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Een voortreffelijk plan - de Amsterdamse westelijke tuinsteden

Short documentary, 1995, 44 min.

Documentary about the Western garden suburbs of Amsterdam. They were designed after the war by the architect Cornelis van Eekeren. In his view, the plan was to comply with the social-democratic ideals of light, air and learning, and spacious open-plan homes were to be surrounded by vegetation, wide streets and water. There is a broad chasm between this overstated dream and reality fifty years later. After the war the garden suburbs were filled with cheap houses and budget cuts made the streets narrower and less sunny. Using interviews with experts and inhabitants, the maker investigates the difference between dream and reality. What remains of the ideals and how do the inhabitants value their surroundings?

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