Smart City Academy
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Are you interested in the experiences of others working in smart city projects and organizations? The Smart City Academy provides available knowledge about smart city projects and can help you with project development. This Smart City Academy page provides you with information and researches about the impact and conditions of smart city projects. Professors, teachers and students study the initiation, management, collaboration and scaling of smart city projects and would like to share these results with you. They do so by organizing events and masterclasses, by developing smart city tools and methodologies and by making research and outcomes accessible. You can find everything here. And the good news is.... You can add your knowledge too! Are you working on Smart City research? Please feel free to share your knowledge in the Academy section, under ‘Other research and theses’. The Smart City Academy is powered by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. If you have any questions, you can contact smartcityacademy@hva.nl

Hans Nouwens, Directeur , posted

Denk mee: Opzet NL programma Digitalisering Openbare Ruimte

Op 24 september is er een werksessie, tijdens de Common Ground week van VNG, waarin onderzocht wordt welk bovenstedelijk programma nodig is om de 'slimme stad' pilots en projecten op te schalen, naar grote icoonprojecten voor Nederland.

De openbare ruimte wordt steeds verder gedigitaliseerd. Sensornetwerken slinger zich door de stad, we willen schonere lucht, betere doorstroming van het verkeer, bestand tegen hoosbuien en hitte. Er komen ook grote veranderingen aan die de stad letterlijk op de schop nemen: de grond moet open voor gasbuizen, stroomvoorziening, riolen, glasvezel. Werkelijk unieke kansen om de stad te digitaliseren.

Denk en doe mee tijdens dit PI event.

Locatie: Catharijnesingel 55 Utrecht, op loopafstand van CS Utrecht
Dag en tijd: 24 september van 9:00-14:00 (inclusief lunch)
Aanmelden: via email naar h.nouwens@connectedworlds.nl

#DigitalCity
Mathieu Dasnois, Communications Manager at Metabolic, posted

Measuring the Circular Economy

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Part of the transition to a circular economy is measuring how circular our current economy really is. Metabolic fascilitated a workshop with the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (PBL), which brought government ministries and municipalities to the table, to discuss how best to measure the circular economy in the Netherlands. Intra-governmental cooperation is crucial to measuring the different levels of the circular economy across cities and regions. Check out the report! (in Dutch)
https://www.pbl.nl/publicaties/meten-om-te-weten

And read more about our work here: https://www.metabolic.nl/news/measuring-the-circular-economy-the-dutch-pioneers-leading-the-way/

Mathieu Dasnois's picture #CircularCity
Frans-Anton Vermast, Strategy Advisor & International Smart City Ambassador at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

SMART-CITY: Defined by insiders.

A Smart-City can be defined as the achievement of maximum quality of life with a minimum use of resources, with the help of the intelligent networking of digital technologies. It is possible to make a city more attractive, more environment-friendly and less wasteful of energy or water, facing several challenges at the same time: social, methodological, technical, organizational and conceptual.
Even if this contemporary utopia for our future cities sounds good, it can be useful to bring in mind that Smart-City and democracy were not primarily related. We are collectively running, worldwide, into this model of living but who asked for it? Mainly IT companies whom business models are based on data exploitation, and governments that sighted a good opportunity to bring private investments in public facilities.
When Artificial Intelligence continues to inspire a lot of innovation debates, we already know that an intelligent decision-making algorithm based on data analysis, would probably not make the same choices than humans, influenced be sensitiveness and natural moral law. What we are living actually is an unprecedented opportunity to up-grade the global efficiency of our urban areas, and implicating all stakeholders in its achievement is the crucial condition to avoid a disastrous bouncing effect against technology in a few decades.

Frans-Anton Vermast's picture #DigitalCity
Herman van den Bosch, Curator at Amsterdam Smart City; professor in management education , posted

Resilience....

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In my second essay in the series Future Cities: Smart by Default. Humane by choice, I dive into what makes a city resilient an how resilience looks through humane glasses...
Resilient cities: http://smartcityhub.com/resilient-cities/
De veerkrachtige stad: https://wp.me/p32hqY-1MA

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Citizens&Living
Mirjam Endendijk, Marketing & Communicatie Manager at Luminext, posted

How city data is transforming the way we live

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How city data is transforming the way we live

8 cities show how smart data is changing the way we live. From Las Vegas to Copenhagen, smart technology is used everywhere for an efficient, safe and pleasant living environment. How exactly does smart data management work and what advantages do new technologies have for companies and the residents of the city?

1. Las Vegas: live data

Bold, brash and operating 24-hours a day, Las Vegas is a city like no other, attracting millions of visitors a year to its bustling casinos. But as well as hosting 43 million tourists each year, the city is home to almost 650,000 residents who need services including public safety, transportation and utilities. City officials recently turned to smart city data management to ease the pressure.

They used Hitachi’s Smart Spaces and Video Intelligence solution, which is a combination of hardware and software that leverages intelligent video and other internet of things (IoT) data to provide a single view of activity, operations, and safety issues with intelligence for real-time data and analysis, deploying resources more efficiently.

For example, the city can produce heat maps of streets that can indicate if a pothole is likely to develop in a given location and take steps to fix the issue before it starts to damage vehicles. Elsewhere, rubbish collection routes have been reduced from ten hours to four, redeploying employees to help with other services.

2. Seoul: smart waste solutions

With almost ten million people living in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, waste management has become an area of focus and, as one of the most high-tech cities in the world, it’s no surprise that big data and IoT has become part of the solution.

“Ecube Labs was founded in Seoul when the first smart city projects started to emerge in Korea,” explains Guillaume Weill, project director at Intralink. “The company’s focus is on four main products, which have now been installed in more than 150 locations in Seoul, from parks to department stores, leisure venues and tourist districts.”

