Red-Light Districts have long been contested urban spaces where contradictory
values around morality, tolerance, safety, tourism, and economic interests coexist. In many cities, these areas are increasingly subject to transformations that aim to reduce nuisance, regulate tourism, and reshape urban identities, often raising concerns about the future position of sex work in the city. This research focuses on De Wallen, Amsterdam’s Red-Light District, which is currently facing renewed plans for transformation. De Wallen is a highly visible, multifunctional urban area where residential life, tourism, consumption, and regulated sex work intersect, yet remains characterised by persistent tensions related to liveability, safety, overcrowding, and deeply conflicting interpretations of its identity. Using a qualitative single-case study approach combining policy analysis, literature review, semi-structured interviews, and scenario planning, this research examines how the spatial characteristics of De Wallen and the value conflicts among its actors can inform future scenarios for the district. The
findings demonstrate that every proposed transformation involves unavoidable trade-offs: interventions that improve liveability tend to reduce the visibility, safety, and economic security of sex workers. Future scenarios for De Wallen are therefore only possible if these trade-offs are made transparent, marginalised voices are structurally included, and policy-makers explicitly acknowledge that spatial interventions always encode choices about whose values are prioritised. ... Read more