The past decade seems to have presented new challenges to shopping streets in Amsterdam. Urban consumption spaces have long feared dwindling patronage due to increased competition with regional shopping malls and online shopping. Recently, however, some shopping streets in Amsterdam are considered too popular and overcrowded. This occurs particularly in te touristic inner city. Both processes are perceived as highly problematic by business owners, residents, area and shopping street managers and the local government. With its “Futureproof equilibrium” project, the AUAS contributes to the ambitious policy goal to promote a better balanced consumption landscape. This is not solely seen as a policy issue that should be addressed by government agents. Organizing collective action among stakeholders is a central aspect of the research project. Although the different stakeholders in urban consumption spaces have their own interests and strategies, they also have important shared interests and interdependencies. With collective agreements between these stakeholders can create more durable solutions.
This SIA RAAK research aims to (1) create more insight into the effects of tourism related pressures on urban consumption spaces and (2) translate these insights into new intervention strategies to create a more balanced future of urban consumption spaces.