These include solar-powered waste bins which compact rubbish, fill-level sensors monitoring the quantity of waste in each bin, a big data platform gathering the information from the bins and a platform that automatically refines manual collection routes based on machine-learning algorithms, bringing huge cost-savings and a cleaner city.

3. Amsterdam: 3D-printed smart bridge

With its network of canals, Amsterdam has more bridges than almost any other city in the world, around 1,800 in total. But what if smart city data management meant those bridges could talk to other infrastructure to optimise travel around the city? The MX3D bridge is the world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge designed by Joris Laarman Lab in collaboration with Arup and supported by Autodesk and other partners.

Dutch firm MX3D is using industrial six-axis robots, proprietary software and welding machines that deposit stainless steel from thin, molten wire to build the 40-foot-long smart pedestrian bridge spanning the Oudezijds Achterburgwal, one of the oldest canals in Amsterdam.

Equipped with sensors, the bridge streams data to the cloud where it is then processed and interpreted to visualise intelligence about bridge traffic, structural integrity, and the surrounding neighbourhood and environment. The bridge can send alerts when it needs maintenance and can even talk to roadways to time the lights better to reduce congestion at busy times.

"Innovative solutions ensure enormous cost savings plus a cleaner city"

4. San Francisco: smart cycles

One of the strategic goals of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is to prioritise transport that doesn’t involve a car. Part of its vision for a sustainable transportation system includes a safe network of bicycle-friendly streets so people of all ages and ability can feel confident travelling on two wheels.

The SFMTA uses automated counters to monitor key bicycle data, which it analyses annually to get an idea of cycle use in the city. Using the information provided by these smart monitors, the SFMTA added ten miles to the bikeway network and created thirty new intersections. Of those new miles, 5.5 received physical protection from passing traffic.

More than eight million bikes were counted at forty locations in 2018, but the data showed 63 per cent of the weekly ridership was occurring in just seventeen of the fifty-one reporting counters. This information enables the city to focus its improvement efforts where they are needed most.

5. Stratford, Ontario: perfect parking

Parking in cities is often frustrating and time consuming. But with the help of smart city data management, it can become a much simpler affair. Seeing the opportunity, the City of Stratford in Ontario, Canada, has invested in smart technology so visitors can spend less time trawling for a space and more time spending money in local businesses.

The city has installed 78 IoT sensors thatmerge information with global positioning system, or GPS, data and relay whether a parking spot is free or empty, with updates provided every half an hour to an Amazon Web Services MQTT Broker, which relays the update to the Information Builders WebFOCUS data analytics platform. WebFOCUS then creates easily read visualisations, which convey which spaces are free where, when the busiest parking periods are, and which are the preferred car parks, levels and spaces used by residents and visitors.

6. Edam-Volendam: smart lighting

With its authentic streets and charming fishing port, Edam-Volendam is a real tourist attraction. The municipality wanted to reduce the energy bill for public lighting and at the same time ensure a safe environment for visitors and residents. The smart lighting systems from Luminext in combination with LED luminaires from Lightronics and Lightwell provide the solution.

By illuminating only where it is needed and by dimming as soon as there is no traffic on the street, Edam-Volendam saves energy while ensuring a safe environment. With the smart lighting technology in the luminaires and the telemanagement system from Luminext, the public lighting network is controlled and managed remotely.

The smart lighting ensures that the amount of light is automatically adjusted to the need for light on the street. More light in dark alleys enhances the feeling of safety and dimming the street lighting in a residential area causes less light nuisance in the bedroom, which is good for a good night’s sleep. The smart lighting system automatically detects defective lamps, allowing repairs to be started quickly and to make the lighting function well as soon as possible. That also benefits street safety. The lighting installation and energy consumption are continuously monitored to be able to dim the lighting as efficiently as possible. As a result, the energy savings are optimal.

7. Copenhagen: energy saving

With dwindling global energy supplies and the environmental impact of certain types of energy, cities must look carefully at their use. It’s unsurprising then that energy use is a huge consideration when it comes to smart cities using big data.

Frederiksberg Forsyning, a publicly owned utility company in Copenhagen, aimed to create a smart energy supply solution that would optimise their supply network and create efficiency savings. One of the issues with doing this is the reliability of data, with utility companies often reliant on customers for monthly or yearly meter readings.

To tackle this, the company created a connectivity network across the municipality and then installed sensors in their pipelines to measure usage from the point of production to the substation and on to the end-customer. They went from getting infrequent customer readings to 700 data points a second, seeing savings on water loss and energy use.

8. Brussels: Smart transport tech

The Belgian capital city of Brussels relies on four metro train lines, seventeen tram lines and fifty bus lines to get its residents where they need to go. STIB–MIVB, the company that runs these services tracks 401 million journeys a year and 1,200 vehicles. To handle the stream of big data, it partnered with SAP and Cubis to access the analytics needed to improve customer service and run the system more efficiently.

As well as improving the experience of commuters and visitors, the partnership has enabled more proactive vehicle maintenance, greater transparency when it comes to use of public funds, the ability to cater for passengers with disabilities and reduced environmental impact.

“Cities are full of data that can help us better understand travel times, routes and crunch points on a network,” says Brian Duffy, SAP’s Europe, Middle East and Africa north regional president. “If used in the right way, data insights can help people get to where they are going faster, more efficiently and more reliably.”

Sources: Luminext & ‘Future Cities’; Special editen by publisher Raconteur, international distributed with The Times in june 2019.

