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Zuidas Residents’ Platform discontinued after 25 years

The front door of the apartment swings open, followed by an energetic welcome. We take off our shoes – it seems no more than appropriate for our visit to Cisca Griffioen in Buitenveldert. In a former life, she was the medical trainer for around ten thousand Dutch doctors. Since then, she has spent 17 years as chair of the Zuidas Residents’ Platform. She escorts us across the spotless carpet to a table in the living room, where the coffee and biscuits are ready and waiting. Later on, we are joined by Marleen Munniksma and Anneke Wevers, both long-term members of the residents’ platform. However, in March 2023, the Zuidas Residents’ Platform ceased to exist. Its three committee members – together with Monique Disselhoff and staff member Jeanette Bloem who were not at the interview – have been unable to find successors. Could it be that the lack of interest is a sign of the times? ‘It’s noticeable that people have no problem helping out from time to time, but doing so on a permanent basis seems to be asking too much’, says Griffioen, summing up the current mood. This is despite the fact that it’s a personally enriching experience, according to Marleen Munniksma: ‘I knew nothing about area development when I started out. Now people often think I’m an expert in urban design.’ According to Anneke Wevers, it does not need to be particularly complex: ‘Just go out into the neighbourhood and see what’s needed. And don’t be afraid of starting small. By pruning a hedge, for example, so that everyone can always access the pavement.’

Residents’ interests

Are residents taken into account in all new developments? This was always the central question for the Zuidas Residents’ Platform, an umbrella organisation bringing together several residents’ and special interest organisations within Zuidas. ‘We made things as accessible as possible, ensuring everyone can engage in the discussion’, says Griffioen. These discussions can demand a lot of perseverance, adds Wevers. ‘You need to adopt an ingenious and creative approach. It can also help to have a “let’s just wait and see” attitude.’

Early engagement is effective

Intransigence on the part of residents has often led to tangible results. For example, there were plans several years ago to accommodate thousands of bicycles underneath Amaliaplein (then still called ‘Vijfhoek’). As the bicycle parking consultant of what was then the VIA committee (Amsterdam Irenebuurt Local Association), resident Frans Nieuwenhuis campaigned tirelessly, with the support of the residents’ platform, for an underground car park, ultimately achieving success. Marleen Munniksma explains what she believes can often go wrong: ‘Because residents are often not involved from the outset, they tend to intervene and object twice as energetically later in the process. You should allow residents to take part in the conversation earlier on, because it’s likely that there will be some supporters amongst them.’ Besides, argues Munniksma, residents generally have more experience in the area than many civil servants. ‘And then, a new project manager arrives with all kinds of fanfares – and the very best intentions, of course – who’s determined to reinvent the wheel’, says Munniksma. ‘When it may actually make sense to talk to the residents first in order to prevent unnecessary repetition.’ Wevers can see even more advantages: ‘If you have the confidence to reveal your plans at an early stage it gives residents a sense of influence and shared responsibility for what’s happening in the neighbourhood. And that’s how you build people’s trust.’

Setbacks inevitable

Of course, there will always be occasional disappointments. They include the recent failed plans to develop an annex to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in Beatrixpark – something that Munniksma says ‘residents really approved of and which the City of Amsterdam could have stood behind’. Another example: ‘There are times when residents are not sent information letters about particular developments, simply because they live just a few metres on the wrong side of an imaginary line.’

Critical but constructive contribution

During our lively conversation, it’s noticeable how the attitude is both critical and constructive at the same time. ‘Having a platform merely to vent grievances is not our style’, says Munniksma. ‘It’s easier to catch flies with syrup than with vinegar.’ The platform received regularly quarterly updates from the City of Amsterdam. Anneke Wevers: ‘Rather than shouting the odds immediately, we prefer to keep the conversation going. We have confidence in our knowledge and in any case: we can submit opinions, lodge objections or take legal action. We can always still take to the barricades.’ Although the residents’ platform is now ceasing to exist, this does not mean the end of engagement with Zuidas, as we find out as we are escorted to the lift after our conversation: ‘I now need to hurry, because I have a residents’ meeting to attend at the RAI’, says Griffioen. ‘I still want to make sure my voice is heard there.’

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