A Sinking Empire

In the summer of 2021, I returned to Amsterdam after a two-year research stay abroad. On my first walk through the city, I noticed how many of the famous canals and bridges were under construction. Some bridges were completely closed off and the streets along the canals were blocked by containers and heavy building equipment. The docks looked wavier than usual and large sheets of metal were erected in the water at about a two- or three-meter distance from the docks. The space between the dock and the metal was filled with sand. As in any expanding urban city, there is always construction. However, I had never seen anything like it. And why did it look like some of the streets were slanting and crumbling into the canal? Even the canal houses seemed wonkier than ever. Continuing on my walk, I found a sign explaining that the bridges and streets had been poorly maintained and were collapsing – sinking under the weight of water from below in a city built almost entirely on what they call “reclaimed land” as if it was supposed to be there all along – a wetland ecosystem turned into property.