Amsterdam mayor contemplating priority housing access for city youth

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema sat down with young residents on an AT5 show to discuss affordable housing for young people and how the capital city will look in the years to come. The mayor noted officials have been considering giving young people who grew up in Amsterdam priority in the housing market, emphasizing "Amsterdam is also an open and international city and you do not want to put a gate around it."

Halsema promised more youth housing to make the city more affordable for young people. "Much more youth housing is coming, but it is still too little," Halsema said.

The Amsterdam mayor said young people are vital for the city. "Without young people, Amsterdam is not a city anymore," she said.

The acute housing shortage in the Netherlands is also evident in Amsterdam. The National Student Monitor showed that there had been a housing shortage of 6,600 rooms in Amsterdam alone this year. That number is expected to rise to 21,700 in seven years if more houses are not built to combat the housing shortage.

Thousands of international students come to the city each year and struggle to find housing. This year, the University of Amsterdam had to house some of their international students on camping sites.

The mayor also spoke with the young people present about the image of the city. Amsterdam Zuidoost resident Kevin Roethof voiced his disapproval of the negative media image the district he lives in gets. He said crime stories are always reported while positive changes are ignored. Halsema said she understood his concerns and noted several positive developments in the area as well. "The image of Zuidoost is slowly changing and it is the residents who contribute to this," Halsema said.