Wat is er met de stad?

"What's happening in the city? The working people are fleeing the old neighbourhoods. Of the original inhabitants only the poorest remain. The vacated houses, dilapidated and decayed, are taken in by poor people without any money, by foreign workers, by working youngsters, by squatters. And where it is possible, property developers seize the opportunity." This is the beginning of Wat is er met de stad?, a critical film about urban renewal. The film analyses the result of the inner city regeneration in Amsterdam in the late seventies, which especially concentrated on renovation and the building of new houses. This was at the expense of economical activity in the neighbourhoods, which threatened to turn into dreary, lifeless residential areas. The film ends with a plea that urban renewal should be more than just public housing and house improvement. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)