Jan Schaefer


Johannes Lodewijk Nicolaas "Jan" Schaefer was a Dutch politician and community organiser who served as State Secretary for Housing and Spatial Planning from 1973 to 1977 under Joop den Uyl's cabinet. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Netherlands until 1965, before he joined the Labour Party in 1969. Schaefer was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1971 general election, where held a seat with interruptions until 1990, dealing with matters around urban renewal, urban planning, spatial planning, public housing and community development. He also served as an alderman in the municipal executive of Amsterdam from 1978 to 1986, in charge of housing. His utterances on these issues "In gelul kan je niet wonen" and "Is dit beleid of is hierover nagedacht?" became catchphrases.

Legacy

Bridge 2000 or Jan Schaeferbrug in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands, built from 1999 to 2001, was named after him in 2000. Jan Schaeferpad, a street in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, also bears his name since 2000.