Books on Urban Development

Athenaeum Booksellers is a media partner of WeMakeThe.City. In the run-up to and during the festival, books on urban development will take the center stage in the bookstore.

Athenaeum Booksellers is a media partner of WeMakeThe.City. In the run-up to and during the festival, books on urban development will take the center stage in the bookstore. Books like Floor Milikowski’s ‘Van wie is de stad?” (“Who owns the city?”) which explores the power relations in Amsterdam through questions such as: What is the role of international billionaire property developers? Who is losing their space in the city? Who is benefiting from the millions of visitors? How can local residents still exercise influence? Milikowski takes you on her search for the winners and losers while posing the question; who owns the city?

Or what about a biography of the Javastraat, written by Maxime Smit? Ever since the Javastraat came into existence in 1900 a great mix of people has been coming and going; from labourers to squatters, from migrant workers to hipsters. Entrepreneurs from various backgrounds opened up their businesses, and many have left while others have stayed. Again and again, the locals have regarded the changes with optimism, and sometimes with melancholia and estrangement. Maxime Smit delves into the past, present, and future of this melting pot street.

These and many more similar books are highlighted in Athenaeum Bookshop during WeMakeThe.City. In their Spui store and of course also online.