North/South line

‘It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand wholes by focusing on parts, yet it is possible to understand the parts by seeing the connections of the whole’ (Charles Landry, 2006)

Last couple of years North/South line is an unavoidable phrase in the public discourse of Amsterdam. It dominated the atmosphere during the local elections last March and it became one of the main debates.

The North/South line is nothing more that an ordinary metro line which will connect the quiet, almost rural North Amsterdam with the dynamic business centre in the South, passing beneath the historical and aesthetical highlights of the city centre. A metro that needs to give Amsterdam the allure of a metropolis and prove that Amsterdam can still be mentioned between the names as Berlin, London and Paris. Nevertheless, the fundaments of Amsterdam are quite different to the other cities and the threats for the cultural heritage of the city are much higher. The subsidence of the soil threatens historical building and forces the inhabitants to leave their residences.

Despite all the inconveniences and the rising commotion around this project, there is still the conviction that the metro is the indisputable step in the city development. Not a strange reasoning, nor an easy one to digest for an average citizen of Amsterdam.

The public support is slowly melting down. The question arose if the metro is really that indispensable for the future of Amsterdam. Are the sufferings seriously worth it? There seems to be a misbalance between profits and losses. Nobody seems to know what the right statement should be, nor who is representing it. There is confusion and ignorance, elements which are feeding the feeling of insecurity and scariness. Feelings that inspire a conservative attitude and the tendency to keep things the way they were. Rather no progress than incomprehensible changes. Making a choice in those restless times seems so random. There seems no directions, no signs, no vision. There is just the burden called North/South line.

Nevertheless, the metro is definitely the next step in the development of Amsterdam. But, the crucial thing is to comprehend that this project is just a part of a bigger story Amsterdam needs to tell. The question that should be raised is: what is the roll of North/South line in the bigger vision of Amsterdam?

Unfortunately, the policy makers seem not to be aware of this question, nor of the story they want to tell. The vision seems not clear for the moment. At least not for the ordinary citizen. The increasing resistance is the result of the unclear visions. While the vision should be the story that encloses the dreams, wishes and possibilities of Amsterdam and its citizens. Only by making the vision lucid, the Amsterdamers could become conscious of the value of this challenging project called North/South line.
TB