Form Follows Finance

What are the costs of a building or urban development? How do financial flows influence the appearance of the city? For many people, this is a black box. In the exhibition Form Follows Finance – The City as a Spreadsheet, we delve into the history of Amsterdam’s leasehold system, provide insights into the construction costs of recently completed buildings, and look to the future with the impact of climate risks on various neighbourhoods in Amsterdam.

Due to the leasehold system and municipal land ownership, the City of Amsterdam can generate revenue from construction projects. Through the Equalization Fund (Vereveningsfonds), the municipality uses these revenues to finance unprofitable projects. In this exhibition, we map out construction costs, square meter prices, and land revenues, and investigate how quality requirements in tenders shape buildings.

A look into the future reveals a lot of uncertainty. The City of Amsterdam’s land positions are finite. Meanwhile, climate risks are becoming more significant. (How long) will banks and insurers continue to financially guarantee construction projects in risky areas of the city? And (how) can we continue to build if traditional sources of income in construction come under pressure?