The Bijlmermeer (), or colloquially Bijlmer (), is one of the neighbourhoods that form the
Amsterdam-Zuidoost
Amsterdam-Zuidoost (; "Amsterdam-Southeast") is a borough (''stadsdeel'') of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It consists of four residential neighborhoods—Bijlmermeer, Venserpolder, Gaasperdam and Driemond—as well as the Amstel III/Bullewijk B ...
borough (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''stadsdeel'') of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. To many people, the Bijlmer designation is used to refer to Amsterdam Zuidoost as a ''
pars pro toto
''Pars pro toto'' (, ), , is a figure of speech where the name of a ''portion'' of an object, place, or concept is used or taken to represent its entirety. It is distinct from a merism, which is a reference to a whole by an enumeration of parts; ...
''. The other neighbourhoods in Amsterdam Zuidoost are
Gaasperdam
Gaasperdam is a neighborhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = ...
,
Bullewijk
Bullewijk is a neighborhood and business park in the quarter of Amsterdam-Zuidoost (Amsterdam-Southeast), Netherlands. The neighborhood received its name in 1978 and was named after the nearby river of the same name. it was created due to a partia ...
,
Venserpolder
Venserpolder is a neighborhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title ...
and
Driemond
Driemond is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of Amsterdam Zuidoost, a borough in the municipality of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
In 2001, the village of Driemond had 1422 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village ...
.
The Bijlmermeer neighbourhood, which today houses almost 50,000 people of over 150 nationalities, was designed as a single project as part of a then innovative Modernist approach to urban design. Led by architect
Siegfried Nassuth
Georg Siegfried Nassuth (20 July 1922, Pekalongan, Dutch East Indies - 5 April 2005, Amsterdam) was a Dutch architect, best known as the architect of the Bijlmermeer (officially known as Amsterdam Zuidoost).
He attended the Delft University of T ...
and team, the original neighbourhood was designed as a series of nearly identical high-rise buildings laid out in a
hexagon
In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
Regular hexa ...
al grid. The goal was to create open spaces for recreation at grade, elevated roads to reduce pollution and traffic from those same recreation areas, and residences climbing upward offering residents views, clean air, and sunlight. The apartments were meant to attract a suburban population, in the manner of
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
housing. The buildings have several features that distinguish them from traditional Dutch high-rise flats, such as tubular walkways connecting the flats and garages. The blocks are separated by large green areas planted with grass and trees. Each flat has its own garages where cars can be parked.
The Bijlmer was designed with two levels of traffic. Cars drive on the top level, the decks of which fly over the lower levels, pedestrian avenues and
bicycle path
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...
s. This separation of fast and slow moving traffic is conducive to traffic safety. However, in recent years, the roads are once again being put into a single plane, so pedestrians, cycles and cars travel alongside each other. This is a move to lessen the effects of the 'inhuman' scale of some of the Bijlmer's designs and improve safety using direct sightlines.
Because of the Bijlmer's peripheral position relative to the city centre, it was decided that
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
lines would be built connecting the Bijlmer with other neighbourhoods. The ''Oostlijn'' (''east line'', comprising two lines, numbered 53 and 54) links the Bijlmer to the Central Station of Amsterdam, while the ''Ringlijn'' links it with the port area at
Sloterdijk.
Social Issues
Until recently, Bijlmermeer struggled to draw in many middle-class families. Following
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
's independence in 1975, many of its inhabitants migrated to the Netherlands. The government placed a substantial number of them in affordable
social housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
in the Bijlmermeer.
The neighbourhood once had a very high crime rate, but this has decreased dramatically in recent years. The number of registered complaints to the police decreased from 20,000 in 1995 (of which 2,000 were robberies) to 8,000 (of which 600 were robberies) in 2005.
The area has always been home to many different nationalities simultaneously. Throughout the years, claims of rising
social segregation
Geographical segregation exists whenever the proportions of population rates of two or more populations are not homogenous throughout a defined space. Populations can be considered any plant or animal species, human genders, followers of a certain ...
or
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
ization have been both denied and pre-empted by local government.
Urban renewal
After
El Al Flight 1862
On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the then state-owned Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer (colloquially "Bijlmer") neighbourhood (part of Amsterda ...
crashed into two Bijlmermeer buildings in 1992, an incident known as the
Bijlmerramp
On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the then state-owned Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer (colloquially "Bijlmer") neighbourhood (part of Amsterda ...
(Dutch for "Bijlmer Disaster"), it was decided that the neighbourhood needed some further change. In recent years, many of the high rise buildings have been renovated or torn down. More expensive low-rise housing has been built to attract more middle- and upper-income residents. This resulted in significant reduction in crime and a more balanced socio-economic composition, whilst at the same time maintaining the area's ethnic mix. Lately students have discovered the Bijlmer as an affordable place to live compared to the city centre where space is limited and costs of living are high.
Events and sights
Amsterdam Zuidoost is host to
Ajax Amsterdam's ''
ArenA
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
'' football stadium, which hosts football matches and musical concerts, the
Pathé ArenA multiplex cinema with 14 screens, the
Heineken Music Hall
AFAS Live (formerly known as the Heineken Music Hall) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, near the Johan Cruyff Arena. The big hall, named "Black Box" has a capacity of 6,000 and is 3000 m2; a smaller hall for after parties (Beat Box) ha ...
and music and theatres, located in the business park area of Amsterdam Zuidoost, just to the west of the Bijlmer. The recreational strip is called the ArenA Boulevard. The strip mostly hosts concerts, with a very small number of bars and no night clubs. It has not been able to compete with Amsterdam's city centre for the casual Saturday night crowd.
