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

New Utopian Vista: Wellbeing

The Dutch political party Groenlinks now refers to wellbeing in their election program, making  'Bruto National Happiness' one of the main indicators of a succesful policy. Groenlinks takes this leap following the publication of the 'Stiglitz report' earlier this year.

In january of his year the report by the Stiglitz Commission, commissioned by the French president Sarkozy, came out:  This 'Report on the measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress' also advocates for the need for other measures of economic performance then the good old GDP.

From being an obscure idea, promoted only by a few, the idea of wellbeing and happyness indicators is now gaining popularity and seems to really start having influence on policy. The concept had been floating around in some parts of the European Commission for a while as well, but no clear push on it has come fom that side. Ofcourse, some would say, it has to come from national governments. Well, let's see how far the Netherlands takes this, provided Groenlinks takes part in the government.

Having other measures of performance then GDP seems like a really good idea, and giving happiness some more weight in policy making seems only logical.  As long as we remember that wellbeing indicators and  especially the subjective wellbeing indicators of happiness,  are just a direction for policy. Happiness is nor a clear nor a  fully attainable goal. It would be utopian to think it is.

Utopian City Project

Check out our Utopian City Project; creating visions for Europe...

The Danube Foundation organizes workshops in cities all over Europe to capture the the dreams of young european. These dreams are captured in Utopian Cities created by the workshop participants.

WB

Xenofobia, the new hot thing

A specter is haunting Europe: the specter of Xenofobia. Like many other European countries, the Netherlands have not been able to resist the temptation of creating  'the other' and then seeing it as a threat. The threat to which we can canalize all our fears and frustrations, our real  and imagined socio-economic problems, security problems, identitiy problems and  ideas of marginalisation, our fears. But fears are never imagined, they are real.  We just have to deal with them in the right way. Globalisation, Europeanisation and immigration are intimidating phenomena, how to react and reorganise is not always immediately or entirely clear. But the underbelly feelings are the least constructive and rational reaction and they should not be exploited by our politicians.

I was always really proud of the Netherlands, our free and tolerant country. Where policies where rational, evidence based and progressive. No longer so, I am no longer proud. I am ashamed. Maybe tolerance, which is firmly based in our culture and allowed the protestants and catholics to live side by side, in spite of their radical different beliefs, is not all that. The tolerance that we have now lost as a society it seems. Maybe what we really need is an open mind. But I will take tolerance as a substitute any time, because if we let go of that, ugly things appear.

SB

Danube Manifesto

Do read the Danube Foundation's Manifesto!   Europe 2.0: The Next generation
Here we explain why we think what we do is important. .

http://danube-foundation.eu/main/wp-content/uploads/Manifesto.pdf