Segregation as a problem on the Dutch housing market

Migration has a long and complex history in the Netherlands. Migration, social housing, and segregation are very much interconnected. In the past, many social housing dwellings were sold and, therefore, privatized.

Such practices resulted in the fact that the amount of privatized social housing dwellings in the inner-city is way higher than in the peripheral districts. For lower income households, especially lower income households of migrants from poorer countries, this means that they are forced out to the outer districts. As we can see on the map, the distribution of migrants from affluent and poor countries is much separated within the city limits of Amsterdam. (MUSTERD 2017)

The picture on the aboveis a building in Bijlmer, where a majority of the residents has a migration background. On the map, Bijlmer is located in the South-East. It is a perfect example how selling inner-city social housing stocks leads to the displacement of lower-income households. Housing costs are increasing and the access to social housing becomes more difficult. As a consequence, this leads to a rising level of segregation. In conclusion, social housing becomes slowly a “last resort” for the lower socio-economic population of Amsterdam. (MUSTERD 2017)