Kanaleneiland (,
Utrecht dialect: ) is a district within the Southwest section of the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
city of
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
. It was listed (in 2005) as one of 40 "problem neighborhoods" that required extra attention by the
Dutch Ministry of Housing.
Kanaleneiland's residents have low levels of employment, health, and education.
Approximately 76% of the population are not
ethnically Dutch, most of them being of
Turkish and
Moroccan origin. This unique political climate is one that shaped the views of one of its ex-residents, national politician
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
of the
PVV, who lived in the area in the late 1990s. During his time in Kanaleneiland, Geert Wilders lived in an apartment complex on the Marco Pololaan, a busy street overlooking the Columbus park. This apartment complex is located above a Lidl supermarket, and has seen an increase in popularity among right-wingers.
References
{{Utrecht-geo-stub
Districts in Utrecht (city)