De Vrijkoop van Bajesdorp is Amsterdam’s first “broedplaats” which is literally built by tenants and artists from the ground up. Based on fifteen years of experiences and ideals of the Bajesdorp community, we create a cooperative, sustainable, and inviting free space with around 20 apartments and creative studios. This offers a social, not-for-profit alternative to the gentrification of Amsterdam.
Getting such a large communal project financed in the Netherlands is super tricky. Most Dutch banks don’t trust it, as it is a novel (but much needed) way of real estate development. The only way to get it financed, is to invest a decent amount of cash yourself, preferably forked out by a large crowd of dedicated supporters. I helped design the crowdlending campaign and co wrote the investment brochure that brought in €600.000, and counting.