Met trots presenteren we het jaarverslag 2024 van Amsterdam InChange!
We kijken terug op een bijzonder jaar waarin we niet alleen onze programmaonderdelen verder hebben versterkt, maar ook succesvol de transitie hebben gemaakt naar onze nieuwe naam en branding. Daarnaast hebben we nieuwe vraagstukken opgepakt en onze Challenge-aanpak verder ontwikkeld — lerend door te doen, samen met onze partners.
Het samenstellen van dit verslag is elk jaar weer een feest. De verzamelde Challenges en bijgevoegde verslagen laten zien hoe we samen bouwen aan een rijke, diverse broedplaats: een tussenruimte waar innovatie tot bloei komt.
In dit jaarverslag lees je meer over de Challenges van afgelopen jaar, de events die we organiseerden, en de thema’s die we als netwerk verkenden tijdens kennissessies, werksessies, deepdives en Data Dilemma’s.
Hieronder vind je alvast de highlights. Wil je meer weten? Lees dan hier het volledige jaarverslag 2024.
On June 5th, we were welcomed at the Huis van de Toekomst (House of the Future) in Amsterdam South-east for our 28th Knowledge and Demoday! Former Amsterdam Smart City director Leonie van den Beuken hosted the event. It was a day full of enthusiasm, positive energy, and fresh insights.
In this article, we’ll give you a quick overview of the Knowledge Session, Work Sessions, and Pitches. Want to dive deeper? Read the full reports by our team members Noor, Pelle and Jill (linked below).
Demo Days are one of the key tools we use to stimulate innovation and foster connections between our partners and the broader community. The purpose is to showcase the progress of various innovation projects, ask for support, share challenges, and engage more partners to help take these projects to the next level. More information about the Demo Days can be found here.
Behavioural scientist Reint Jan Renes (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) delivered an inspiring session on behavioural change. Why do people, despite good intentions and awareness, continue unsustainable practices? And what does it really take to achieve lasting behavioural change, especially among more affluent groups? Read Jill’s full report here.
Circular | Designing for Circularity in the Port of Amsterdam
This session addressed one of the key challenges of the circular transition: how can we make the Port of Amsterdam fully circular? The City of Amsterdam has set an ambitious goal to become fully circular by 2050. A transformation that includes the port. Achieving this will require deep collaboration and innovation. Read Noor’s full report here.
Mobility | From Policy to Practice: Inclusive Design Ambitions of the Amsterdam Transport Authority
Together with a diverse group of network partners, we explored inclusive design in mobility projects. Inclusive mobility is a key theme in regional policy, based on the idea that everyone — regardless of age, income, disability, gender, or background — should be able to travel safely and comfortably. This session aimed to co-create an initial action plan for implementing inclusive design principles in mobility. Read Pelle’s full report here.
Energy | How to Keep Our Mechanics on the Move?
This session focused on a major challenge in the energy transition: grid congestion, and specifically, how to ensure grid maintenance workers can continue operating effectively. Alliander’s Operation 2.0 team is exploring innovative ways to work smarter, faster, and more flexibly to keep up with the demands of the transition. Read Noor’s full report here.
Digital | Transformation Canvas
In the Digital work session, the spotlight was on the Transformation Canvas: a powerful tool to turn complex societal challenges into actionable strategies. Ocean Conijn from the Digital Society School guided participants through the framework, using the example of how data could support healthier eating habits among students. Read Jill’s full report here.
We also featured a series of inspiring pitches from innovators within our network. Here's a quick look at the topics presented:
During Demoday #28, we focused on one of the key challenges in the circular transition: how can we make the Port of Amsterdam fully circular?
The Amsterdam port is one of the largest in Europe. It functions as a major energy hub, where fossil fuels still play a central role, and as an industrial hub, where massive flows of raw materials pass through. The City of Amsterdam has set the ambitious goal of becoming fully circular by 2050. This means the port must transform as well. This is a complex and far-reaching task that requires collaboration and innovation.
In this work session, we zoomed in on circular design: how can we make products and processes circular from start to finish?
James Hallworth, Commercial Manager at Port of Amsterdam, opened the session by taking the group on a tour through the world of the port. Located in the western harbour area, the port has two main responsibilities. First, it ensures the smooth and safe handling of all maritime traffic on behalf of the City of Amsterdam. Second, it manages and develops the land and industrial areas around the harbour.
To tackle circularity, Port of Amsterdam applies industrial ecosystem thinking. In nature, waste does not exist, and the same principle should apply here. The port aims to build collaborative networks between companies, where waste flows from one company becomes raw materials for another. There is already significant activity around recycling and recovery, but more can be done in higher-value strategies on the R-ladder, such as repurposing, remanufacturing, and refurbishment. Circular by design is a key concept in this shift.
The port is transitioning from measuring success in tons to measuring added value. This shift also means thinking differently about space: circular systems require space to receive, process, and recover valuable materials from waste streams.
Creating a fully circular production process is easier said than done. That’s why we worked through two real-world cases: construction materials and e-bikes. Participants split into groups and explored what a truly circular production process might look like. We also explored the potential role the port could play as an enabler of circular supply chains.
Some key takeaways from the session:
• Material passports: A digital document containing material properties and origin can greatly simplify recycling and reuse.
• Monomaterials: Products made from a single type of material are much easier to separate and recycle at the end of life.
• Smart synergies: Mapping which companies can use each other’s waste flows as input can unlock huge circular potential.
• Financial incentives: Right now, circular processes are often more expensive than linear ones. Smart financial mechanisms could help bridge that gap.
• E-bike challenges: In the case of e-bikes, batteries were flagged as a challenge. Recycling them is still very difficult, and since they are mostly produced outside of Europe, it’s hard to have control over the production process.
