Temporary living in the new residential complexes of Amsterdam

Lieven, OurDomain (and Karsp and Trinity)

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The Amsterdam Sorting Machine concept assumes that the city will attract a huge number of new residents, the majority of whom will leave within a few years. This sorting machine is running at full speed, partly due to new-build complexes such as Lieven and Our Domain. An overview of these recent new-build complexes can be seen on Map of Amsterdam temporary housing, somewhere else on this website. How do newcomers, including youngsters who grew up in Amsterdam, experience these new residential complexes? Through in-depth interviews among residents of the Lieven and Our Domain complexes, we investigate how young people end up here, how they live there, whether they build up a social network in Amsterdam and how this possibly contributes to establishing roots in Amsterdam. The respondents from Lieven are a random selection; At OurDomain it is mainly young people who grew up in Amsterdam South East, "natives". The last question is always: Who wants and can continue to live in Amsterdam?

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​All these residential complexes are characterized by temporary rental contracts. The introduction of temporary rental contracts in 2015 did not bring about any changes for students, because the campus contract was already temporary before 2015. Campus contracts end when the study ends. The number of students at the UvA and VU has increased enormously since 2015: by about 39%; the number of foreign students has even grown by almost 140%. Residential complexes such as Lieven and OurDomain have made this enormous growth possible.

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​With the change in the law in 2015, the youth housing category was introduced, whereby small studios in the social rental sector may be rented out temporarily. Another change in the law makes it possible for private individuals (investors) to build and operate social rental housing. Temporary rental legally means contracts of 5 years for housing associations and contracts of a maximum of 2 years for private landlords. The introduction of temporary rental contracts for social housing has created the youth housing category. The new-build complexes that have arisen in Amsterdam are often combinations of student housing, youth housing and other temporary studios. These complexes have made it possible for the large number of incoming students in Amsterdam to find temporary accommodation. Despite the fact that the housing market appears to be silted up and there is a housing crisis, around 90,000 newcomers will be able to move to Amsterdam in 2022. Temporary rental contracts affect the rental protection of tenants, but ensure that these homes have a rapid turnover and new newcomers can enter again. As a result, the average duration of residence of young new Amsterdam residents has fallen enormously in recent years, from 5.2 years in 2000 to 2.6 in 2021. See also 'Housing duration in Amsterdam'

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​The experiences of young people within some of these types of residential complexes were investigated through in-depth interviews. The situation of these young people before they came to live here and afterward is also investigated. These interviews with residents of Lieven, Our Domain East House, Karsp and Trinity address topics such as registrations and priority, the home and the building, community building and the future perspective.

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​Lieven

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The new-build Lieven complex with 1,200
homes, mainly with temporary rental contracts,
is one of the many new-build projects that
have been completed in Amsterdam since

2015. With the realization of a large number of

this type of new-build homes, as can be seen

on the map just mentioned, the accessibility of Amsterdam for newcomers has increased

enormously. After all, almost all of these homes go to young people who enter the city for

the first time, mainly for work and study. Since 2015, when temporary rental contracts

were made legally possible, an explosion of new construction of residential complexes with small independent studios with temporary rental contracts has taken place. Below you can see the types of homes in Lieven.

 

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In May - June 2023, seven in-depth interviews were held among residents of the new Lieven complex in Amsterdam Nieuw West. This complex of housing association Lieven de Key includes 1,200 rental homes that were completed per new-build block in the period 2017-2023.

 

There are different types of temporary housing, including student housing, international student housing, youth and starter housing, artist housing and private sector rental housing. Student housing is explicitly for students, which means that once you have been deregistered from an educational institution you must leave the home within six months. These residents receive a campus contract. In addition to regular student housing, there is also a separate block for international students, who can also rent a home if they register with the University of Amsterdam. There are also youth and starter homes in this complex. You can register for these homes if you are between 23 and 27 years old, where the standard rental contracts are for a maximum of 5 years. There are 40 homes for artists, which are occupied by almost and recently graduated artists between the ages of 23 and 27. Finally, the private sector rental homes are rented to couples and families, among others. For tenants who live independently, this means that rent allowance can be granted. But this also has advantages for the developer/landlord; This means that a relatively high rental price can be charged for these small units.

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However, there are communal and meeting spaces in the Lieven

residential complex. Including an outdoor space in the middle of

the complex and a so-called 'cultural community living room' run

by LOLA, a non-commercial social vacancy manager. There is

also a communal laundry and a library. Lieven de Key created

these spaces with the aim of creating a community. They have

appointed several community builders who, among other things,

organize activities for the residents.

 

But as soon as the study has been completed or the five-year

contract expires, a new home must be found. Many home

seekers over the age of 28 fall into a hole of uncertainty about

their future living situation in Amsterdam.

