It consists of four residential neighborhoods—Bijlmermeer, Venserpolder, Gaasperdam and Driemond—as well as the Amstel III/Bullewijk Business Park and the Amsterdam Arena entertainment and shopping district.

[1] The largest neighborhood of Amsterdam-Zuidoost is Bijlmermeer, planned in the 1960s as a modern, functional 'town of the future' in accordance with the principles of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

As rents dropped, the area attracted many underprivileged residents, including recently arrived migrant groups.

With its tall, impersonal and increasingly abandoned towerblocks allowing for little social oversight, the area struggled with soaring crime rates and vandalism.

[2] In 1992 the Bijlmermeer was struck by disaster as an Israeli El Al Boeing 747-258F crashed into the tower blocks named Groeneveen en Kruitberg in the very heart of the neighborhood.

Responsibilities delegated to the 2014–2018 district committees include parks and recreation, streets and squares, refuse collection, permits and events, preparation of zoning plans, passports and drivers licenses, and welfare work.

[6] As of 2018, members of the executive committee also had portfolios for anti-discrimination and diversity, crime and public safety, adult and vocational education, art and culture, energy transition, environmental issues, the circular economy, as well as refugees and undocumented migrants.

The executive committee chair is Muriël Dalgliesh (PvdA), and the other members are Urwin Vyent (GL) and Emile Jaensch (VVD).