Criticism on Amsterdam's plan to protect green spaces; Referendum on June 6

Amsterdam’s policy for green spaces, the Main Green Structure, has received considerable criticism in recent years. So much so that local organizations organized a referendum to gauge residents' feelings about the policy. Amsterdam residents can vote in the referendum on June 6, the same day as the European Parliament election.

This will be the first city-wide referendum in Amsterdam since 2002 when locals voted on the privatization of the public transit company GVB. The Main Green Structure, a document of almost 90 pages, describes which green areas in the city are protected, AT5 reports.

It concerns city parks like Vondelpark and “wandering nature” areas, including the Oeverlanden and W.H. Vliegenbos. The document also mentions sports parks, allotment parks, cemeteries, and “curiosities” like Artis and Hortus. These green areas are protected, which means in principle that construction is already forbidden there.

However critics find the protection offered to these green spaces far too conditional. There are too many grounds for exception when it comes to building in protected areas. For example, the document states that wind turbines can’t be built in protected areas unless a municipal decision designates them as a search area for wind energy.

There is also criticism of what the municipality includes in its policy as a “green space.” Highway verges and artificial grass fields at sports parks are included in this category. That is “cheat greenery,” which is not actually useful, but fakery and tricks just to achieve the green standards, according to critics.

Sonja Brilman, one of the organizers behind the referendum, called the vote an “emergency brake.” Amsterdam residents did not get enough space to make their voices heard, she alleged. “If more time and space had been offered, we would have talked to the alderman. But there is no time,” she told AT5. The introductory request for a referendum very quickly surpassed the required 10,000 signatures from Amsterdam locals.

Residents of Weesp and Driemond can also vote on the Main Green Structure. These urban areas aren’t included in the policy but are located close to the areas that are in the policy.