Policy & Civic Health · Indicator 3
Legal status & protection of cultural venues
What this indicator asks
Are music and club venues in Amsterdam recognised in law as cultural places, and does that recognition protect them?
47.0/ 100 · Amsterdam
We looked at three issues: whether night culture is legal where it happens, whether venues hold the legal status “cultural”, and whether that status protects them. Promises made and studies done score lower than laws in force.
City rules let nightclubs open until 4am on weekdays and 5am at weekends, but only at designated locations. Elsewhere, events at night need a permit.
The new city coalition promises to recognise clubs with a cultural character as cultural institutions. It will also look at whether iconic venues such as Paradiso can become intangible heritage — a UNESCO term for living culture, such as practices and traditions, not buildings.
The city has studied Agent of Change, a planning principle used in London. Under this rule, whoever builds next to an existing venue, such as a new housing block, pays for the soundproofing. The city has not adopted it. An expert said the city has shortlisted three areas for a pilot and hopes to choose one next year. The expert doubts the principle fits Dutch law:
“It’s not really about if we want [the Agent of Change policy] or not, it’s about if it fits the way that our legal system works. And it doesn’t really, because our legal system will override something like that.”