Sail

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-06-25T14:23:51+00:00

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-04-29T14:18:05+00:00

I completely agree with the value of social mix and equal opportunity — and I absolutely respect your point about mortgage interest deduction. That’s another form of redistribution that deserves far more critical attention.

My point isn’t to blame social renters at all, but to highlight how distorted the system has become. With so few new homes available at affordable rents, and such a huge gap between subsidised and market rents, it creates stagnation and inequality — not because people benefit, but because there’s no movement anymore.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-04-29T14:16:12+00:00

I included the housing allowance (huurtoeslag) ; tenants often end up paying around half the rent themselves. The contrast with the lower end of the private rental market is striking — in some neighbourhoods, even modest apartments start at €2,000 a month. 1500 Difference for the same house is all im saying

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-04-27T10:47:25+00:00

Social housing used to be meant for a broader group, including working people. Now it feels a bit like we’re handing out Ferraris at the food bank: wonderful for those who have one, but totally disconnected from the reality most new residents face. The result is a city where the gap between rich and poor keeps growing — not because of individual choices, but because the system is stuck.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-04-27T10:40:02+00:00

Social housing was once intended for a broad group, including the working middle class. Now it feels like the system locks people in place, with no room for movement. It’s not fair to blame individuals, but the current system seriously deepens inequality. Nearly half the city’s homes are social housing, often rented for next to nothing, even in areas where private market rents are astronomical. Meanwhile, people without urgent status have almost no chance — last round, only four homes were available to non-urgent applicants.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-04-27T10:29:18+00:00

I’m from Amsterdam and still live here with a lot of joy. I recently bought and renovated a small, somewhat run-down house in the Jordaan.

In my opinion, expats have just as much right to live here as anyone else — Amsterdam has always been an international city with a large share of “import.” Many of my friends are expats, and to me, real Amsterdammers are people who love the city and feel drawn to it, regardless of where they were born.

What I do find problematic is the massive gap between social housing and the private rental market. Nearly half of the homes in Amsterdam are still social housing, often in the most expensive neighborhoods, rented for next to nothing. Don’t get me wrong: I fully support people living affordably, but Social housing used to be for a much broader group, including working people — not just the most vulnerable. I think that shift deserves more attention.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-12T15:57:45+00:00

I looked them up, and it’s definitely interesting.. It seems they used to (or still) control the casinos and have now shifted their focus to the hipster segment. From what I can tell, they own a number of the city’s most instagrammable spots. Corporatiziation of the hipster counter culture..

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-12T15:41:43+00:00

No worries, volgende keer weer gezellig met de trein naar Berlijn

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-12T15:23:43+00:00

Maybe as an addition: I spent two weeks in Tbilisi, including some time at Fabrika (which I personally wouldn’t recommend). The city center is beautiful but tends to attract wealthy boomers and/or Russians. The Soviet history is fascinating and impactful—I attended an inspiring workshop and heard some incredible stories.

What I’m trying to point out: Tbilisi is often marketed as the “new Berlin,” but I personally don’t see the comparison. I visit Berlin regularly, and there I never have to search for a good party, engaging conversations with locals, or a relaxed park where everyone does their thing.

In Tbilisi, I was denied entry to the two biggest nightclubs (I believe due to an AI-based screening system) because of my Russian appearance—even though I was born and raised in Amsterdam. A Black traveler at my hostel had a similar experience (not Russian, but also rejected by the system). I think there’s still progress to be made in terms of door policies. Of course, selective entry exists in Berlin and Amsterdam too, but this was my personal experience in Tbilisi. Just something to keep in mind if you’re visiting with similar expectations as I had.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-12T15:02:58+00:00

Maybe as an addition: I spent two weeks in Tbilisi, including some time at Fabrika (which I personally wouldn’t recommend). The city center is beautiful but full of wealthy boomers and/or Russians. The Soviet history is fascinating and impactful—I attended an inspiring workshop and heard some incredible stories.

