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ESG: POORTGEBOUW

Name of action:
POORTGEBOUW
Name of the organization:
POORTGEBOUW INHABITANTS ASSOCIATION, ROTTERDAM
Your full name:
PETER BLAKENEY & CHRISTINE SCHÖFFLER
Your country of residence:
Netherlands
Your mother tongue:
German
Possible working languages:
English
Your role in the organization:
INHABITANTS / WORKGROUP FOR A FUTURE HABITATION AND SOCIAL/CULTURAL FUNCTIONS IN THE POORTGEBOUW BUILDING
Type of organization:
other
Purpose of organization (please specify):
The “Vereniging Poortgebouw” is a housing association for the inhabitants / renters. The association also provides free/affordable spaces for social and cultural activities for local to international artists and cultural projects.
Size of organization (number of members, area of influence, …):
The association consists of 30 members. Given its objectives & functions the association addresses and cooperates with (local to international) social and cultural organisations. The current crisis situation also lead to a necessary influence and interaction on a political level (local to national) as well as on players in the Dutch housing market. Additionally, the members of the assocation take any opportunity to communicate the case to the public, and - if applicable - also compare it to housing situations in other cities and countries.
Your contact details:
of the organization
Telephone:
00
Website address and website name:
http://www.poortgebouw.nl
Kind of action:
other
Populations affected:
other
Action’s geographic scope:
Local
Number of people affected:
30
or supposed to be closed on:
03/10/1980
Brief description (background, stakes, players, objectives, lessons):
The Poortgebouw, a historic harbour building in Rotterdam, was squatted in 1980 during a national protest for affordable youth housing. The inhabitants association was formed to renovate the former office building into living space and realize a unique social housing and cultural project under self-management. The owner, the municipality of Rotterdam, privatized their properties in the mid-90s. From then on, housing corporations were responsible for the Dutch social housing stock – including the Poortgebouw. In 2001, the corporation sold the Poortgebouw to a private developer for the price of a single-family home. The inhabitants were unlawfully not given the option to buy the house themselves. Since 2001, it has been a crisis scenario for the association and the inhabitants. The new owner, De Groene Groep BV, wants to evict the inhabitants and redevelop the house into expensive office space. The inhabitants rejected the termination of the rent contract in 2004 and a lawsuit against the association began. The inhabitants lost the first trial in municipal court and the case is currently in appeal court in Den Haag. A verdict will be pronounced in early 2008. Parallel, the association with the help of professional advisors have developed diverse strategies to sustain this project. Currently, the inhabitants have developed their own renovation plan and have attracted financial partners willing to buy the property and realize their vision for a continued cultural and housing function in the Poortgebouw.

The Poortgebouw is a Dutch case study of issues such as:
- squatting and self-renovation projects
- self-management and group living
- the transition from public to private ownership
- the struggle against (real-estate) market logic
- survival strategies for self-management projects
Please attach documentation describing your organization and its initiatives (reports, articles, photos, videos…): first file (max 10MB):
application/mswordA Dutch Case Study.doc [43.50 kB]
Second file (max 10MB):
application/pdfHistory and Activities of the Vereniging Poortgebouw (english).pdf [3.25 MB]
Please list attached documents:
1. Poortgebouw, Rotterdam: A Dutch Case Study (Word document)
2. Poortfolio: History and Activities of the Vereniging Poortgebouw (PDF)
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