More information at Luminext.eu or info@luminext.eu

Mirjam Endendijk's picture #SmartCityAcademy
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

WeMakeThe.City event recap: Designing Change: Participatory Urban Design Today

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Often urban planning decisions are made by a select few. Some planning processes, such as public meetings or online comment petitions can prove difficult to get participation from everyone who will be impacted, especially those who feel as if there is no way for their voice to be heard, the poor, the disenfranchised, the fearful. One of the events during the WeMakeThe.City festival discussed the need for more diverse participation and inclusive communication of the needs of citizens within urban planning. A look back by special reporter Derrek Clarke.

The Designing Change conference started off with professor of the University of Miami School of Architecture Eric Firley. He recently published a book on his research into the changing nature of urban design over the past forty years. The book, Designing Change, takes a deep dive into the practice of urban design as experienced through 12 leading practitioners from across three continents. Firley’s research aim is to foster cross cultural conversation and knowledge sharing of the different aspects of urban design. The WeMakethe.City 2019 talk to promote Professor Firley’s book did just that by fostering a lively back and forth discussion between the professor, his three urban design guests and the audience of citizens, architects and urbanists.

One thing everyone agreed on is that we need more diverse participation and inclusive communication of the needs of citizens within urban planning. As Regula Luscher, the Head of the Planning and Building Department of Berlin stated:

“Participation is about being able to reach target groups. This is very difficult to do and will impact the use of technology in urban development.”

Often urban planning decisions are made by a select few. Some planning processes, such as public meetings or online comment petitions can prove difficult to get participation from everyone who will be impacted, especially those who feel as if there is no way for their voice to be heard, the poor, the disenfranchised, the fearful. It isn’t to say, that achieving greater participation and hearing the concerns of impacted citizens is impossible. Amsterdam has proved to be a fertile experiment ground for participatory urban planning.

Both Tom Schaap, Senior Urbanist for the City of Amsterdam and Paola Vigano, Head of the Laboratory of Urbanism at the Technical University of Lausanne referenced Amsterdam as a classic model of what can be achieved through active community participation. As Tom explained, “Amsterdam is a great example to the EU and to the world with its development into a bike centred city. It didn’t happen overnight but involved lots of participation. It changed street by street and neighbourhood by neighbourhood”.

A Question Of Technology And The Smart City

Current technologies, mainly smartphones and low-cost sensors may hold the keys to more inclusive participation in urban development projects. Sensors can be used to track traffic patterns and public use of space while smartphone apps can be used to communicate with disenfranchised citizens to enable them to participate in the planning process.

However, the use of these technologies pose many questions around personal privacy and what secondary uses the collected data will be subjected to. Use of these solutions may drive citizen communication and participation in the process lower, or worse; mire the whole process in endless arguments. The Canadian city of Toronto is experiencing just this as it slowly tries to progress through the planning of Google's Sidewalk Labs’ waterfront development. Progress on this proposed smart city development has slowed because of discussions about the ownership and use of the data that will be at the core of the development’s smart city operations.

This is not to say that technology is bad and can’t serve a purpose when it comes to increasing participation in urban development, it can. To be useful, technology has to balance participation enablement with protecting the personal freedoms of the community as a whole.

Urban Planning Is The Chance To Dream At The Scale Of The City

A personal freedom cherished by all is the freedom of mobility. Whether a smart city or not, no urban development project can be discussed without addressing the topic of getting from one place to another. As Regula states, “In every participation project traffic is always the question. How to move the people is always a central idea.” History bears witness to this through the grand boulevards of Baron Hausmann in 1800s Paris or the many public works projects of Robert Moses in mid-20th Century New York City. Throughout history, traffic management and the need for better infrastructure to deal with congestion has been a central component of many urban development strategies. This focus on transportation continues today in cities such as present-day Amsterdam where communities are pushing for less use of personal vehicles and greater use of cycling, pedestrian ways and potential mobility-as-a-service options.

Urbanist Paola Vigano proposes another solution to increasing urban density and transportation congestion. She asks: “Why have we forgotten about living across the land and continue to focus on the urban area? Why continue to densify the city, which pushes out the people who already live there?”. Paola believes we should not neglect satellite cities. These should be developed as diverse places to live, play and work with high-speed connections to larger urban centers. Paola proposes this experiment to resolve urban congestion while also addressing the plight of rural areas suffering from population drain.

Moving Forward Through Experimentation

“If we can’t do experiments, then we can’t make the future” states Regula Luscher as she aptly sums up the combined views of the panellists and the audience in attendance at this talk. In the end, we must experiment to resolve urban development challenges. Whether the topic is how to address the challenge of community participation, immigration, migration, transportation or crisis such as climate change – the answer is always “we have to experiment and try out different solutions”.

What works in one city may not directly translate into a successful initiative in another city. We have to listen to communities, get their participation and collectively experiment until we have working solutions.

Photos and text: Derrek Clarke

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #Citizens&Living
ulrik von Estorff, Scientific Officer , posted

Call for Expression of Interest for Pilot Living Lab at JRC Petten

Living labs are a modern way of creating user-centred environments that enable innovation, co-creation and start-up development.

We launch a call for expressions of interest to co-create living labs in two of our research sites Ispra, Italy and Petten, the Netherlands for smart city solutions.
Future mobility solutions in Ispra encompassing

ad-hoc shared rides
door-to-door automated delivery
vehicle connectivity and communication (V2X)
automated shuttle, robo-taxi
clean vehicle solutions

Digital energy solutions in Ispra and Petten encompassing

smart meters, sensors and devices to collect energy and well-being data
ICT infrastructure
Interactive user interfaces, geographic information systems, data analytics

We offer

a city-like, controlled environment
state-of-the-art laboratories and technical support
scientific expertise
advanced infrastructures

#Energy
Lizann Tjon, Program Manager Innovation at City of Amsterdam, posted

Start Smart Mobility Amsterdam 2019 - 2025

An accessible, liveable and less polluted city: this is what we’d like to achieve for residents, visitors and businesses in Amsterdam today and for future generations.
Smarter and cleaner mobility can help us realise these aims. As a city, we want to offer Amsterdammers, commuters and visitors alternatives to the present forms of mobility, providing a door-to-door solution and contributing to our aims. This includes shared electric transport, from cars to bikes, in ‘Neighbourhood eHubs’ (eBuurthubs) established in cooperation with local residents. That way, we can use clean modes of transport and create more space in the city by sharing. We can then use this extra space to improve liveability.

