EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Amsterdam: Immigrants in action!

Amsterdam: Immigrants in action!

Introduction

The pivot of the project is an intermediary, whose task is to lay contacts with immigrant inhabitants and to support their participation in regeneration plans and projects in their neighbourhood. The intermediary will help ethnic groups to make better use of existing facilities and services and ensure that these are more geared to the needs of the various groups.

Problem

The aim of the project is to increase the socio-economic participation of immigrant inhabitants and employers in the Spaarndammer and Zeehelden districts and thereby indirectly strengthen the socio-economic structure of the neighbourhoods.

Description

The following methods are being employed:

Setting up a structural neighbourhood network of immigrant inhabitants and employers.
Point out the importance of the different renewal projects and stress the necessity of people putting forward their own interests.
Develop new projects with immigrant inhabitants and employers in the field of social participation and social activation.

Approach

The spearheads within the Amsterdam programme document are:

Improving the physical business environment.
Stimulating entrepreneurship.
Improving the job market.
Socio-economic activation.
Quality of life and social cohesion.

Results

It is expected that immigrant inhabitants will become more familiar, and make more use of, their local facilities and services, become involved with the restructuring plans in the neighbourhood and that a minimum of three new initiatives will come from this population group, relating to social participation.

EU involvement

URBAN II is an initiative of the European Commission. The aim is to support innovative projects in the field of urban regeneration in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The URBAN II projects will set an example for national urban policy. In the Netherlands, areas in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Heerlen have been allocated for the period 2000-2006. In Amsterdam the URBAN II programme is being carried out in eight neighbourhoods from four city districts (West binnen de Ring), with a total of 63,000 inhabitants.

Financing

European subsidy: € 68.227
Total cost: € 237.725

Contact info

The local programme management, tel. +31 20 5812860

Project start date

30/01/2001

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Keywords

Ethnic minorities