Amsterdam (Netherlands): Using containers as a solution to student housing

In the transitional zone between the city and the port, interim land utilization often serves as a provisional measure to align with zoning regulations pertaining to safety, noise, dust, traffic, and various other aspects associated with port operations. This approach allows projects to adapt over time in response to forthcoming urban and port demands. Initially designated for specific purposes, like office spaces, these structures can be readily transformed to accommodate different functions, such as housing, in line with future urban prerequisites, shifts in port activities, legislative modifications, and so forth. In the case of Amsterdam, refurbished shipping containers create an alternative resource for easily constructable housing. This construction material has made the rent quite low for a city such as Amsterdam, and this method was also used further in countries where affordable housing is vital, such as Nigeria, Ghana, French Caribbean, New Zealand, the UK, Scandinavia, and Switzerland, either to combat high rents and homelessness or as alternative facilities for refugee camps.

This good practice also includes objective 6.2 (Integrating spaces and functions open to residents and visitors alike into port facilities, enhancing the visibility of the port and its activities) and 8.3 (Developing public spaces and recreational or cultural amenities in City Port interface zones to create an appealing new area) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda.