“I don’t want to leave my house…”

The Hofplein in Rotterdam will undergo a metamorphosis in the coming years. RISE is the name of this mega project from developer RED Company. Before construction can take place, it must be demolished. The fact that the two office buildings next to the city hall are going up against the plain does not cause much commotion. That is different for the third demolition building, the Pompenburgflat, a complex of housing corporation Havensteder. The flat was completed in 1981 and refurbished a few years ago. The current residents of 226 social housing units will lose their homes, although they will be guaranteed that they will be able to return to the new building as soon as it is finished. “All current residents can count on a new home at the same location and at the same rent,” says a spokesperson for Havensteder. That commitment has not quelled the unrest. Some of them have united under the Pompenburg Conservation Residents’ Committee and have taken a number of actions against the plans in recent months.