de Valreep (literally and oh-so-appropriately translated from Dutch to English as ‘just in time’). Op de Valreep used to be an abandoned animal asylum located in the east of Amsterdam until it was squatted in 2011. The building structure belonged to a large-scale regeneration project called Oostport, aiming to transform the area by creating up-scale housing, work, and commercial spaces. It had been abandoned for years and was on the verge of dilapidation when it was occupied by the squatting collective in 2011. The subsidized plans by the project developers initially aimed to turn the building into a temporary sales office (and later a posh café); however, the run-down structure and lack of built-in infrastructure (De Valreep to this date doesn’t have infrastructure for running water, gas, orfor open and inclusive social infrastructure.

The once disregarded animal asylum has undergone an amazing transformation. When the building was first occupied back in 2011, it was in extreme state of decay. The ground was covered with feces and waste. There were shattered windows, leaking walls, and broken ceilings all over. Refurbishing was anything but an easy task but was nonetheless taken up by the collective who did it on a voluntary basis. In turn, not only did they not get any credit for their efforts from the local authorities, they actually received a threat of a fine between €25,000 and €500,000 and possible incarceration for a period of 6 months for performing illegal construction activities on a monumental building.

The social centre, despite its outreach and success, has constantly