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Backround and residential history

 

Even though 90 thousand newcomers will have settled in Amsterdam by 2022, it remains a major challenge for most people to find a place in Amsterdam. It was also a huge search for those we interviewed. The question is whether this search is easier for young people from Amsterdam and surrounding areas. These in-depth interviews are not representative, but it is striking that 6 of the 7 interviewees come from the Northern Randstad. ​

 

Most newcomers to Amsterdam start here with a temporary rental contract; in the private rental sector, in a youth home or in a student home. Many people then move from one temporary rental home to another in Amsterdam. On average, the interviewees have already lived in almost 3 different places in Amsterdam, while most have only been there for a short time. It is striking that those who grew up in Amsterdam and Oostzaan have already rented most of the independent homes in Amsterdam. For them, the place where they were born may influence their ability to find new places to live in Amsterdam more quickly.

 

Most of Amsterdam's youth, aged 18 to 27, were not born here. Inflow from home and abroad causes a deteriorated position in the housing market for Amsterdam's youth. The municipality of Amsterdam wants to strengthen the right to housing for this group, for which it has introduced a new scheme: if young people have lived in Amsterdam for at least 6 consecutive years in the past 10 years, they will be given priority for a youth home. From 2024, this will apply to half of all youth homes. One of the interviewees used this arrangement to come and live in Lieven. He is one of the first to benefit from this; Due to this priority policy, he was immediately on the first place at many homes. ​

 

The share of foreign students has more than doubled in the past 7 years and is still growing. A separate residential block has been created within Lieven for this group of students. A number of years ago, the municipality of Amsterdam made agreements with educational institutions about the construction of residential complexes for foreign students. For example, De Key has built other complexes outside Lieven, such as on Poeldijkstraat, that only focus on foreign students.

The question that then arises; Doesn't a complex exclusively for foreign students result in limited social contacts, which means that their integration in Amsterdam takes little or no shape?

The agreements on the construction of residential complexes for (foreign) students were terminated by the municipality in 2023; the new policy aims to strengthen the position of Amsterdam's youth. ​

 

Despite the large influx of domestic and foreign young people, the interviewees managed to get a home in the new Lieven complex. One person came here through the priority arrangement, the others saw via student housing web and housing network that this new residential complex was being built. The completion of this new construction meant that a large number of homes were offered at once; This makes the chance of getting involved extra high.

 

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Social life in Lieven

 

All interviewees have lived in the Lieven complex for between six months and 4 years.

None of them have a good relationship with their neighbors. "Everyone lives past each other, there is no bond," says one of them. "When hundreds of students moved in at the same time after the complex was completed, there was a pleasant atmosphere and we lent a lot to each other. When most of them had settled down, that faded away." The participants say that they now almost never meet their neighbors and that they live next to each other. The social lives of the interviewees hardly take place in their residential complex and they have no sense of community. It's not alive. “It can be very anonymous here and there is little social control,” says one of them.

 

The community builders do organize a drink once a month, which a number of people attend. "If you really want to create a sense of community, you should do it much more often," says one interviewee. The goal of the community builders is for the large group of residents to form a close-knit community. In addition to activities for the residents, they are also concerned with the quality of life in the residential complex and connections with the people who live in the area. This also happens in various other new-build complexes.

 

The interviewees know some faces, including through these activities, but few real friendships are formed. Activities such as a cooking club on your own initiative are occasionally undertaken. Due to the mix of students and working young people, there is little or no student culture here; many residents already have a permanent job. This gives residents the feeling that people like to be alone here. "They are all single-person homes, which is why many assume that most people consciously choose this and are not looking for social interactions." This does not apply to the majority of those interviewed. They would prefer to live with housemates, but this is not financially possible for most, or they are unable to participate in residential groups due to the enormous demand for housing in Amsterdam.

There is contact with neighbors through a group app. "This gives a safe feeling, even though I don't know them, so I know there are many people around me," says one of the interviewees.

 

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Temporality

 

The temporary nature of housing has not stopped some of the interviewees from entering into social contacts. “I have no less committed myself to a social life, with the perspective: I am new here so I want to get to know a lot of people, not with the perspective: I will stay here for a long time.” One of them says that she is not concerned about the temporary nature of the contacts she builds here, even though that may be for a short time. ​

 

The social network of the interviewees mainly takes place outside the Lieven residential complex. They meet new people and build social circles through study, work, going out and sports. It is striking that these young people mainly enter into social relationships outside their complex. In contrast to student complexes, where students quickly tend to have their social relationships mainly within their complex, causing so-called 'bubbles' to be formed. The young people interviewed have formed more contacts outside the complex, which means they have more relationships with the environment and a broader social network. This can lead to faster roots in Amsterdam. Does a network outside their residential complex also give them a greater chance of continuing to live in Amsterdam?

 

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Stay or leave Amsterdam?

