Amsterdam's buildings attract the super rich
September 28, 2015 | 1 min read
Amsterdam does not need to worry about its centuries-old buildings being bought by the super-rich from Russia, China, and Qatar. This is the opinion of a number of experts, including Professor Dirk Brounen in the Financieele Dagblad newspaper. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan's biggest fear is that Amsterdam's famous canals will turn into a beautiful but uninhabited façade.
Brounen, professor of real estate economics at TIAS, adds nuance to Mayor Van der Laan's specter. He points to the large amount of housing association properties in the city. "Even when they are sold, no rich Chinese will live there." Brounen says he is getting a little tired of these discussions. "The Netherlands and Amsterdam should first ask themselves how they want to position themselves internationally. What kind of city do you want to be? Maybe it is not such a bad thing to be seen as an attractive city internationally."
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Londens schrikbeeld nog ver weg voor Amsterdam, FD.nl (2015, in Dutch) - paywall