This reinvented high-rise housing estate, built in a hexagonal formation in 1966, was once known for crime and deprivation, and in 1992 was partly destroyed when a 747 jet crashed into two of its blocks. After this, the larger blocks were demolished, and investment led to the area becoming known as a centre for entertainment, shopping and innovative architecture. It's accessible by metro, and you arrive via the dramatic Nicholas Grimshaw–designed Bijlmer ArenA station, opened in 2007.
To the west lie Johan Cruijff ArenA, the AFAS Live and Ziggo Dome. To the east is the Amsterdamse Poort shopping complex. De Bijlmer holds the city's largest Surinamese population, along with immigrants from West and North Africa.