More info on www.amsterdam.nl/smartmobility

#Mobility
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

The secret to building an inclusive city

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By many accounts the Amsterdam of today represents an urban success story. Despite all the positive changes however, there are many complex social challenges that need addressing. In a short period of time, Amsterdam has transformed drastically in terms of population and economic development but also in the number of visitors.

These urban challenges were the focus of the 2nd Up Close and Liveable Conference which took place on June 21 as part of Amsterdam’s WeMakeThe.City festival. A recap by our special reporter Katerina Ryabets.

By many accounts the Amsterdam of today represents an urban success story. Despite all the positive changes however, there are many complex social challenges that need addressing. In a short period of time, Amsterdam has transformed drastically in terms of population and economic development but also in the number of visitors coming to the city.

These urban challenges were the focus of the 2nd Up Close and Liveable Conference which took place on June 21 as part of Amsterdam’s WeMakeThe.City festival. The conference brought together an international audience of urban professionals, researchers, policy-makers, and city-dwellers to address a range of social urban pressures, ranging from access to housing and climate justice, to the impacts of increased tourism, the protection of digital human rights, and urban health.

So, who belongs in the city?

Well-known for her popular TED talk on the topic of urban belonging, the Nigerian writer, editor, and activist OluTimehin Adegbeye kicked the day off with a keynote address and the question: who belongs in the city? In her talk, OluTimehin reminds us that our cities are reflections of ourselves, and that it is up to us to keep both our governments and ourselves responsible for creating safe and accessible cities for all: “If cities are to continue to exist we cannot accept systemic exclusion as part of the urban experience. Cities are only as exclusionary as we make them”.

Speaking from her experiences in her hometown of Lagos, Adegbeye raised challenges that are being felt in cities across the world, from Nigeria to the Netherlands. Her speech reminds us that the feeling of belonging in a city is not universal and the unfortunate reality is that the urban experience does not offer the same opportunities for all.

“The promise of cities lies in the remarkable ability to aggregate the vast spectrum of human possibilities and create new and unforeseen realities from that. We all lose when cities are allowed to become hubs of homogeneity.” - OluTimehin Adegbeye

Community-centered interventions for improving urban health

The morning breakout session on improving urban health highlighted an important theme that would run through the rest of the day. All speakers stressed the necessity to consider the day-to-day lived experiences of underserved or marginalized individuals and communities when developing policies or interventions to address urban inequality.

Jessica Attard from the Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Charity in London shared insights from their efforts fighting childhood obesity in two of the city’s most diverse and deprived boroughs. She explained that to be able to positively impact the health of vulnerable communities we must first start with a change in perspective to really understand the lived experiences of these groups. This sentiment was echoed by Cecilia Vaca Jones, Program Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation whose work with initiatives such as Urban95 focuses on improving urban environments so that children and families can thrive. Like Attard, she challenged the audience to consider the city from the perspective of its smallest and most vulnerable users, arguing that if we can make cities work for them, they will work for everybody.

Accessibility and inclusivity in the digital city

A later session focussing on the topic of digital human rights (rights that individuals and communities are entitled to when accessing and using the internet and other digital technologies) introduced the work of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights- a joint initiative launched by the cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York City to protect and uphold human rights in the digital realm. In explaining the goals of the Coalition, Max Sevillia, Director of External Affairs at the City of New York spoke about the necessity of putting a foundation of digital human rights at the core of urban technological interventions or platforms that cities introduce.

The internet plays a central role in our daily lives, and for those without equal access to digital technologies, accessing governmental services, searching for employment opportunities or even pursuing education represents a real challenge. By sharing insights, and co-creating actionable plans, the cities within this coalition are putting their weight behind protecting and promoting digital human rights and are focused on eliminating the barriers that different groups face in accessing technological opportunities.

“We are often sold on the idea of smart cities. But it’s much more important to be a wise city. Wise cities put people first. '' - Daniel Sarasa Funes, Urban Innovation Planner, Zaragoza City Council (Spain)

Do better policy tools lead to more equal cities?

One of the final sessions of the day turned the discussion over to the tools that politicians and planners are using when developing policies addressing urban inequalities. The Social City Index, created by the International Federation of Housing and Planning (IFHP) is a tool that can be used to provide municipalities with a better understanding of how their city is doing along various social indicators at the city and neighbourhood levels.

The goal is to assist in decision making, ideally fostering cross-departmental collaboration within local and regional governments. While there was a unanimous agreement from the panel about the importance of collecting measurable data for informed decision making, Professor Darko Radovic of the Keio University in Japan raised an important point. He reminds us that while data can help paint a picture of the state of society, we must be aware that numbers are not neutral, and to continue to consider those groups and individuals whose experiences may not be adequately covered by selective indicators. In other words, we must be curious about what the numbers aren’t showing us.

Putting the individual at the heart of complex problems

After an inspiring and thought-provoking conference, by far the greatest takeaway was that anyone concerned with improving accessibility and inclusivity in the city, be it governments or societal groups must begin their efforts with a deep understanding of the day-to-day realities of the communities that they wish to empower. Unfortunately there is no magic pill for fixing urban inequality, but it is only from this consideration for the lived experiences of the city’s most vulnerable users that we can take meaningful strides towards making cities better for all.