 

The situation on the housing market makes it difficult to continue living in Amsterdam after a student or youth home. In Amsterdam, there is usually a waiting period of more than 10 years for social housing; private rental properties almost always have a rent of above 1,500 euros and the average purchase price of a house in January 2023 is 722 thousand euros. As a result, many people have to leave Amsterdam again after a few years. ​

 

Many interviewees share the perspective of leaving Amsterdam. About half want to leave Amsterdam when they are a bit older to live more quietly. The other half would like to continue living here and through smart use of the schemes they are able to continue living in young people and student housing for longer. They think their future is not bright. The unaffordable housing causes stress and uncertainty and some people are already seeing people from their newly built social network leaving the city.

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OurDomain (and Karsp and Trinity)

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​The target group for this research project are young people/young adults who live in new construction projects in Amsterdam. In this part, Wouter Pocornie, urban planner and architect, zooms in on young adults from Amsterdam South-East who live or have lived in Our Domain East House, he emphasizes the priority arrangement for young people who grew up in Amsterdam. The Karsp and Trinity residential projects are included in the focus. In his narrative of 'Three Construction Waves', these projects are part of the Third Construction Wave (approx. 2020 - 2024) that will influence Amsterdam South East in a spatial and demographic sense. Here, in Zuidoost, along with two other places, most of the construction in Amsterdam is currently taking place. Tens of thousands of homes will be built on former industrial sites over the next ten years, making these construction areas among the largest construction locations in the Netherlands. These will be the new neighborhoods of Amsterdam. The owner of OurDomain is Greystar, an international real estate developer based in the US with properties in 17 different countries. The company has more than $76 billion in gross assets under management. Karsp knows another owner; Wonam, an Amsterdam real estate company that mainly develops and operates mid-priced homes. Finally, Trinity is run by a Dutch real estate company. These three buildings are all managed by commercial real estate parties, unlike Lieven de Key, with non-commercial objectives.

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Types of housing

 

OurDomain, owned by Greystar, consists of three buildings: East House, West House and North House. Together they count 1,559 apartments that were completed between 2020 and 2021. East House has 955 furnished rooms from 21 to 33 m2. These rooms are independent homes, studios, and are rented for between €400 and €800 net rent per month. There is a different layout in West House and North House. These buildings consist of 604 2- and 3-room apartments for families and professionals, with a size of 60 to 80 m2. These apartments have a rent of between €1320 and €1440 net rent per month. Half of the tenants are Dutch and it is made up of students and 'young professionals'. The student contracts expire when the study is completed and the young people (up to 28 years old) rent with temporary contracts of 5 years. The temporary residents can use a wide range of facilities, including work spaces, a cinema and game room, a café-restaurant and various relaxation areas.

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Karsp has two residential towers where 274 rental homes are located from 30 to 80 m2. The other residential project, Trinity, includes studios of 56 m2, 2 and 3-room apartments of between 36 and 92 m2 and top floor penthouses of 54 to 65 m2. Trinity Buildings' goal is to include 30,000 apartments by 2040. These studios and apartments are also rented with temporary contracts.

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Backround and residential history

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12 respondents participated in this study. A questionnaire was used and in-depth interviews were used

as the main method. Of these, 5 respondents live in OurDomain East House, 1 person in Karsp, 2 live

in Trinity and the last part indicated that they have their own relationship with OurDomain. Priority

arrangements are associated with the acquisition of these homes, aimed at South-East residents. Most

respondents are in favor of this arrangement, which gives them more opportunity to continue living in

their neighborhood. Being able to live close to family, maintaining a sense of home and not losing the

cultures of the South East are mentioned as the main reasons. Affordability is underemphasized in the

priority scheme. The average rental price of the residential projects, above €1000 per month, is high
compared to the average rent in Zuidoost. Only in OurDomain East House is the rent around €700 per

month for some tenants in their early twenties. The priority scheme therefore does not appear to offer

any concrete opportunities for affordable rental housing. It is therefore primarily a golden opportunity

for Southeast residents in a relative sense: the current housing supply in the city.

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Another respondent said that everything was arranged well within one or two months, from registration to moving to the new home. The priority rule ensures that this process can proceed so quickly. Another way in which interviewees managed to obtain the home is through personal relationships or during contact moments with the landlord. Ultimately, the same pattern emerged for all respondents, where they had to quickly confirm the home and were hardly able to make an informed choice about which home they would live in; first come, first served.

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The priority scheme is used, but none of the respondents has explicit evidence of how it has or has not been applied. Two respondents expressed the feeling that this study would also provisionally conclude: The priority arrangement seems mainly to be a matter of city marketing, where there is no priority to structurally address the inequality of opportunity or connection of local Southeast residents to area development. It also does not seem to be a priority to achieve targets or reach local, specific target groups in the recruitment of tenants.

