The idea was to create easy access to information about the city and its services. The Overheid is still one of the most popular areas of the Digital City. Hundreds of people roam through each day, and the installation of Web terminals in libraries and public buildings has made the Digital town hall accessible to more than the info-elite. However, the popularity of the Overheid derives from its ease of access. E-mail can be sent to town hall officials, or to the political factions in the council.
Concerned citizens interrogate their representatives on the issues of the day, every day.
They talk of the upkeep of the Vondelpark, the city's largest green space. They pester them with queries on Holland's convoluted tax laws. They argue back and forth about Amsterdam's proposed trans-formation from city to province. From the Overheid's pages, they visit the Dutch Parliament to track the progress of new laws, and monitor their MP's voting patterns. Then they return to Overheid to discuss and argue again.