Dienst Wonen: a new political wind is blowing

Since my article about this bureaucratic Amsterdam city organization a couple of years ago, I lot has changed in Amsterdam. After decades of socialist ruling, now VVD and D66 are the new rulers in town. This has led to a whole new approach to things. From semi-communism to "everything must be possible". Shops open 24/7 and bars open till 8 AM. Business intrests prevail over citizens intrests. Especially the bar owners and their lobby groups have quite a say in Amsterdams politics, and have been able to close one on one agreements (convenant) with the city counsel, leaving out the other stakeholders, like e.g. the people living in the neighborhood. Investment in real estate is now much more attractive. In a new article I will go into these things in more detail next time.