Author: Sacha van Beelen.
Different Kinds of Green
Expressions of Inclusive, Participatory Planning within Processes of Free Space Contestation
The transition to sustainable energy sources requires large-scale infrastructure development that threatens the existence of cultural free spaces in Amsterdam. Paradoxically, while both top-down interventions and bottom-up initiatives are considered sustainable by the city government, land claims by energy corporations are exacerbating tensions with the creative scene of de Verademing, calling for a critical study on municipal policymaking.
This research therefore explores methods and theories on inclusive, participatory coproduction to study how principles of samen stad maken (making the city together), presented as one of the ‘five strategic choices’ in the Omgevingsvisie 2050 (Comprehensive Vision Amsterdam 2050), are expressed within processes of land (and value) contestations. A municipal internship at Expeditie Vrije Ruimte provides in-depth situational experiences and observations on these urban planning processes, which are accompanied by interviews with free space creatives and sympathizers, civil servants, and energy corporation representatives. Through these rich qualitative methods, valuable insights into a variety of experiences regarding participatory urban planning in Amsterdam are acquired and analyzed. It is concluded that the initial decision-making process hampered expressions of inclusivity, transparency, facilitation, local value creation and collective knowledge, but that the resulting shortcomings were mitigated by planning efforts of the neighborhood and Verademing, as well as facilitation by de Expeditie. The topical and current case study evaluates the viability of realizing, nurturing and empowering free spaces within a wider system of entrepreneurial, post-political urban development. By critically examining municipal accountability, policy recommendations are made and avenues for further research are considered.