I think everyone who’s ever been to Amsterdam has ended up walking through the seedy red light district – it’s actually pretty hard to ignore when you’re there, unless you’re actively trying to avoid it – and I kinda thought that it would always be there  whenever I went back. It almost seemed like it was part of the furniture.

Images VIA

Sadly though (I guess?) that isn’t true and the current red light district is scheduled to be demolished and turned into flats, eventually to be replaced with a multi-storey ‘erotic centre’ that will also include new bars, entertainment areas, restaurants and a health centre. Not entirely sure what some of those features actually mean, but no other information is available at this point.

However there have been unfortunately quite a few problems with finding a site for the centre as unsurprisingly nobody really wants an erotic centre coming to their neighbourhood and every site proposed so far has been rejected by locals. Here’s what The Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema had to say about the situation:

I hope it’s possible to create an erotic centre that has some class and distinction and isn’t a place where only petty criminals and the most vulnerable women gather.

But I also realise there is a long road ahead of us because most people associate sex work with crime and with the vulnerability of women, with human rights being violated.

So in most neighbourhoods, most people are not very enthusiastic about the erotic centre.

I hope before Christmas to choose the final location and make it known – the shortlist is three, but I hope we can narrow it down to one.

Well fingers crossed for Halsema and her initiatives because I think that truly would be an excellent Christmas present for everyone involved. Except for everyone in the neighbourhood where it ends up of course.

Whatever happens though, you know that the erotic centre is going to have a hell of a lot of visitors over the years. It will probably become as iconic as the Red Light District once was. Here’s to the future.

For more of the same, check out what Tokyo’s Red Light District looks like. Bit of a different vibe.