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #Citizens&Living
Frans-Anton Vermast, Strategy Advisor & International Smart City Ambassador at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Sustainable mobility on demand is not only for cities, is it?

My friend Marco Maréchal wrote an interesting article on unlocking municipalities and the countryside towards the cities via sustainable mobility on demand.

Although I agree with most of his views, I think we should take this conversation to a more holistic level: how can we work parallel towards innovations that people do not need to travel to work every day anymore.
Let's also think about moving ‘bits and bytes instead of atoms’ or in other words bring the ‘work to the worker instead the worker to work’ (quotes by Bas Boorsma).
So, we can work on reducing the amount of transportation movements. Compare it with waste management or reducing your electricity bill.

If we are able to convince people to produce less waste, it is the best solution to our waste problem instead of finding innovative and most of the expensive ways to process all the current waste.
And reducing energy consumption by isolating houses is far more effective than generating more energy in sustainable ways.

Therefore, reducing cars and other transportation activities is at least as important as finding sustainable mobility solutions on demand to improve the quality of living of citizens who work-live-play in urban and rural areas.
f we are able to convince people to produce less waste it is the best solution to our waste problem instead of finding innovative and most of the expensive ways to process all the current waste.
And reducing energy consumption by isolating houses is far more affective than generating more energy in sustainable ways.

Therefore, reducing cars and other transportation movements activities is at least as important as finding sustainable mobility solutions on demand to improve the quality of living of citizens who work-live-play in urban and rural areas.

Frans-Anton Vermast's picture #Mobility
Maartje Oome, Communications Manager at Green Business Club Zuidas, posted

Zero Waste Zuidas 2030

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At the annual Green Business Club Zuidas CEO breakfast, 25 CEO's of Zuidas companies signed an agreement on becoming "Zero Waste" by 2030. This initiative is a collaboration with Amsterdam Economic Board. (Dutch)

Tijdens het jaarlijkse Green Business Club Zuidas CEO-ontbijt ondertekenden 25 CEO’s voor een Zero Waste Zuidas in 2030. Het doel: een circulaire Zuidas waar elk restproduct weer het begin is van iets nieuws. Voedsel, grondstof, herbruikbaar materiaal en uiteindelijk energie.

Fred Bos, Senior Managing Director van ABN AMRO licht toe waarom zij een van de initiatiefnemers zijn van Zero Waste Zuidas: “Komen tot nul restafval in 2030 is realistisch wanneer we morgen beginnen. Niet alleen vanwege de technieken en innovaties, maar juist ook vanwege dit bestaande samenwerkingsverband.”

Met grote volumes samen naar nul
Met ruim 43.000 werkzame mensen vormt Zuidas het grootste zakendistrict van Nederland. Hoewel exacte cijfers niet bekend zijn, wordt er ruim 4 miljoen kilo afval geproduceerd op jaarbasis, waarvan het grootste gedeelte restafval is. Met het ondertekenen van de overeenkomst committeren bedrijven zich aan het gezamenlijk aanbesteden van afvalstromen. Deze aanpak creëert volume, waardoor afval zo optimaal en hoogwaardig mogelijk kan worden verwerkt. In 2020 starten de deelnemers met papier, karton, plastic en organisch afval.

Ronald Voorsluijs, CEO van Milieu Service Nederland, zet in op zero waste en zero emission: “Zo wordt bijvoorbeeld het organisch afval van de Goede Doelen Loterijen op locatie gecomposteerd. Medewerkers kunnen het compost voor eigen gebruik mee naar huis nemen. Dit voorkomt afval én gesleep.”

Samenwerking
Zero Waste Zuidas is een initiatief van Amsterdam Economic Board en Green Business Club Zuidas. De participanten van Green Business Club Zuidas zetten zich al jaren in voor het verminderen van het restafval en het hoogwaardig verwerken van monostromen. Bestaande initiatieven zijn een goede basis voor verdere samenwerking tussen participanten en opschaling. De Amsterdam Economic Board werkt aan een regionaal grondstoffentransitieprogramma waarbij samenwerking en schaal essentieel zijn voor innovatie, vernieuwing en grootschalige verandering.

“Zero Waste Zuidas betekent circulariteit als uitgangspunt door de hele keten. Dat houdt in: anders ontwerpen, inkopen, slimmere logistiek, duurzame bronnen en hergebruik. Wanneer dat in Zuidas lukt, lukt het overal. De blauwdruk van deze beweging, het hoe en wat, kan door andere zakendistricten, bedrijventerreinen, overheden en Green Business Clubs worden gebruikt om afvalstromen volledig circulair te maken”, aldus Marjolein Brasz, Challenge Lead Circulaire Economie bij de Amsterdam Economic Board.

Maartje Oome's picture #CircularCity
Cornelia Dinca, International Liaison at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Amsterdam Smart City Mobility Experience: Delegation Report

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On May 9, Amsterdam Smart City hosted a municipal delegation from Leverkusen, Germany which was led by Mayor Uwe Richrath. The City of Leverkusen is currently developing its "Mobility Concept 2030+” — a strategic vision for how people and goods will move around their city in the future. To add to the municipal leaders knowledge, the delegation participated in Amsterdam Smart City’s Mobility Experience.

On May 9, Amsterdam Smart City hosted a municipal delegation from Leverkusen, Germany which was led by Mayor Uwe Richrath. The City of Leverkusen is currently developing its "Mobility Concept 2030+” — a strategic vision for how people and goods will move around their city in the future. To add to the municipal leaders knowledge, the delegation participated in Amsterdam Smart City’s Mobility Experience.

