for success, but until recently it struggled to attract many middle class families. Reasons for this can be found in numerous areas. First, following SurinameSuriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
's independence in 1975, many of its inhabitants migrated to the Netherlands. The government placed these immigrants in affordable social housing in the Bijlmermeer.
The neighbourhood quickly gained a reputation for being a "black" part of town. The relatively low incomes and social status of its inhabitants made for a problematic mix with the area's large scale buildings, which afforded little social control
Social control
Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control...
. It used to have a relatively high crime rate, but this has decreased dramatically in recent years; the number of registered complaints to the police decreased from 20,000 in 1995 (2,000 of which were robberies) to 8,000 (600 robberies) in 2005. The latter figure may be underreported due to the presence of illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
who are afraid to report crimes to the police.
As people came and went, cheap social housing remained a central fixture of the area, attracting more immigrants. As a result, the Bijlmer lost its desirability to conservative middle class families. The Bijlmer has always been host to many different ethnicities simultaneously. Throughout the years, claims of rising social segregation
Geographical segregation
Geographical segregation exists whenever the proportions of population rates of two or more populations are not homogenous throughout a defined space...
or ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
ization have been both denied, and pre-empted by local government.
Due to its relative low cost housing, it has also been an attractive place to settle for avant garde artists and other city escapees.
Urban renewal
After El Al Flight 1862El Al Flight 1862
On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo plane of the Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For the location in the Bijlmermeer, the crash is known in Dutch as the "Bijlmerramp"...
crashed into two Bijlmermeer buildings in 1992 (the incident was known as the Bijlmer disaster Bijlmerramp), it was decided that the neighbourhood needed some further change. In recent years, many of the high rise buildings are being renovated or torn down. More expensive low-rise housing is being built, to attract more middle- and high-income residents. This resulted in significant reduction in crime and more balanced socio-economic composition, whilst at the same time maintaining the area's ethnic mix.
Events and sights
Amsterdam Zuidoost is host to Ajax AmsterdamAjax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
's ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
football stadium, which hosts football matches and musical concerts, the Pathé ArenA multiplex cinema
Movie theaters in the Netherlands
There are ca. 132 movie theaters and 31 arthouse cinemas in the Netherlands in 2009, with ca. 675 screens , in addition to 79 small arthouse cinemas and a number of adult movie theaters....
with 14 screens, the Heineken Music Hall
Heineken Music Hall
Heineken Music Hall is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, near the Amsterdam ArenA .The big hall is used for concerts, has a capacity of 5500 and is 3000 m²...
and music and theatres, located in the business park area of Amsterdam Zuidoost, just to the west of the Bijlmer. The recreational strip is called the ArenA Boulevard. The strip mostly hosts concerts, with a very small number of bars and no night clubs. It has not been able to compete with Amsterdam's city centre for the casual Saturday night crowd.
The Bijlmer boasts Amsterdam's biggest shopping centre, the "Amsterdamse Poort
Amsterdamse Poort (shopping centre)
The Amsterdamse Poort is a shopping centre in the Amsterdam borough Amsterdam Zuidoost stadsdeel. It was opened in 1987.This shopping centre is the largest in Amsterdam. It is located near the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station and the ArenA Boulevard...
", though Amsterdam's city centre remains the largest shopping area. Alongside the shopping centre, the "Anton de Kom
Anton de Kom
Cornelis Gerard Anton de Kom was a Surinamese resistance fighter and anti-colonialist author.-Biography:...
plein" (square) is completed, it houses a cultural centre and the borough administrative offices ("stadsdeelkantoor").
The annual Kwakoe Festival is a six-weekend long, free, multicultural festival during the summer, with Surinam, Antillian and African food, music and other events.
See also
- Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway stationAmsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway stationAmsterdam Bijlmer ArenA is a railway station in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of the Amsterdam Zuidoost stadsdeel of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The station has five platforms and eight tracks; two for the Amsterdam Metro and six train tracks, along with a bus station.-History:Originally opened...