New Amsterdam: Razing The Red Lantern
New Amsterdam: Razing The Red Lantern
As legions of foreign backpackers can attest, Amsterdam without the Red Light District would be like Paris without the Eiffel Tower. Yet the city has unveiled an ambitious plan to replace the brothels and sex bars with galleries, fashion boutiques and upscale restaurants.
Last December, Mayor Job Cohen presented a scheme to upgrade the historic area that has, since the 15th century, been Europe’s tawdriest haven of sexual permissiveness. Cohen’s plan is to revoke the licenses of suspected sex bars (starting last month with two popular sex venues, the Casa Rosso and the Banana Bar) and then buy the real estate to rent or sell to more-wholesome businesses.
The cleanup follows a nationwide backlash against 1960s liberalism that has led to stricter rules on selling pot and a pending ban on hallucinogenic mushrooms. A recent survey showed that 67 percent of Amsterdam residents support the clampdown on illegal prostitution. "People in Amsterdam and the rest of the country are starting to discern real tolerance from bogus tolerance," says Deputy Mayor Lodewijk Asscher, dismissing critics who say a clean Amsterdam will be a bore. He notes that Rudy Giuliani heard similar warnings when he scrubbed Times Square in the mid-’90s, only to see "record tourist numbers each year since." Yes, Amsterdam will stay popular. As for its conservative politicians, Giuliani’s career now suggests a different fate.
