"Amsterdam’s Canal District, edited by Jan Nijman, makes an important contribution to the historic preservation literature and, more generally, to writings on global cities. Whereas most books on the Canal District focus on its creation in Netherland’s Golden Age (the 17th century), this book, which brings together top-flight scholars from a wide variety of fields, highlights both lessons to be derived from the district’s evolution since the 17th century as well as contemporary debates in Amsterdam about how to cope with the challenges posed by over-tourism."
David P. Varady, Journal of Urban Affairs
"The marvel of Amsterdam’s famed Canal District is the result of a 400-year history spanning the rise of early modern capitalism and the liberal state, fueled by bourgeois mercantile elite and riches plundered by a slave-trading empire, and continual evolution in response to economic, population, and technological change. It is also a story of remarkable urban planning and water management, innovative urban design, and an approach to historic preservation that has been remarkably successful in both maintaining the district as a living place while conserving its built heritage. Jan Nijman’s superb, richly illustrated collection offers a clear window into the fascinating history of the Canal District, how it adapted and changed over the centuries, and the challenges that it now faces as a World Heritage site and major tourist destination. Cities and their planners around the world have much to learn from this important book. "
Jennifer Wolch, College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley
"An impressive volume of collective scholarship on one of the world’s most distinctive city districts. Contemporary issues and challenges facing this World Heritage Site are set in the context of the deep historical layering of Amsterdam’s Canal District and its architectural, cultural, and economic legacies."
Paul Knox, University Distinguished Professor, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and Founding Dean, Honors College, Virginia Tech
"Amsterdam’s Canal District is a very useful example of a survey for planners and stakeholders of important World Heritage sites."
Zef Hemel, Wibaut Chair, Urban and Regional Planning Program, University of Amsterdam
"A veritable treasure for anyone interested in Amsterdam, the history of the Dutch Golden Age, or contemporary ecological concerns about how to most meaningfully conserve an urban space of immense historical and cultural value without turning it into a ‘lifeless museum.’ With its expert historical essays balanced against sections devoted to conservational concerns, this book is a beautifully illustrated volume with a wonderful collection of reproductions of (often rarely seen) urban landscape paintings, engravings, maps, charts, and urban engineers’ sketches. A true monument to the lasting value and splendour of the Amsterdam Canal District."
Jonathan Israel, School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University
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