I don't think there was ever any plan to close down the RLD entirely. The closure of the "Sexyland" area windows was part of "Project 1012" which was based around reducing the size of the RLD slightly and concentrating it on OzA + side streets, like Grimnul says. The same project also involved closing a few coffeeshops and there was a desire to reduce the amount of businesses that were perceived to be involved in crime / money laundering e.g some of the tacky souvenir shops and so on. I think the 1012 project was also about some more mundane stuff like improving the pedestrian access into the city, making the environment nicer and so on... it wasn't all about attacking the RLD.
Unfortunately it's been done in a very half-baked way which has made a mess of the Sexyland area and left it in a bit of a limbo with some windows closed, others open and the kind of tacky businesses, souvenir shops e.t.c opening in the gaps of the sort that Project 1012 was not really designed to encourage... but there was a thread here on
Project 1012 and I don't really want to re-tread the arguments again.
Nothing new here, but this was linked by george47 in the above thread and may be of interest if you want to read about project 1012:
Quote:
Taken from
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/media-centre/city-hall/dossier-red-light-district/general-information Project 1012
The City of Amsterdam is dedicated to making the heart of the city (postcode area 1012) safer, more attractive and more liveable. The collaborative Project 1012 was established in the summer 2007 to address numerous issues affecting the historical city centre: a part of the city vital to domestic and international tourism. The City of Amsterdam and the Centre District of Amsterdam work together in Project 1012 to reduce crime and improve the economic prospects of the area.
Through Project 1012, the City of Amsterdam wants to reduce crime and degeneration in the city centre, boost the quality and diversity of the area and provide the impulse for economic upturn. The measures that will be taken to achieve this include promoting 10 key projects, reorganising public space and a street-oriented approach aimed at significantly reducing the number of coffeeshops and brothels that engage in window prostitution. It goes without saying that the unique character of the city centre will be retained. The City of Amsterdam is working together with residents, businesses and investors to draw up plans for upgrading the different sections of the centre.
Numerous positive developments are currently underway in the 1012 postcode area. The introduction of new bars, restaurants and businesses is helping to make the area more attractive for residents, visitors and other businesses looking to move to the area.
The page quoted above on the iamsterdam website has a link to this PDF document explaining the project in more detail:
http://www.iamsterdam.com/media/pdf/mediacenter/project-1012-under-construction.pdf?la=enThat PDF appears to date from 2011. An interesting snippet from it is this:
Quote:
The streets and canals around the Singel area, the Spuistraat and the Oudezijds Achterburgwal have
been designated as a prostitution zone. This delineation means that the window prostitution zone is controllable and manageable. In 2006, the 1012 postcode area had around 480 windows. The aim is to close around 200 windows in stages, leaving some 280 windows. Around 40% will therefore need to close, and will be given a new
purpose. Even as we speak, in mid-2011, more than 100 windows have already been closed. A zoning and
compulsory purchase plan will be drawn up to tackle the remaining 100 windows.
Bear in mind that document was written back in 2011 - the interesting thing is that the
current window count in the main RLD is now 279..... almost exactly the intended total, although I'm confused if the planned 280 figure includes the 64 Singel windows (?). Anyway, hopefully the situation will now stabilise - they will presumably try to gradually close down the remaining Sexyland windows where they can, but progress is likely to be slow for the reasons grimnul mentioned, and it might be slightly balanced with a few windows opening in their preferred area of the RLD along and around OzA.
I suppose one positive thing is that if the government / council perceive the prostitution situation in the centre to be under control, free from major organised criminal influence, confined to a relatively small area, and important to tourism, it is far less likely to face the bigger threat of any plan to close it all down in the future.
Quote:
the City of Amsterdam wants to reduce crime and degeneration in the city centre
I'm sorry grimnul, but since you are a notorious criminal degenerate it looks like your chances of getting back into the city centre are slim at best...