“We have taken a lot of interesting facts, especially that change cannot be ordered by the administration and politics. It has to come from the people, which only works with very intensive public participation. The visit reassured us that we are on the right path to developing a vision for the future of mobility in Leverkusen in close consultation with citizens and stakeholders.”
— Uwe Richrath, Mayor Leverkusen Germany

The delegates were particularly interested in the process by which Amsterdam Smart City brings together various public and private stakeholders, and how it engages with citizens.

Throughout the day, the group met with various experts, including Dirk de Jager, district alderman for Amsterdam South-east who explained how Amsterdam transitioned from being car-oriented to a more sustainable mobility system by reallocating space from cars to bicycles. Dirk also introduced Amsterdam’s planned mobility policies through 2025, for instance the elimination of 10,000 parking places within the ring road of Amsterdam.

Sjors van Duren, from Royal Haskoning, was particularly inspiring, sharing examples and best practices from smaller municipalities in the Netherlands and Germany which the delegates could relate to.

Joris Hupperets of EV-Box explained the role EV-Box is playing in transitioning Amsterdam to a zero-emission future, as the City of Amsterdam will ban diesel and gasoline vehicles by 2030. Joris explained some of the key mechanisms and policies the City is using to implement this vision and how this will be done in an incremental way and in consultation with various stakeholders.
Joris Hupperets shares insights into Amsterdam's successful approach to electrification of transport
The delegation also met with Maarten Woolthuis, co-founder of BYCS who explained the role of the Bicycle Mayor program in shifting public perspectives and giving cyclists a voice in Amsterdam as well as internationally.

At the end of the day the delegates reflected on the most important lessons they would be taking back to Leverkusen:

  • A transition to a sustainable mobility system takes decades and the work is never finished.
  • It’s important to show people the positive benefits of change. For instance by explaining to car drivers that more cycling benefits all road users, including drivers themselves as there is less congestion and pollution as more people shift from driving to cycling.
  • Ambitious visions should be matched by clear strategies for how to achieve goals.
  • The Amsterdam Smart City program provided many helpful ideas for how to engage and communicate with stakeholders, especially citizens, about the future of mobility in Leverkusen.

When asked about the highlight of the day, most delegates agreed the bicycle tour led by Marjolein de Lange, cycling planning consultant, was an eye-opening and inspiring way to experience best practices and innovations first hand.

Delegation report by Cornelia Dinca, Amsterdam Smart City Delegations Lead. Photos by Thomas Schlijper.

Cornelia Dinca's picture #Mobility
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Circular possibilities for larger domestic waste. Event recap: Circulaire Vooruitzichten | Pakhuis de Zwijger

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Last Thursday Amsterdam Smart City organized an open dialogue with Amsterdammers on the innovation challenge of one of its partners in Pakhuis de Zwijger. On the agenda: upcycling! What is it exactly and can we upcycle larger domestic waste? What can Amsterdam learn from others to organize this? What are the roles of the private sector and citizens in this process?

‘Many organizations struggle with a concrete way forward in transition to a circular economy, but everybody agrees that collaboration is fundamental’, according to Leonie van den Beuken, director of Amsterdam Smart City. ‘Therefore, we are happy that we can use this evening to have an open discussion with other thinkers and doers in the circular economy.’

As a foundation of the discussion, Inge Oskam of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences shared the basic principles of the circular economy and primery talking points when turning waste into something new. By starting with the value hill she explained why it is so hard and at the same time interesting to focus on upcycling of materials. Upcycling means creating more value from recovered materials. For instance by finding new functions for the materials (repurpose). Inge showed interesting examples of repurposing: the creation of gadgets from old time tables of the railway stations and the use of an old airplane hangar for a bus terminal. Key lesson is that the conservation of existing shapes is key in the upcycle process, as the transformation of shape always costs energy and affects the business case directly.

Aside from many basics of the circular economy, Inge stressed to pay attention to a rebound effect. The true need for the circular economy comes from ecological needs. ‘Unfortunately we see that extreme success in circular businesses can create negative side effects, e.g. the use of new materials to create new products. For example, scaffolding wood is very popular for furniture nowadays. This started as a way to give wood a second life. However, due to high demand new scaffolding wood is currently made. This effect is called the rebound effect.’ Finally, Inge expressed her enthusiasm about the availability of new technologies like robotics, lasercutting and 3D printing that can drive upcycling to new levels.

Learn from Almere

After this introduction we made the step to the innovation challenge at hand: planning a long term waste collection location in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, opening up to new technologies and forming public-private partnerships to make the most out of waste. Gerard Wiggers and Thomas O’Brien, representatives of the City of Amsterdam and Almere, explained existing initiatives (Almere) and planned activities (Amsterdam) about the collection of larger waste items at so-called Upcycle Centers.

The Upcycle Center Almere, opened January 2018 as a waste point, startup ecosystem and experience center under one roof. With more and more citizens in their municipality and growing ambitions with regards to sustainability, Almere turned into a frontrunner in the circular economy by building the first upcycle center. Thomas O’Brien explained that three local circular entrepreneurs are supported at the upcycle center by freely accessing the waste to use it as resource for new products. Since 2018, the Upcycle Center has shown great value to the local community. Not only are these entrepreneurs facilitated in their first stages, the Upcycle Center is also working on awareness and educational value for both citizens and students. Knowing and understanding what is done with your waste, motivates people to take waste separation efforts and go there.

The City of Amsterdam is currently researching how to facilitate new technologies for upcycling at their local waste collection locations. Amsterdam Smart City helps by sharing learnings from existing best practices like Almere, ties interesting research to the challenge, connects this challenge to regional efforts and makes optimal use of collaborative thinking of partners and citizens.

