Creative industries in the Amsterdam Red Light District: Do creative industries contribute to the remaking of a remarkable area? Thesis Group: Amsterdam Canal District Assignment: Master thesis Professor: Dr. prof. Robert Kloosterman Second Reader: Dr. prof Sako Musterd Student: Jop Pék Student number: 6114776 Student email: [email protected] Student phone number: +31 660499294 Jop Pék – University of Amsterdam - Master thesis Economic Geography 2015-2016 Abstract In the last years the potential of the creative industry for stimulating gentrification processes and economic growth is widely recognized. This has led to changes in urban policies, governments focus more on the attraction of creative industries in depilated neighbourhoods. This is also the case in the Amsterdam Red Light District. The oldest part of Amsterdam is, according to the municipality of Amsterdam, an area in a very poor shape. Therefore, the municipality wants to achieve a transformation of the area by introducing ‘Project 1012’. One of the instruments of achieving this transformation is using creative industries to achieve gentrification. Using qualitative methods, the aim of this research is to analyse to what extend the creative industries contribute to the instigated remaking of the municipality of Amsterdam. Semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations are used to find answers to this question. The results show that the municipality of Amsterdam tries to achieve the transformation true different kinds of policies on different levels. Regarding the creative actors, they are visible in the area and have a positive contribution on the transformation of the Amsterdam Red Light District. Keywords: ‘creative industry’, ‘creative class’, ‘creative actor’ ‘gentrification’, ‘liveability’, ‘project 1012’, ‘Amsterdam Red Light District’ 2 Jop Pék – University of Amsterdam - Master thesis Economic Geography 2015-2016 Preface As I was born and raised in Amsterdam my affection with the city is enormous. I started my studies Human Geography and Urban Planning at the University of Amsterdam. Because of several reasons I didn’t finished this bachelor, but I kept my interest in Human Geography. After I graduated at the ‘Vrije Universiteit’ in Political Science the choice for a Master degree in Human Geography was an obvious one for me. Since I have a background in Political Science implications of policy on urban (economic) developments is one of my interest. The project ‘1012’ gained my attention three years ago when I spoke to an acquaintance who owns a business in the Amsterdam Red Light District. Ever since I try to keep up with the news on this project and see this as a great opportunity to do research on this topic in this remarkable area. Jop Pék, August 2016 3 Jop Pék – University of Amsterdam - Master thesis Economic Geography 2015-2016 Inhoudsopgave ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................... 2 PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 6 FOCUS .................................................................................................................................................................... 7 READING GUIDE ................................................................................................................................................... 8 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................. 9 CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ....................................................................................................................................... 9 CREATIVE CLASS ............................................................................................................................................... 12 GENTRIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................. 13 HERITAGE .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................... 19 MAIN QUESTION ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Sub question 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Sub question 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Sub question 3 .............................................................................................................................................. 21 4. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 22 INTERVIEWS ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 INTERVIEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................... 24 ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS ................................................................................................................... 25 OPERATIONALIZATION ................................................................................................................................... 27 Quality of place ............................................................................................................................................ 28 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY AND ETHICAL ASPECTS ................................................................................. 29 5. CASE DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................. 30 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 30 PROJECT 1012 ................................................................................................................................................. 31 STRATEGIENOTA 2009 .................................................................................................................................. 33 OUDEKERKSPLEIN - FUTURE PERSPECTIVE ON THE AREA ....................................................................... 35 Introduction Oudekerksplein ................................................................................................................. 35 Policy ................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Policy reassessed ......................................................................................................................................... 37 6. RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 38 GENTRIFICATION POLICIES ............................................................................................................................ 38 PREVIOUS SITUATION OF THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT ................................................................................ 38 CREATIVE INDUSTRIES BEING STIMULATED BY POLICY ............................................................................ 48 CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT ............................. 52 Statistical data ............................................................................................................................................. 52 Empirical data ............................................................................................................................................. 56 CREATIVE INDUSTRY ....................................................................................................................................... 59 RESULTS OF THE PROJECT .............................................................................................................................. 61 7. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 63 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................... 66 4 Jop Pék – University of Amsterdam - Master thesis Economic Geography 2015-2016 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................. 67 Internet resources: ..................................................................................................................................... 70 Photo resources (Front page photograph) ...................................................................................... 70 APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................................