Amsterdam should be safe, affordable, and functional for all its residents - the people who pay taxes, work hard, and keep the city running. But too often, ideological policies make life harder: endless housing shortages, rising nuisance and crime, clogged streets, and bureaucratic overload. JA21 Amsterdam chooses common sense: practical measures that restore order, cut red tape, and prioritize livability over experiments that don't work.
What’s Wrong Now
The housing shortage is out of control - prices are sky-high, waiting lists endless, and too few homes are built. Nuisance and unsafety are on the rise: drug-related crime, street harassment, and unsafe neighborhoods at night, while enforcement is lagging behind. Accessibility is getting wors - unnecessary road closures push traffic through residential areas, creating chaos and frustration for commuters and workers. Bureaucracy piles up: slow permits, endless rules for entrepreneurs, and a local government that seems to be more focused on vanity projects, instead off quick, effective fixes. Everyone who lives and works in Amsterdam feels this - from long-time residents to those who came here to contribute through their jobs. The result? A city that's less livable, more expensive, and less safe than it should be
Amsterdam is increasingly filthy: streets, sidewalks, and parks are littered with trash, overflowing bins, illegally dumped rubbish next to containers, and rat-infested hotspots. Despite rising waste collection fees and countless reports from residents, the city remains dirty - collection rounds are irregular, enforcement on illegal dumping and littering is very weak, and ideological experiments (removing bins) only make the problem worse. Residents and workers see the decay every day, yet the municipality of Amsterdam fails to deliver basic cleanliness. This isn’t just unattractive; it degrades livability, attracts more crime, and frustrates everyone who pays taxes here.
Our Solution
JA21 Amsterdam stops the ideological blockades and focuses on what actually works:
- Accelerate housing construction by slashing red tape and applying realistic standards (including parking) so more homes become available faster - priority for building what people need.
- Preserve accessibility: end unnecessary closures on main roads, expand affordable P+R facilities with good public transport links, and keep the city reachable for workers and businesses.
- Tough enforcement on nuisance, drugs, and crime: more visible policing in problem areas, quick action on hotspots, and zero tolerance for disorder that degrades neighborhoods.
- Cut bureaucracy: faster permits for businesses and entrepreneurs, lower local burdens where possible, so hard work isn't strangled by rules.
- Prioritize clean, well-maintained public spaces: better street lighting, faster repairs, and a real crackdown on litter and decay.
What This Delivers for Amsterdam
A safer, more affordable, and better-functioning city. Shorter waiting times for housing, less search traffic and chaos from bad planning, quicker resolution of street nuisance and crime, and an end to endless bureaucratic delays. Streets stay clean and safe, neighborhoods livable again, and the focus returns to what matters: a city that works for the people who live, work, and pay here - without constant experiments that make things worse.
- Build more homes faster; cut red tape and ideological barriers in construction
- Stop main-road closures; expand affordable P+R with fast public transport links
- Visible policing and tough enforcement on drugs, nuisance, and unsafety
- Faster permits and less bureaucracy for businesses and entrepreneurs
- Priority on clean streets, better maintenance, and safe public spaces
Livability improves with common sense: clear rules, strong enforcement, practical planning, and less ideology. JA21 Amsterdam chooses a city that's safe, affordable, and reachable for everyone who contributes - no more dogmatic measures that make Amsterdam unlivable. Vote JA21: for an Amsterdam that works again.
election manifesto
Read more about our election manifesto in Het Parool, a dutch newspaper, translated to English about our plans for Amsterdam