The Bijlmer boasts Amsterdam's biggest shopping centre, the "
Amsterdamse Poort", though Amsterdam's city centre remains the largest shopping area. Alongside the shopping centre, the "
Anton de Kom
Cornelis Gerhard Anton de Kom (22 February 1898 – 24 April 1945) was a Surinamese resistance fighter and anti-colonialist author. He was arrested in Suriname and the protest against his arrest resulted in two deaths. De Kom was subsequently ...
plein" (square) is completed, it houses a cultural centre and the borough administrative offices ("stadsdeelkantoor").
In 2012 the entire area from the
Ziggo Dome
The Ziggo Dome ( or ) is an indoor arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands, located next to the Johan Cruijff ArenA. It is named after the Dutch cable TV provider Ziggo. In 2014, the Ziggo Dome Awards were announced, recognizing artists who performed at ...
in the west, Villa Arena home furnishings mall, the ArenA Boulevard and stadium, and the Amsterdamse Poort started being marketed as "ArenaPoort".
The mixed-use
GETZ Entertainment Centre Getz is a surname. Notable people with this surname include:
* Arthur Getz (1913-1996), American artist and illustrator
*Bernhard Getz (1850–1901), Norwegian judge, professor and politician
*Chris Getz (born 1983), American baseball player
*Eyvi ...
is planned to open on the ArenA Boulevard, including retail, catering industry, leisure, several types of entertainment, a hotel and a culture cluster.
Holland Real Estate Yearbook: assets, Industry Trends, Market Players, M. Dijkman
/ref>
The annual Kwaku Summer Festival is a six-weekend long multicultural festival during the summer, with Surinamese, Antillean and African food, music and other events.
The De Boom Die Alles Zag tree (The Tree That Saw Everything or The Tree That Saw It All) is a notable grey poplar
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
tree and monument located in Bijlmermeer that survived the crash of El Al Flight 1862
On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the then state-owned Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer (colloquially "Bijlmer") neighbourhood (part of Amsterda ...
on 4 October 1992.
Bijlmer art crime scene
The presence of randomly placed art remains a bone of contention for residents of the Bijlmermeer. Artist Arico Caravan placed a small statue of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
next to an existing statue of Anton de Kom. The original statue of Anton de Kom has received considerable criticism for its reproduction of tropes concerning black masculinity. In response to recent interventions by local artists and activist under the hashtag #Bijlmerartcrimescene, a group of local financial institutions have shown interest in addressing the matter.
Notable residents
*Ryan Babel
Ryan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
*Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Australia
* Division of Ryan, an elector ...
, footballer
*Kevin Bobson
Kevin Bobson (born 13 February 1980 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch retired professional Association football, football winger.
Club career
Bobson was part of the famous AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam youth academy. He scored his first goal for Ajax in a UE ...
, footballer
*Remy Bonjasky
Remy Kenneth Bonjasky (born January 10, 1976) is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix heavyweight champion, winning the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008. Bonjasky has been known for his flying kicks, knee atta ...
, kickboxer
*Lucien Carbin
Lucien Carbin (born 7 September 1952) is a Surinamese-Netherlands, Dutch former kickboxer, karateka and trainer. He was the first European Kyokushin, Kyokushin karate champion, a world kickboxing champion and a European Savate and Muay Thai champi ...
, kickboxer
*Mitchell Donald
Mitchell Glenn Donald (born 10 December 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He previously played for AFC Ajax, where he went through the youth program. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Suriname national team. ...
, footballer
*Steve van Dorpel
Steven ("Steve") van Dorpel (13 December 1965 in Amsterdam – 7 June 1989 in Paramaribo) was a Dutch footballer. During his career he played for FC Volendam.
He died at the age of 23, killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764 air crash in Par ...
, footballer
* Akwasi Frimpong, sprinter
* Cerezo Fung-a-Wing, footballer
* Ortwin Linger, footballer
*Javier Martina
Javier Sylvester Martina (born 1 February 1987) is a Curaçaoan-Dutch footballer who plays as a winger for A.V.V. Zeeburgia in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, and for the Curaçao national team.
Club career
Netherlands
Born in Willemstad, Netherla ...
, footballer
*Tyrone Spong
Tyrone Clinton Spong (born 3 September 1985) is a Surinamese-Dutch professional boxer and mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. As a boxer, he held the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight titles in 2018. In kickboxing, he is the former WFCA cr ...
, kickboxer
*Gilbert Yvel
Gilbert Ramon Yvel (born 30 June 1976) is a Dutch professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Yvel competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Affliction, the UFC, Road FC, the RFA, RINGS, M-1 Challenge, Cage ...
, mixed martial artist
*Gloria Wekker
Gloria Daisy Wekker (born June 13, 1950) is an Afro-Surinamese Dutch emeritus professor (Utrecht University) and writer who has focused on gender studies and sexuality in the Afro-Caribbean region and diaspora. She was the winner of the Ruth Bened ...
, academic, writer
* :nl:Mani (rapper), rapper
See also
*Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station
Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA (; abbreviation: Asb), previously named Amsterdam Bijlmer (1971–2006), is a railway station in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of '' stadsdeel'' (borough) Amsterdam-Zuidoost in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The station has fiv ...
* Klushuis
External links
"Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part One) -99% Invisible Podcast"
*
Blood, Sweat & Tears (City of the Future, Part Two) - 99% Invisible Podcast"
"The Development of Amsterdam Southeast", Amsterdam Zuidoost borough government
Footnotes and references
{{Authority control
Former municipalities of North Holland
Neighbourhoods of Amsterdam
Polders of North Holland
Mixed-use developments in the Netherlands
Amsterdam-Zuidoost