Uncollected Built Memories

Spatial conditions for guest workers in the Netherlands (1940s - 1990s)

Student report (2023)

Authors

M.F. van der Laan Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

María Novas Teachers of Practice / A - Architecture and the Built Environment (mentor)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment, Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 Filipa van der Laan
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Published Date

20-04-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

This thesis contributes to shedding light on the significance of investigating and archiving the housing conditions of guest workers after the Second World War in the Netherlands from the 1940s to the 1990s. It is a topic that has not been sufficiently addressed in architectural and urban studies. The economic boom after the Second World War resulted in a lot of job vacancies, as there were too many jobs for the population at that time. As a result, employers went to look for workers elsewhere. It caused a large influx of migration in the Netherlands, which was mainly motivated by the aspect of temporality, as these guest workers received contracts for two years. The guest workers were housed into two categories, the ‘casa’ housing, and the large-scale collective housing. Both typologies made sure that the guest workers were under strict supervision and isolated in their social and physical environment. Due to the temporality aspect, the housing was poorly built and inflexible for possible future needs of guest workers. The poor living conditions of guest workers led to the formation of independent organisations, such as the Aktiekomitee Pro Gastarbeiders, which was founded in 1969. This organisation defended the housing rights of guest workers. However, it lost its support and subsidies at the beginning of the 1990s. As a result, it led to a weaker position for migrants in society. Sadly, today’s migrants do not have independent organisations to speak out about their problems. The research used to support this argument is done through archival research gathered from the Gelders Archief and Stadsarchief Rotterdam, as well as investigating historical newspapers. The absence of guest workers in the historical narrative of post-war housing in the Netherlands is indicative of a larger issue surrounding housing for current migrants. Collecting the historical documentation of the typology of temporary housing for guest workers is fundamental to understanding the social history of migration in the Netherlands.