In an attempt to force out organized crime and bring in a better class of tourist, the local government has forced the closure of brothels in the city's famed Red Light District.
Amsterdam's famed brothel lined streets in the city's Red Light District are under threat from an effort by the city to gentrify the area with upscale boutiques and restaurants. Beulah Maud Devaney writes in The Guardian, that the government’s efforts have so far been successful in shutting down 126 of the "windows" where tourists walking the streets could see prostitutes advertising their wares. However, the residents and sex workers of the district aren't happy with the changes imposed by the government.
Under the justification of tackling crime, the government forced brothel owners to sell their leases on this extremely valuable real estate. (All land in Amsterdam is owned by the government and leased to landlords.)…
In April 2015, more than 200 sex workers, led by PIC and PROUD, the Dutch sex workers union, marched through Amsterdam’s city centre to protest at the demonisation of their industry and the closure of the windows. The largest such protest in Dutch history drew public attention to the potential downside of gentrifying the red-light district.
Sex workers in the district believe that the government's effort to crack down on organized crime and human trafficking was just an excuse to force the closure of the brothels and open up valuable real estate. Now many are left without work and feeling the loss of their once vibrant community.
FULL STORY: Amsterdam's sex workers: the unlikely victims of gentrification
Eurostar Temporarily Closing Two High-Speed Rail Routes
Eurostar is temporarily closing routes from London to Disneyland Paris and London to Amsterdam.
Busting Myths About Car-Light Cities
According to one Canadian couple living in Holland, walkable cities and good bike infrastructure aren't just a Dutch anomaly.
A Dutch Evaluation of American Cycling
Warning: This five-minute video may be the most critical evaluation of American cycling conditions you will ever watch. After viewing, you may understand what separates cycling in the U.S. from that in The Netherlands - it's not just infrastructure.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association