‘The six-foot economy will create new opportunities for Zuidas'

Interview with Zuidas director David van Traa and Hello Zuidas director Olivier Otten 

When the Dutch government announced measures requiring people to work from home back in March, Zuidas turned into an oasis of tranquillity overnight. Gone was the familiar bustle of office workers, students and residents. The atmosphere was downright surreal. Hello Zuidas talked about it with Olivier Otten, director of Hello Zuidas, and David van Traa, director of the Zuidas Amsterdam Development Office.

IS THIS A CRISIS ON A PAR WITH 2008?

It’s natural to draw parallels with earlier crises, yet Olivier Otten – who was also in Zuidas when the 2008 crisis struck – doesn’t see big similarities so far. ‘To start with, Zuidas wasn’t as built up as it is now. There were some major housing projects in the works at the time that had to be suspended, but there were creative solutions to fill the gap’, Otten recalls. They ranged from a field of maize on the plot where Gershwin now stands, to chickens roaming where the SuitSupply head office is going up. David van Traa isn’t worried about Zuidas’ post- corona future either: ‘So much is still uncertain, but at the same time it’s clear that earlier trends like the success of cities and the undiminished value of proximity and physical presence still apply.’

VITAL ROLE FOR ZUIDAS

Neither David van Traa nor Olivier Otten have fears of vacant office buildings. ‘Looking back at the last crisis, vacancy levels were actually not all that bad. It’s possible some companies will leave, but I’m confident we’ll have no problem filling those spaces’, Otten explains. As we head into a six-foot economy, David van Traa thinks Zuidas could have a vital role to play. ‘It’s often seen as a district that has yet to mature, which works in our favour now. So many different functions come together here, but in relative terms there’s still loads of unused space – large squares and wide streets that aren’t used as intensively as places in the centre of Amsterdam. That creates opportunities. In these times you’re better off going for a stroll on Mahlerlaan than Leidsestraat, and having drinks while maintaining social distance is no problem on Gershwinplein. At Nieuwemarkt that would be much trickier.’ To tap into that, Van Traa is encouraging local restaurants and cafés to come up with plans and ideas to temporarily share public space...’

GOOSEBUMPS

In terms of supporting local initiatives, Otten hopes parts of the workforce will start trickling into the district again. ‘Places can open again for lunch and coffee, but of course they’re dependent on office workers, so hopefully we’ll see that stream of people gradually return in responsible fashion. Van Traa agrees, adding, ‘Street-level businesses play an important role; they bring diversity and activity to Zuidas.’ Looking back at the past couple of months, Otten and Van Traa also point to some positive and surprising developments. David van Traa: ‘For Zuidasdok, we’ve really been able to use this as a reset period to forge a stronger vision for the continuation of this project.’ Otten emphasizes that it has sparked countless initiatives by local businesses. ‘Like Restaurant AS selling sourdough bread at different spots, Bolenius’ asparagus takeaway service and of course the rooftop workouts by Clubsportive. You’d never imagine stuff like that, but it really gives you goosebumps!’