This session invited participants to take a step back and view products through a circular lens. The port has the potential to become a key player in the circular transition, but to get there, it will need ideas, insights, and input from across the network.
<strong>Do you have ideas on how the Port of Amsterdam can become more circular? Or would you like to contribute to future sessions? Get in touch with Noor at noor@amsterdaminchange.com. A big thank you to James Hallworth from Port of Amsterdam for bringing this challenge to the network, and Yanti Slaats (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) for moderating the session.</strong>
On the 5th of June, during the 28th Knowledge and Demo Day, we explored the topic of Inclusive Design in the context of mobility projects together with a diverse group of network partners. Iris Ruysch introduced the theme on behalf of the Amsterdam Transport Authority (Vervoerregio), while David Koop and Lotte de Wolde from our knowledge partner Flatland facilitated the session format, moderation and visual notes.
The Amsterdam Transport Authority is responsible for public transport across fourteen municipalities in the region and is working towards a mobility system that enables people to travel quickly, safely and comfortably by public transport, bicycle or car. In addition to organising and funding public transport and investing in infrastructure, the Authority actively contributes to broader societal goals such as sustainability, health and inclusivity.
Inclusive mobility is one of the key themes within the wider mobility policy. The central principle is that everyone – regardless of age, income, disability, gender or background – should be able to travel well and comfortably throughout the region. This calls for a mobility system that is accessible, affordable, appropriate, socially safe and welcoming.
The aim of the session on 5 June was to work with the network towards an initial action plan for applying inclusive design principles in mobility projects. Iris is keen to ensure that the ambitions around inclusivity are not only stated in policy and vision documents but are truly embedded in the organisation – from policymakers to implementation teams.
After an introduction by Iris on the context and ambitions within the Transport Authority, we got to work. In small groups, participants explored the profile of the implementing civil servant (using a persona canvas) and considered desirable changes in approach; in terms of attitude, skills and collaboration.
We then used the Inclusive Design Wheel to examine how existing programme components of the Authority could be made more inclusive. In pairs, we tackled themes such as accessible travel information, social safety at stations (specifically for women), and improving bicycle parking facilities.
The Inclusive Design Wheel is an iterative process model that supports the structural integration of inclusivity into design and policy projects. The model emphasises collaboration, repetition, and continuous learning. It consists of four phases:
While the persona profiles were being developed, I observed the group discussions and noted several important insights to take forward in the development of the action plan:
Iris collected valuable input to kick-start the development of the action plan, and participants gained a better understanding of the Amsterdam Transport Authority, the principles of Inclusive Design, and what it takes to move from policy to implementation. This summer, a trainee will start at the Transport Authority to further develop this topic and the action plan. The session, this report, and Flatland’s visual notes provide a strong foundation to build on. We’ll be meeting with Iris and David to explore how we can support this follow-up.
Would you like to learn more about any of the topics or developments mentioned in this report? Feel free to email pelle@amsterdaminchange.com.
On the 5th of July, during Demoday #28, we zoomed in on one of the pressing challenges facing the energy transition: grid congestion, and more specifically, how to keep the people who maintain the grid moving efficiently.
Grid congestion is a serious and growing concern for grid operator Alliander. It is therefore essential to speed up the grid reinforcement as much as possible. Alliander’s Operation 2.0 team is exploring innovative ways to work smarter, faster, and more flexibly to keep pace with these developments.
Their efforts focus on three tracks:
• Alleviating staff shortages by training office employees to occasionally support fieldwork.
• Exploring technologies like advanced ground radar to get better insights into underground assets.
• Improving the logistics of supplying mechanics to ensure they have the right tools, in the right place, at the right time.
This last track was the main focus of our work session.
Logistics experiences show that mechanics collect materials inefficiently when supplying their vans and jobs, resulting in stock corrections, less control over stock, unnecessary work for logistics staff, and valuable mechanic hours being lost, which leads to less execution work. A few key problems stood out:
• Supplies are scanned inconsistently, so the system doesn’t reflect what is actually in stock.
• Every van is different, with a custom layout that suits the preferences of its mechanic.
• The work itself is unpredictable, which makes standardised restocking difficult.
• With a transition to smaller electric vans, space is becoming even more limited.
A simple optimisation of the process is not enough, especially without considering the human element. For many mechanics, a visit to the supply centre is more than just logistics. It is a moment of connection, a short break from the road, or simply a chance for a good coffee.
In groups of four, we brainstormed creative ideas to improve the supply of Alliander vans while keeping the needs and routines of mechanics in mind.
Some highlights:
• Peer-to-peer van inspiration: Let mechanics share the layout of their vans with colleagues. They can exchange best practices and take pride in an efficient setup. Adding a bit of gamification might boost motivation even more.
• A mobile supply service: A supply van could drive around to restock mechanic vans, reducing the need to visit the supply centre. However, this might remove the social element of taking a break with colleagues.
• Smarter routing: Track the location of mechanics only in relation to nearby grid faults. This way, the closest available mechanic can respond without feeling like their movements are constantly being monitored.
• Package-based resupply: Inspired by delivery service Picnic, mechanics could exchange complete “supply packages” instead of picking out materials individually. Collaborating with wholesale suppliers could reveal more useful insights.
• Automatic stock tracking: Tag all materials with RFID chips and use sensors installed in the door of the van to register what is removed from the van. This eliminates the need for manual scanning and reduces the chance of mistakes.
Do you have a bright idea to improve how mechanics work? Let us know in the comments or send a message to Noor at noor@amsterdaminchange.com.
A big thank you to Thomas Hoekstra and Iris van der Zanden from Alliander for bringing this challenge to the network, and to Chantal Inia from Royal HaskoningDHV for moderating the session.