Variations new upcycle center

Amsterdam has six waste collection locations where citizens can bring their old televisions, furniture, etc. As we are renewing one of these locations, therefore doing long term investments, we want to connect to the circular economy. Currently, three variations are under consideration for a new waste facility. The buildings differ in risk sharing between public and private partners. The centers combine waste collection spaces, spaces for local craftsmanship and upcycling production facilities, logistics and customer/citizen experiences. All with consideration of local waste regulations.

Gerard Wiggers: 'We would like to consult the market and learn what the current possibilities are. Besides many activities we are doing with regards to planned logistics and hyperlocal recycling units, we need to know if private partners want to tackle the upcycling challenge for this waste stream together with us. With the creativity and entrepreneurial mindset of the market, we can show citizens the value of waste.'

Thomas O’Brien (Almere) is enthusiastic about the set-up and indicates that co-creation is crucial to optimal value and make sure that roles and responsibilities with regards to e.g. programming and activities is distributed between the most logical partners. He advises Gerard to focus on the communicative power of the upcycle center and make sure it is highly attractable for citizens to keep coming and learning why their behavior is important.

Input from the private sector

Time to query larger local waste companies about the variations of the new facility and the innovation challenge of upcycling. Both Bert-Jan van der Woude (Suez) and Gerard Veldhuijzen (Renewi) stated that circularity is the general way forward, but sometimes struggle with scale and maturity in the market. Both Suez and Renewi work on mass volume (61mln tons annually, domestic waste 9mln tons), whereas the local craftmen in e.g. Almere work on a completely different scale. Therefore, Bert-Jan believes that such an Upcycle Center has to be a learning facility, a partnership between government, knowledge institutions and private companies. With an initial focus on the educational and research value, building trust and commitment for longer term between partners rather than asking market players to take full responsibility directly.

For a different perspective of waste, Tim Spekkens pitched The Upcycle. The Upcycle is a startup in Amsterdam’s historic center, collecting waste to turn into products. 'Walking around with some beers at Kingsday, I was immediately inspired by all the paper beer containers in the city streets. I found the perfect materials for the notebooks I make, lying around everywhere. This is my gold, my oil.' New local pioneers like Tim are paving the way for better usage of waste, up the value hill again. Tim was very enthusiastic about the plans of the City of Amsterdam and advised them to learn from and connect to small, local communities.

In a final wrap-up, Gerard explained the value of this effort again also in terms of communicative power. Few people really know what happens to their waste after disposing it. By opening up the process, awareness for separation of waste increases.

Did you miss the event? Don’t you worry.. You can watch the live feed at the website of Pakhuis de Zwijger (in Dutch): <https://dezwijger.nl/programma/circulaire-vooruitzichten>.

The next Amsterdam Smart City innovation challenge discussion at Pakhuis de Zwijger will be on the 15th of October, with a focus on the energy transition. Do you have interesting ideas or solutions for this challenge? Please comment below to connect!

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #CircularCity
Joris Kruse, Director , posted

Bouwen aan morgen

Er zijn maar weinig organisaties die de complexiteit van een overheidsorganisatie benaderen. Succesvol innoveren binnen een overheidsorganisatie is dan ook een utopie volgens sommigen. Het boek 'Bouwen aan morgen' van Dany Robberecht en Stijn Smet doet een dappere poging om te komen tot een raamwerk voor innoveren binnen overheidsorganisaties. Het boek dat is gebaseerd op het RICE-model van Verhaert, gaat over diensteninnovaties, nieuwe bedrijfsmodellen, productinnovaties en de daar bijhorende procesinnovaties. 'Bouwen aan morgen' is tot stand gekomen in een samenwerking tussen het A&O fonds Gemeenten, gemeente Utrecht en Verhaert – Masters in Innovation en is gratis te downloaden via www.bouwenaanmorgen.org

Joris Kruse's picture #SmartCityAcademy
Nicholas Been, Intern , posted

Longread: Lokale initiatieven als volwaardige partner in de energietransitie

LONGREAD: In my last blogpost for Amsterdam Smart City I identify a series of benchmarks which can be used by Amsterdam’s local energy initiatives in order to become a better collaboration partner for the municipality. In random order, these are: the mobilisation of residents in the neighbourhood, perseverance in combination with a strong and shared ambition, access and usage of networks, a solid organisational structure (such as a energy cooperative), an understanding of relevant subject matters and processes, and lastly, being able to work with municipal frameworks and schemes. Disclaimer: The generated list of criteria takes academic literature, conversations with local energy initiatives, and input from presentations into consideration. With this in mind, financial barriers and possibilities were not taken into account. To find out more, read on (in Dutch)!

Hi Amsterdam Smart City Community,

Mijn tijd bij Amsterdam Smart City zit er helaas bijna op, wat betekent dat dit de laatste blogpost van mijn onderzoek zal zijn. In de vorige twee posts (blog 1, blog 2) schreef ik over huidige ontwikkelingen in de energietransitie binnen Amsterdam en factoren die bijdragen aan het succes van een lokaal energie-initiatief. In de praktijk is duidelijk te zien dat steeds meer initiatieven ontstaan, meer tractie hebben en ook steeds meer succes krijgen (hier een voorbeeld) bij het realiseren van zonneprojecten en verduurzaming van de bestaande bouw. Waarschijnlijk hebben lokale initiatieven ook een belangrijke rol bij aardgasvrije wijken of bij het verhandelen van lokaal opgewekte energie onder bewoners (zie bijvoorbeeld wattslocal). Ik heb onderzocht hoe deze initiatieven zich zouden kunnen ontwikkelen om ook bij intensieve gebiedsgerichte verduurzaming een belangrijke rol te spelen in planvorming, realisatie en/of beheer van nieuwe energieoplossingen. Zoals besproken in mijn eerste blogpost, is ook de gemeente Amsterdam actief bezig met ondersteuning en samenwerking met deze initiatieven.

