The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is planning a complete revamp of the city center, with a sharp reduction in the amount of prostitution, De Volkskrant newspaper reported Monday.
Well-known centers of prostitution will be closed down and the major roads in the city center will be given a facelift.
"It is time to step in. The days of allowing the most beautiful part of the old city center to be overrun by criminals are over," city council finance chief Lodewijk Asscher was quoted as saying.
Under Asscher's plan, all window prostitution around the Oude Kerk will be closed. The Oude Kerk will be brought back to life as a cultural center.
Businesses in the city center that are linked to crime, such as drugs coffee shops, will also be expelled. High-value retail will be introduced in these areas.
The police, the Public Prosecution Department and tax authorities will be involved in the project, plus the housing associations, investment funds and private investors, said Asscher.
The total revamp, nicknamed "Project 1012" after the city center postcode, is expected to take some 10 years with investment of hundreds of millions of euros.
Source: Xinhua
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