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Social life in OurDomain, Karsp and Trinity

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Despite the priority rules for Southeasters, there is no mention of a community within OurDomain itself. There is little contact with the neighbors and respondents indicate that they make no use of communal areas. The facilities in Amsterdam South East and in and around the relevant residential projects could play a role in forming a community. Generally these are considered positive due to quantity and quality. When assessing the affordability of facilities, it was striking that most respondents indicated relatively low service costs: often not higher than €100.00 per month. In fact, residents at OurDomain East House pay approximately €300.00 per month in service costs with which Greystar offers the common areas. The residential concept, which some respondents also compared to a hotel, is still quite unique. The rating of the service, facilities and amenities at OurDomain specifically are not only highly positive, one resident sees the facilities as top-down facilitated: "Sometimes it feels like they are actually just doing business here, you know, and don't think about the inhabitants." (May 15, 2023, Respondent 2).

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In general, respondents from the other residential projects (Karsp and Trinity) are a lot less satisfied with the facilities/amenities. It is remarkable how often OurDomain is cited as a reference project or as an example project of what the residents want. The question becomes more complex when the issue of affordability is linked to the demand for facilities. Or, if a hypothetical trade-off is made between home size (private space) and available, shared facilities. However, none of the respondents see the design as a tool to minimize home sizes. Reflecting on the experiences of facilities in total, it can be concluded that the outdoor space of OurDomain is considerably important and is valued by residents of OurDomain and local residents, such as those of Trinity. The facilities within the walls of OurDomain East House, such as the launderette, café, cinema, music room, reception and workshops, have been positively appreciated, especially in an indirect way. Respondents indicate that they do not really use the facilities but appreciate the option. So they do not play a major role in building community for the interviewees. This can perhaps be explained by the already existing communities in Zuidoost.

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Engagement with neighborhood

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Almost all respondents identify themselves as Bijlmer Native: 'someone who was born and/or raised in Amsterdam South East'. “And, I have so much involvement with, yes, with Zuidoost. I would prefer not to leave either” (June 14, 2023, Respondent 8), one of them tells me. For most Bijlmer Natives, coming from the area also means having a bond with Amsterdam South East, that they have a feeling of home here. Almost all natives from the interviews are newcomers to the housing market. Their feelings about it are influenced by the feeling of home; around priority, affordability and home size.

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According to the Bijlmer natives, the three new construction projects are strongly connected to newcomers in the area. Despite the priority arrangement for Southeast residents, most residents conclude that many (international) newcomers have come to live there. The feelings about this demographic focus, often expressed in 'mixture' or mix, do not lead to really expressed feelings, but in general there are concerns: According to the Respondents, the residential projects do not connect well with the communities in Zuidoost, as they experience them. or know.

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Appreciation home

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All respondents indicate that they are reasonably to very satisfied with the home and/or building. The residential concept is often referred to as a positive experience and as a good place to meet people.

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However, the respondents sounded more critical after the interview. Temporality and the future perspective play a major role here. Many respondents indicated that they could afford the home during the interview, but a year later they moved for various reasons. The home and affordability are put into perspective to the current situation of living in Amsterdam, the housing crisis.

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Perspective: stay or leave​

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The respondents' future prospects from OurDomain are strongly influenced by the temporary nature of the residential projects. The contracts expire after 2 or 5 years, or after completing your studies, and the homes have a fixed rent increase. In just under a year, the living situation has largely changed completely. During the interviews they were already actively considering next steps. Respondents subscribe to newsletters, follow new projects in the area but, often with slight disappointment, are considering a move outside the district, the city or even the Amsterdam region.

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Karsp is also described as a temporary haven for dual-income couples or singles with two or three jobs. The irony of those who can afford these homes is that they are usually able to buy them. All indicate that they want to settle. It can be concluded that the temporary nature and price of the current living situation do not work to the advantage of the residents. Given the relatively short experiences (approx. 1 – 2 years) of living independently for the first time, it can be concluded that the Karsp and OurDomain residential projects mainly provided a start for Southeast residents on the housing market. They are now familiar with independence and are better informed about the possibilities of home sharing. In some cases, this led to a completely different position regarding independent living: Where they initially did not want to live together or mainly wanted to continue living within the city/district, they are now more open to alternatives.

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Some respondents themselves speak about gentrification. They see Karsp as an example project of our time, just like in the other residential projects, there is not much room for respondents to orientate themselves on housing typologies, service costs and other facilities are included in a confusing rental price, and the (liberalization) boundary between social rental and middle segment is not sharp. This leads to the attraction of wealthy residents, which gradually leads to the displacement of Southeast residents, such as many of the interviewees. Single Respondents consider it a reality to work more or return to the parental home.

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Jaap Draaisma, July 2, 2024
With thanks to Wouter Pocornie for the research part OurDomain, Karsp and Trinity​​

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