Housing

Zuidas is developing from an exclusive business centre into an inclusive Amsterdam city neighbourhood with housing for all income groups. In the years ahead, there are plans to build around 10,000 homes, mainly in the social and mid-market rented sector.

At the end of 2023, there were just under 3,000 homes in Zuidas. What not a lot of people know is that 40% of these, i.e. 1,200 homes, are in the social rented sector. Most of these are in Ravel Residence, a complex of 800 student flats that opened in 2015. These are temporary homes. Like every other Amsterdam neighbourhood, Zuidas applies the Amsterdam housebuilding policy to construction. In this, a ‘40-40-20’ ratio has been the norm since 2017 and this also applies in Zuidas: which equates to 40 percent social rented housing, 40 percent mid-market rented and 20 percent private sector housing. This has been the basic principle for all construction plans since then.

The temporary student flats are set to make way for the low-traffic Ravel residential district, behind the AFC sports pitches, where approximately 1,350 homes will be built. In this neighbourhood, the focus will be on family homes. In mid-2024, the same neighbourhood saw the start of construction on Ravelly, which will accommodate 75 social rented flats. Also in development is Tic-Tac-Toe with 75 mid-market family homes. In Beethovenstraat, there will be The Harmony, with 63 social and 85 mid-market rented homes. Other residential complexes are also scheduled for development in the Ravel district.

A major site for residential construction is the Kenniskwartier innovation district. We are developing around 2,700 homes here in the years ahead. In addition to flats for students and first-timers, we are also working with VU Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit) and Amsterdam AMC on the development of various buildings for healthcare, education, research and innovation. As a result, Kenniskwartier will become a place where knowledge institutions, the business community and the City of Amsterdam work together on innovations that will be essential for our city’s future. At the end of 2023, 216 starter homes were completed in this neighbourhood: Stepstone. Slightly to the north of Stepstone, The Pulse of Amsterdam was completed in november 2024, with 151 mid-market rented properties and 49 private-sector rented homes. At the end of 2023, we announced the construction of 119 student homes. And 2024 will see the completion of Ceci, a private sector complex of 25 apartments in Gustav Mahlerlaan, next to Stepstone. More housing will follow after that.

The first social rented complex in Zuidas (apart from the temporary Ravel Residence) is actually Ella, in the Gershwin neighbourhood: Some 57 homes were completed here in 2017. Since then, a lot of housing has already been completed, especially in the Kop Zuidas neighbourhood (the most northerly point in Zuidas), such as the multifunctional Crossover building, which includes 120 social rented flats, of which 64 are for student first-timers and 64 for refugees with residence permits. But not everything is proceeding as planned. For example, in 2021, we announced the development of around 1,000 social and mid-market homes in the Verdi neighbourhood. Around 550 of these were to be developed on the site where the Sporthallen Zuid sports complex is currently located. The plan was to move the sports complex into a stacked building in order to create space. However, the relocation of the sports complex was scrapped in March 2023. This housing will therefore not be developed.

Finished housing projects

At the end of 2024, work will start on the construction of Het Duet: 177 social rented homes in Fred. Roeskestraat, some of them for elderly people with dementia. If these plans go ahead – between now and 2038 – there will be an additional 1,900 social rented homes in Zuidas and just under 3,000 mid-market properties (rented and owner-occupied).