Amsterdam

Amsterdam is known for its residential vision of “the mixed city” (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2018). One of the factors described in the process of studentification is the “demographic structure of the population,” which describes that the population of a certain area can change with the arrival of students. The city of Amsterdam wants to respond specifically to this factor, because it goes hand in hand with the goal of realizing a “mixed city.” Students should live spread across the city:

Young people belong to a diverse target group. The students form a subgroup of this.

The housing associations are an important partner in the housing of these target groups.

The cooperation agreements with housing associations are partly aimed at a fair distribution of the housing supply and a balanced distribution in the city and the maintenance or expansion of social rental housing. (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2021) This vision is in line with a part of the Student Housing Agreement (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2019b), which states that the city of Amsterdam strives for inclusiveness such that everyone, regardless of age and income, should be able to live in every part of the city, including students. In addition, spreading student housing across the city ensures that “excessive (re)construction dynamics do not further put pressure on quality of life” (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2022). Another form of social mixing that has become very popular in Amsterdam in recent years is housing concepts that house students and vulnerable groups, which contributes to the mixed city. In the future, the municipality of Amsterdam plans to realize an “age-different living” pilot in order to ensure even more mixing in the city (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2019b).

With regard to the location of student housing, it is important that locations are strategically chosen. The location should be close to a public transport node (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2019a). Location is also considered an important element within the Structural Vision of Amsterdam:

The aim is to make the area more accessible by public transport by providing good after-transport from the metro and train stops in the form of local buses, the public

cars. In the longer term, these connections can be extended over or under the A2 so that a connection is sought with the Amstelscheg. (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2011) Housing associations are already responding to this municipal vision by building near public transport (Interview 2, housing association). However, respondent 2 shared that this goal creates a dilemma in combination with the vision to spread students across the city:

And then you can ask yourself: should the students always live in the most convenient place to public transport connections, or should you ensure that your students are spread out throughout the city, because they are often good organizers, because it provides liveliness for activity. The Housing Concepts Department is considering going for the second option. (Interview 2, housing association)

It is important to note here is that the municipality’s urban plans specify where students are allowed to live (Interview 1, local government). Thus, it is not always possible to respond to factors such as proximity to public transport.

The same goes for safety. According to some respondents, it is primarily temporary student housing locations that are not sufficiently safe. In Amsterdam, for example, various temporary student complexes were built in unsafe neighborhoods. According to the municipality representative, this location issue creates many complex problems between all parties involved (Interview 1, local government). One respondent was particularly frustrated about the location allocation of temporary housing. He named several locations that were described by the municipality as spacious and green, but ultimately turned out to be “junk,” as the areas were mostly unsafe (Interview, 2, housing association).

Higher education institutions feel responsible for the safety of their students in student housing (Interview 6, higher education institution). Because of this clear demand for safety, the local government will tackle the problem of insecurity around temporary student housing by using certain steps through a fleet review in future development plans (Interview 1, local government).

Student participation for social cohesion

Various respondents mentioned the willingness of students to engage in social participation in neighborhoods.

Recently, research was done by the Verwey-Jonker Institute and it emerged that young people are willing to do voluntary work in the neighborhood. They do not do that much

yet, but we would very much like to mobilize that more. Then you start that positive interaction between students and local residents. (Interview 2, housing association) Such participation could be a potential new element of student housing policy within housing associations in the long run. One respondent described an:

There [in the area concerned] there has now been large-scale urban renewal. There was a lot of poverty and the buildings were also outdated. They started renting out to students according to the Vacancy Act. Students received a discount on their rent and in return they provided homework assistance to children in the neighborhood or other volunteer work. They really did their best to let those students add something to the area. (Interview 5, housing association)

Although this specific project was not implemented by a housing association, such projects are being considered according to this respondent. There is a growing focus on social cohesion within neighborhoods where student housing is being realized. In addition, the involvement of the neighborhood in the realization of student housing is something that housing associations seek on the basis of advice from the municipality (Interview 2, housing association). A specific example of a student complex that was built a few years ago was mentioned:

Residents were against it, feared nuisance and felt unheard. Finally, we talked a lot with the residents and it was decided that an extra manager will be appointed who will visit that complex more often. Furthermore, we ensured that the bicycle parking space is placed in the plinth of the building. This way, some of those concerns have been taken away from the residents. (Interview 2, housing association)

The example demonstrates that before students even settle in student complexes, the parties involved (in this case, the housing association) are already working on preventing any nuisance that residents may experience.

Social and economic impulse of students

One of the higher education institution representatives mentioned the social impulse that students offer to a certain area. As an example, the respondent mentioned that in the past educational buildings had to be restored. Because they were monumental buildings, the restoration would take a long time. To prevent the educational buildings from being vacated, the institution engaged a housing association to temporarily accommodate students. According

increase liveliness in the neighborhood” (Interview 6, higher education institution). Student housing in this specific case was used as a social impulse for the neighborhood.

The impulse that student housing creates for neighborhoods goes hand in hand with the idea of urban renewal through student housing, as described in the Coalition Agreement of Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2022). Temporary student housing is used as a means to gradually bring about urban renewal (Interview 2, housing association). One respondent noted that temporary student buildings are frequently placed in urban areas that are still under development (Interview 3, housing association). According to this respondent, the expectation of the municipality is that placing students in this area will attract leisure and retail services through supply and demand principles. One respondent from a higher education institution disagreed:

It's not just about living; students also need to have facilities. This of course applies to any target group, but the distance to facilities is simply important. So how far is it to walk to a supermarket? How far is it to the shops? (Interview 6, higher education institute)

For this reason, housing associations and higher education institutions take the available facilities into account in advance when choosing a location to build on.