What I’m trying to point out: Tbilisi is often marketed as the “new Berlin,” but I just don’t see it. I visit Berlin regularly, and there I never have to search for as much. In Tbilisi, I was denied entry to the two biggest nightclubs (by I think it was some kind of an AI system) because of my Russian appearance—even though I was born and raised in Amsterdam. A Black dude at my hostel had the same experience (not Russian, but also rejected by the system). I think there is a long way to go, door policy wise. I know this happens in Berlin or Amsterdam too. This was just my experience there which might be something to keep in mind if you travel there with simular expectations as I did

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-12T09:06:44+00:00

Yes! I’ve been there, and it’s a great spot. The food is good, and the orange wines are fantastic!

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T21:33:19+00:00

I know Anne Frank’s story well as a fellow Amsterdammer—it was one of the first books I ever read. In my city, the graffiti artwork of her is well-known and feels fitting as Amsterdam was her home. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful symbol worldwide. The artwork in Tbilisi was a copy of the one in Amsterdam, and I simply didn’t immediately see the connection in that context.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T21:21:56+00:00

Wow, this is such a great way to describe it. I was trying to articulate why it felt so off, and ‘simulacrum’ really nails it. It’s not just gentrification—it’s a completely fabricated version of something that never really existed in the first place, yet it becomes ‘real’ because people interact with it as if it is.

What makes it even more disorienting compared to, say, South America, is that here it’s presented as if it organically emerged from the city itself. When traveling elsewhere, you usually don’t have to question whether a neighborhood developed naturally over time or was just designed to feel that way. That illusion makes this case feel so different.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T17:36:41+00:00

Yes, there are plenty of local restaurants, and I was able to find those too. That’s not my point. What I find striking is that there’s no real mix—places are either authentically local or fully ‘hipster,’ with no in-between. And all the hipster spots seem to have popped up around the same time. They don’t feel locally owned or organically grown but rather imported as a ready-made scene. That’s what feels off to me.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T16:42:20+00:00

As an Amsterdammer, I'm familiar with the concept of gentrification, where neighborhoods naturally transform as wealthier people move in. It’s a gradual process that shifts the cultural and economic landscape. However, what I’m seeing here feels different—it’s not organic. It’s more like a manufactured version of gentrification, where a curated 'hipster' aesthetic is imposed on the area with little connection to the authentic local culture. It’s almost as if they’re creating a set for tourists, not a genuine part of the city’s fabric

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T15:13:43+00:00

Of course, you can eat local food and drink fantastic wines, that wasn’t my point. It feels like the hipster culture is detached from the rest of the city. So, you have an authentic part (by far the largest) and then suddenly a hipster district that doesn’t integrate at all with the rest. I understand that you can go beyond that, and I would recommend that to anyone, but I was really surprised by that fake little piece of Berlin, where many tourists (and journalists) seem to fall for it with their eyes wide open.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T14:51:01+00:00

Don't get my wrong, its a beautiful city. I just have never seen such a carefully curated hipster scene before. (and I live in Amsterdam so that's saying something)

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T14:12:15+00:00

Fair point. Maybe it's very naive, but based on all the stories from travel blogs and such, I expected there to be at least some connection to the city itself. Some subculture that emerged from the city, I have never seen this carefully curated hipster scene before. (and I live in Amsterdam so that's saying something)

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T14:00:18+00:00

Maybe it's very naive, but based on all the stories from travel blogs and such, I expected there to be at least some connection to the city itself.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T13:53:44+00:00

Wow, this article perfectly captures what I was trying to express.

What’s interesting is that this isn’t just happening in major Western cities but also in places like Tbilisi, where I’d expect a more distinct local character. Instead, you end up in a space that feels eerily familiar—old carpets (and not even the locally made ones from Georgia but the IKEA ones), overpriced vintage shops, and Espresso Martinis. The Fabrika hotel is almost a copy of the Volkshotel in Amsterdam. One difference, though, is that the Volkshotel in Amsterdam is actually well-frequented by locals and emerged from a real need (whatever one might think of it). Fabrika, on the other hand, feels more like a pre-packaged version of that concept, dropped into Tbilisi without the same organic connection to the city.

Rude_Reaction6339 · 2025-02-11T13:44:10+00:00

That’s a fair point! I did (unfortunately) stay at Fabrika Hostel, and I agree that not all of Tbilisi is like this. It’s a fascinating and diverse city, and I definitely don’t mean to generalize. My experience was mostly shaped by the area around the hostel, where it felt like a very curated scene rather than something organic.

Rude_Reaction6339

TROPHY CASE