b'Unexpected swimming may become the norm in AmsterdamOneofmyfavouritecitiesintheAn overabundance of tourism (near-world, and not because I am Dutch, isly 18 million annually) has had a very Amsterdam.Thisvibrantmetropolis,adverseeffectonthecity,andwhileJONATHAN VAN BILSENwith its old world charm and a popula- the recent COVID-19 restrictions have tion of only 800,000, is overrun by tour- given the Dutch capital a reprieve fromWhenAmsterdambegantogrow, ists,whileatthesametimeshowingover-tourism,itseemsthecityhasabetween the 12th and 16th centuries, devastatingsignsofslowlydecayingmore pressing crisis. buildings were constructed on wooden under its own watch. Hard as it is to believe, Amsterdampiles, in the swampy and unstable land Amsterdam, like so many Europeanis in danger of crumbling into the wateraround the Amstel River. Canals were cities is aging, as major infrastructuralit was built upon. A major reconstructiondug into that same soft soil and canal challenges are surfacing, after years ofproject seems to be the only thing thatwalls were built.unheeded warnings. This Venice of thecan save it. Fortunately, the destructionHere we are, 500 years later, and North as it is sometimes known as, iswhich has taken place, has not causedunfortunately the municipality has ne-sufferingfromsimilarproblemsfoundinjuries,butifthemillionsofdollarsglected to keep an eye on some of its in Venice and other cities, built in waterworth of repairs are not attended to, itmost admired constructions. Today, awill only be a matter of time. signi cant number of its 1,600 bridgeslled areas.With over 600,000 cyclists trekkingThe risk of continuing to postponeand200kilometersofcanalsneed the bike paths on a daily basis, theyrebuilding of the infrastructure, will havechecking, and in some cases replacing.areactuallylosingcycliststocracksdevastating effects on the beautiful me- In January, a local news station an-andsinkholes,whichareappearingdieval groundwork that makes Amster- nounced yearsofreportsontheve alongsidethewaterwaysofAmster- dam such a popular destination. perilous state of the waterways, went dam. Quay walls are crumbling againstThis problem, does not come as alargelyunheededbycityauthorities. houseboats, and bridges are in serioussurprise to anyone living in the city. Ev- They even went so far as to report a engineering dif culties. ery school child knows a lyrical verse,diver had refused to carry out inspec-whichtranslatedtions under one of Amsterdams older reads,Amsterdam,bridges, because of the fear of immi-bigcityisbuiltonnent collapse.piles. If the city wouldThemunicipalityresponded,ex-collapse, who wouldplaining repairs were being carried out pay for it? And now itwhenurgentlyneeded,butthestate is collapsing, and theof every quay wall and bridge, meant Dutch are paying. safety couldnt entirely be guaranteed. With tourism at an extreme low, due to COVID-19, it seems that something Please turn to page 56Many of the houses in Amsterdam were built hundreds of years ago whenAmsterdam is known as the the weight on the foundationsVenice of the North.was not an issue.FOCUS - NOVEMBER 202055'