project15:Interactions

Prostitution in Rotterdam

Recent developments within the city of Rotterdam have caused the last place where affordable public prostitution was available to close. This is a typical example of populist form politics as it does not remove the need for prostitution, but only causes the sex worker to practice their profession outside of the law becoming easy victims of pimps and other organised crime, thus greatly worsening their situation.

The lusthof aims to rectify this governmental oversight, and at the same time improve the social situation of the sex worker. It connects to the city by being the only location with affordable prostitution, drawing people from all around the city and its surroundings.

Furthermore its prime location along a mayor shipping artery could potentially draw clientele from surrounding countries where prostitution is currently illegal. Essentially functioning as a tourist attraction, much like the red light district in Amsterdam. To enhance this effect the Lusthof is equipped with shops, cafe's and other non-sexrelated functions in order to provide a broader palet of entertainment for the curious tourist, while placing prostitution at the center of healthy city activity instead of hiding it.

Connection City Scale

Municipality Rotterdam recently closed the tippelzone 'Keileweg' that is located nearby the RDM site. The new policy does not provide a location for legal prostitution, while national law explicitly does. This causes 'underground' prostitution with increased connections to crime and large risks of abuse. We want to change the way how the municipality of Rotterdam deals with and views prostitution. To realize the Lusthof project we need to have a connection with the municipality and change their policy so as to support our proposal.

Local prostitutes need to be informed that the Lusthof is a place where they can work in the sex industry legally. They are offered the chance to practice their livelyhood in a safer environment, with on-site space for improving their situation.

On the ground floor people will find other activities than prostitution. These activities like workshops and stores are run by prostitutes. Medical care for STDs could also be found in the Lusthof. The square in the middle of the building can be used for exhibitions, like the Kama sutra.

Connection Local Scale

• (The Food Centrdm) can provide the prostitutes and the clients with food.
• (The confrontation) will inspire the clients and the prostitutes to improve their lives.
• (The Improvements System) can sell gifts to the clients.

Connection activity scale

Inside the building there will be connections between different activities and actors such as clients, prostitutes, and related people and organizations.

• SOA Poli is an organizations that helps people with STDs.
• SOAIDS also prostitutie.nl is the dutch national helpdesk for prostitutes.
• (PMW) 'Prostitutie Maatschappelijk Werk' is an organization that supports working and retired prostitutes.

For interviews with SOAIDS and PMW click here

These interactions will translate themselves into the organisation and clustering of the working spaces. These can arrange themselves according to the needs of the prostitutes and their clients, forming clusters where bordellos are needed, or individual spaces in which solitary prostitutes can work, or which can be used as safe/neutral meeting places for sexual encounters such as escort services.

Routing

Routing within the project is something which has been developed with great care due to the aspects of shame and covertness that are associated with prostitution. While attracting crowds with the use of a public square provides cover for the customers of the sex-workers they need to be able to unobtrusively disappear from the crowds and into the blobs.

According to our analysis

References

To investigate the typical workings, problems, and successes of different approaches to organizing prostitution we investigated some reference projects.

These projects can be found here