Sefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Part 1: City Rhythm Research in Amsterdam Zuidoost
The projects presented in this publication will focus on the changing experiences during the pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost by looking at rhythms in urban places, households, or so-called “communities”. They are the graduation projects of 10 sociology students from the University of Amsterdam (Bachelor Research Project). Each student successfully chose an exciting topic relating to a social question in Amsterdam Zuidoost within this project. In total, 13 locations in Amsterdam Zuidoost were included in the students’ work. The publication presents the results in 3 parts; (1) Changing Rhythms of the Youth, Students and Families, (2) Changing Rhythms in Community Spaces, (3) Changing Rhythms of Cultural Institutions and Public Spaces.
By Pinar Sefkatli -
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Part 2: Changing Rhythms of the Youth, Students and Families
35% of residents of Amsterdam Zuidoost are younger than 27 years1. 6.981 are within the elementary school age (4-11 years), 5.761 are of high school age (12-17 years), and 7.416 are in the higher education or the non-compulsory education age group (18-22 years)2. During the Corona pandemic, many regulations were imposed for education, sports activities, recreation spaces and family life, which had implications for the young population and their households. All universities in Amsterdam were closed for almost an entire year, leaving many (international) students in student housing and campuses to take their classes from home, simultaneously limiting their relations with the city where they live. Elementary schools were closed fully for up to a month, high schools for longer, and school events and weekly activities were banned for up to a full year. The closing down of schools and after school activities caused feelings of isolation amongst the younger age groups. The closure of schools also created a tough time for mothers, who had to shift between home education and daily work and home-related tasks. Sports, especially group sports, significant in young people’s lives, were banned. Training and matches were not allowed during the first months of the lockdown, and the situation kept changing throughout the trajectory of the pandemic. This chapter deals with how these changes were visible in the rhythms of the youth, students and families.
By Lucas Lawrence, Roxanne van de Wiel, Chiara Soldi, Marc Mistou KeijserSefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Part 3: Changing Rhythms in Community Spaces
Amsterdam Zuidoost is a city borough with a dense community landscape. There are more than 185 churches, 30 community centres and over 50 community foundations. They serve to bring together different groups of people ranging from the youth to the elderly, organising various activities and events. Furthermore, they function as mediators for the Amsterdam Zuidoost residents, becoming crucial locations to seek advice or information. Due to the Corona pandemic, community gatherings became problematic; during the first lockdown, events, festivals, and meetings with more than 30 people per room were prohibited. Religious services minimally took place, and many participants started practising from home. The closing down of community spaces disrupted the rhythms of communities as well. Coming together weekly, monthly, or yearly was missed by many and had a significant impact on the residents’ daily lives as well. At the same time, the change these places have acquired could also be a way to understand other difficulties that the Amsterdam Zuidoost residents went through, such as economic or family issues. The projects presented in this chapter explore such changes by focusing on a church, a weekly eating service at a community centre, and a local foundation that started functioning as a foodbank during the pandemic.
By Jake Warren, Elia Calderazzi, Britt BrilmanSefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Part 4: Changing Rhythms of Cultural Institutions and Public Spaces
As in many places, Amsterdam’s cultural and commercial places have faced significant difficulties. The museums, concert halls, theatres, cinemas and museums were closed during most of the lockdown, and even when they were open, they were imposed many rules, such as having a limited number of guests or closing very early. On the other hand, shops considered ‘non-essential’, meaning any shop that does not provide food or life-sustaining services (pharmacies and drugstores), were closed during the first phase of the lockdown. In Amsterdam Zuidoost, the COVID-19 regulations had a huge impact as well. As a city borough whose cultural landscape is rapidly developing1, the closing down of the cultural spaces had meant precarity for many organisations, artist networks, and those working in the cultural sector. Furthermore, as a city borough whose economy is mainly based on small businesses, the closing down of the main city functions brought failures to many. It created a less vibrant environment for the residents, with fewer places to visit and activities to carry out. Nevertheless, both cultural institutions and commercial spaces made many efforts to maintain their rhythms, making some as much as possible online, or scaling down the exhibitions and events. This chapter brings the focus to 5 places for exploring the change of rhythm they faced and why it is essential for the cultural and commercial rhythms to survive.
By Hanneline Mjåland, Claire van den Broek, Anke KroghSefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Part 5: Reflections on the Research
This publication presented ten graduation projects from the sociology program of the University of Amsterdam. The projects explored (1) Rhythms of the Youth, Students and Families, (2) Rhythms in Community Spaces, and (3) Rhythms of Cultural Institutions and Public Spaces in the Amsterdam Zuidoost city borough. Next to that of the students, the publication involves the hard work of the supervisors and civil servants. The results were highly appreciated by the local municipality of Amsterdam Zuidoost, which motivated preparing this publication. From an academic perspective, the projects offered new research avenues by applying the perspective of rhythms, both methodologically and theoretically. The students and civil servants mentioned that such a perspective changed their approach to understanding and analysing what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it can be suggested that results contributed to sociological research methods and policy making. We reflect on the process in the final chapter and thank the program participants.
Sefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Foreword and Contents
In the lockdown regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social structures trembled, and the use of public space changed significantly. The changing rhythms of social life have had a profound impact on living together with family, friends, colleagues and the communities we are part of. This publication shows that rhythm as a lens on changing social dynamics in times of lockdown offers valuable insight for future policymaking and urban design.
Foreword by Prof. dr. Caroline NevejanSefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Full Publication | Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost
Rhythms are part of many aspects of urban life. The cities are organised and characterised by the day and night, seasons, work/school days and weekends, holidays, weekly markets, rush hours, lunchtimes, and many more.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city rhythms were disturbed. For the spread of an airborne disease, the main characteristics of rhythms, bringing people together in space and time in different periodicities and durations, have been problematic. While the lockdown can be seen as an intervention in the city rhythms, it did not recognise the rhythmic quality of urban life. It demanded many daily activities to be on hold, spread out, scaled down and controlled, affecting family life, different forms of communities, public spaces and work and school environments, as well as the mobility and movement of people within neighbourhoods, cities, and countries. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic social consequences, leaving many unemployed, increasing loneliness, and creating difficulties within households.
How did such changes in rhythms affect the daily experiences of people? Which rhythms are we talking about anyway when we mention this, and how can we study them? Perhaps the pandemic, the lockdown, and how the virus affected all of us can teach us something new about the essential rhythms in our lives.Sefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.
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Print Version | Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost
Made to be printed on A4 page, both sides.
Sefkatli, Pinar, ed. 2022. Changing Rhythms During the Pandemic in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Amsterdam: Designing Rhythms for Social Resilience, University of Amsterdam.