Amsterdam 2040

2 Buildings at the Kastanjepleinin Amsterdam-East, that arepopular with the modern cityresidentbecause of their specificcharacterand experientialvalue.Photo: Koos van Zanen‘Clean air, properties full of character and anattractive, green public space are all aspectswith which the city can secure the loyalty ofpeople and businesses.’2Economically strong and sustainableThere is a broadly shared view that Amsterdam mustposition itself robustly in the changing economic worldorder. Maintaining the welfare and prosperity ofAmsterdam’s residents is paramount. The startingpoints for Amsterdam are favourable. Major cities arein any case faring well in an economy that is becomingincreasingly reliant on knowledge, but by no meansare all large cities capitalizing on the knowledgeeconomy: people are drawn to cities where life isgood. Amsterdam attracts people with its freethinkingimage, its historical city centre, the abundanceof amenities, the many economic opportunities,the water and the greenery. Amsterdam boasts adiverse and relatively young population, whichincreases its magnetic pull even further. Scores ofenterprises are establishing operations in Amsterdambecause they are heavily dependent on the supplyof highly educated professionals – the human capital.The quality of life in the city has thus become animportant economic factor. All in all, Amsterdam holdsthe trump cards to remain economically robust.In order to actually bring these trump cards into play,Amsterdam must nevertheless continue to work hardon the quality of the living environment in the city.This primarily revolves around sustainability, in all itsfacets. The term ‘sustainable’ is usually associated withclimatological and environmental factors and that iscertainly the case in the Structural Vision, but sustainabilityis also relevant to other matters. A public spacewhich has a high-quality design and use of materialswill provide you with more pleasure and will be moredurable. Many neighbourhoods and buildings that aretechnically speaking out of date prove to be of greatsignificance for the city. Because of their specificcharacter, experiential value and adaptability they areextraordinarily popular with ‘the modern urbanite’.Properties and neighbourhoods from a distant pastcan in that sense be termed ‘sustainable’.Yet the essence of sustainability still involves theenvironment: in order to be a sustainable city we mustbe prepared for climate change: the air, soil and watermust become cleaner; the city will be rendered quieterand more energy-efficient. Amsterdam is thereforeswitching to sustainable energy sources and land willbe used more intensively.Economic development and sustainability have formany years no longer been regarded as each other’scounterpoles, but quite the contrary: they are increasinglybecoming extensions of one another. Clean air,properties full of character and an attractive, greenpublic space are all aspects with which the city cansecure the loyalty of people and businesses. Investingin sustainability is therefore tantamount to investingin the economy.The core city of the metropolitan areaTo quote the axiomatic ambition of the StructuralVision, ‘Amsterdam continues to develop further asthe core city of an internationally competitive andsustainable European metropolis.’ This has its roots inthe ‘Development Scenario for the Amsterdam MetropolitanArea in 2040’ (Ontwikkelingsbeeld 2040 voorde Metropoolregio Amsterdam), in which the region’smunicipalities jointly stated the ambition to foster thegrowth of Amsterdam and environs into a metropolis.06PLANAmsterdam