From wasteland to outdoor living space

BY BRYCE BENDA IMAGES PETER GERRITSEN

Resident Zoe does not want her real name in Ad Valvas but is happy to show us around the serenely quiet grounds in Amstelveen Kronenburg. Of the hotly debated airplanes – the reason why the construction of 2,500 student apartments was cancelled – little can be heard today. The site is enormous, estimated to be over three soccer fields in size. The commune has been here for several weeks and now has its own kitchen (sheltered by a yellow canopy), eco-toilets, a trampoline, a seating area with couches and even two solar panels.

Residents sleep in a beige-colored tent, a makeshift hut with a wavy metal roof or a bright yellow garden shed. On this sunny day the grounds are lovely, but what about winter time? According to Zoe, the residents want to live here year-round. “For now it’s fine, but for the cold days we want to make the sleeping areas winterproof”, she says.

Zoe explains that all residents of ‘Krakenburg’ [the name they gave their site, Ed.] are seeking housing, including a VU student (who also does not want to be named in Ad Valvas). “Some live for way too much money in Amsterdam, one of us even lives without a shower. That’s why it’s beyond ridiculous that this piece of land has been empty for almost a decade and that no one is allowed to build on it.”

The residents started a vegetable garden a few weeks ago, where potatoes and onions are now growing. “We want to live here, but we also want to have a community function for the neighborhood. We plan to provide space for social projects. And we are open to people who want to build their own little house here.”

There is still plenty of work to be done, as the whiteboard that serves as a to-do list shows. It lists tasks such as ‘make food/kitchen rat-proof’ and ‘shed for firewood’. That the residents don’t plan on leaving anytime soon is underscored by the last task: ‘build another house’.

After being a vacant lot for ten years, a much-discussed piece of land near Uilenstede finally has residents again: a group of squatters, including a VU student.