A court has ruled that the city of Amsterdam is within its right in closing a number of cannabis cafes in the center of town.
The closures are part of a project to upgrade Amsterdam’s medieval center.
One of the cornerstones of a project set up by the city of Amsterdam’s to clean up and re-purpose much of its downtown area — including the Red Light District — is ‘unfeasible’ because the city lacks the money to complete it.
That is the conclusion reached by two independent research firms which earlier this week released scathing reports on the feasibility of Amsterdam’s goal to drastically reduce prostitution and related businesses.
The city of Amsterdam has promised to review its promotional material in order to cull overly rosy commendations of its Red Light District.
The city is tackling abuses in the area, and actively marketing the ‘red light’ character of the district does fit that picture.
It is impossible to determine whether Amsterdam’s efforts to reduce the number of window brothels, coffeeshops and call shops in the city’s Red Light District lead to less crime.
This is one of the conclusions of a report made public today by the Netherlands Court of Audit.
There’s something new in Amsterdam’s (in)famous Red Light District: a radio broadcasting live from a former prostitute’s cubicle.
Radio Netherlands reporter Patricia Cronie asked founder Hugo van Heijningen what’s the benefit of making radio next door to the prostitutes?
A panel of customers of prostitutes in Amsterdam has been advising the city since this summer on issues such as human trafficking and forced prostitution.
Critics say the city’s policy of reducing window prostitution, as part of efforts to spruce up and repupose Amsterdam’s city centre, will force many prostitutes underground — possibly subjecting them to abuse and exploitation.
The city of Amsterdam wants to make haste with its efforts to clean up its world-famous Red Light District.
Reportedly within three years it plans to start expropriating property owners who refuse to close their brothels, Dutch press agency ANP reports. To make this possible the city will soon change the zoning plan for the district. So says Pierre van Rossum, who heads up Project 1012.