Op basis van academische literatuur, gesprekken met lokale initiatieven en de input op meerdere presentaties bij ASC demodagen, een energieontbijt van 02025, en bij het team Amsterdam Klimaatneutraal (AKN) heb ik een lijst met criteria, dan wel succesfactoren voor lokale energie-initiatieven opgesteld. Deze kunnen lokale (energie) initiatieven helpen om uit te groeien tot een volwaardige partner van overheden en bedrijfsleven in de energietransitie. Voor elk van de punten geef ik een korte toelichting en een handelsperspectief voor lokale initiatieven. In willekeurige volgorde:

SUCCESFACTOREN VOOR LOKALE ENERGIE-INITIATIEVEN:
Draagvlak - mobiliseren van bewoners, daadwerkelijke support van iedereen in de buurt:
Voldoende draagvlak is moeilijk te definiëren, maar is erg belangrijk voor een wijk-intensief project, zoals een aardgasvrije wijk. Bij zulke initiatieven is het erg belangrijk om iedereen in de buurt te betrekken dan wel mee te krijgen. Ook bewoners die minder enthousiast zijn moeten betrokken zijn. Draagvlak kan niet per se gedefinieerd worden door het aantal leden in de coöperatie, de coöperatie kan ook op andere manieren, bijvoorbeeld met inspraak en stemrecht het lokale draagvlak vergroten en daarmee een goede vertegenwoordiging van de wensen van de buurt zijn.

Handelsperspectief: Voorbeelden van het versterken of creëren van draagvlak zijn:

  • Laagdrempelige toegang tot planvorming. Creëer een fysieke plek voor de visualisatie van mogelijke innovaties/technologieën. Zo krijgen bewoners een beeld van wat er mogelijk is en hoe verandering van de wijk eruit komt te zien. Dit kan een voorbeeldwoning zijn. Organiseer informatieavonden, waarbij bewoners de mogelijkheid krijgen om vragen te stellen of bezwaar kunnen maken.
  • Communiceer “Straight to the point”. Licht je activiteiten zo concreet mogelijk toe. De buurt is al druk bezig, dus hiermee voorkom je dat er onduidelijkheid ontstaat over de bezigheden.

Doorzettingsvermogen en een sterke en gedeelde ambitie:
Veel initiatiefnemers hebben een sociaal leven, een baan en tal van andere dagelijkse bezigheden. Het is echter ontzettend belangrijk om doorzettingsvermogen te laten zien. Dat begint met een sterke en gedeelde ambitie. Je laat tevens zien dat er een behoefte is om verandering door te voeren, waarom dat nodig is en dat de activiteiten een positieve impact zullen hebben op de buurt, ofwel een maatschappelijke meerwaarde hebben.

Handelsperspectief: Neem de ruimte om motivatie en ambities goed toe te lichten aan nieuwe deelnemers of bewoners. Een plan van aanpak waarin kleine praktische stappen zijn vastgesteld, geeft de ambitie een structuur. Dit geeft niet alleen richting aan leer- en ontwikkelprocessen maar helpt ook om draagvlak te stimuleren.

Toegang tot en gebruik maken van netwerken:
Middelen en kennis zijn schaars. Daarom is het noodzakelijk om goed gebruik te maken je netwerk. Dit helpt bij een optimale samenwerking binnen het lokale initiatief, in samenwerking met soortgelijke initiatieven, en met stakeholders zoals de gemeente.

Handelsperspectief:

  • Samenwerken met andere initiatieven. Zo kan er makkelijk kennis en informatie worden gedeeld, en leer je van elkaars ervaringen. Dit kan bijvoorbeeld in de vorm van communities of practice zoals de energie-ontbijten van 02025.
  • Zorg dat je initiatief vermeld wordt via kanalen van betrouwbare organisaties, zoals de website van de gemeente. Zo kunnen potentiële partners zien dat je een serieuze partij bent, en kom je makkelijker aan nodige middelen of hulp.

Goede organisatievorm, zoals een formele coöperatie:
In de praktijk en in academisch literatuur is duidelijk te zien dat een coöperatie de meest geëigende organisatievorm is voor lokaal initiatief. Dit heeft vele voordelen (deze beschreef ik in mijn tweede blogpost) maar de belangrijkste reden is dat een coöperatie door bewoners is opgericht om andere bewoners te helpen.

Handelsperspectief:

  • Beschik over een toegewijde leider die zich fulltime met het initiatief bezig kan houden. Dit is iets wat in het praktijk vaak ontbreekt. Hierdoor ontstaat er continuïteit in het ontwikkelproces en in het beheer.
  • Een sterk financieel plan. Hier geef je inzicht in het financiële verhaal voor de komende jaren en inzicht in potentiële financiële consequenties.

Diversiteit aan vaardigheden en kennis van processen:
Om minder afhankelijk te zijn van hulp van externe partijen (tegen vergoeding) en de gemeente, is kennis van bepaalde processen nodig, bijvoorbeeld van de techniek, het recht, communicatie, en financiën.

Handelsperspectief:
Techniek: Basiskennis van de werking en beheer van relevante technologieën (zoals warmtepompen, warmtekoude opslag of warmtenetwerken) en innovaties is belangrijk. Deze competentie kan bijvoorbeeld worden opgedaan via het eerder genoemde netwerk. Ook is veel online te vinden, bijvoorbeeld via HierOpgewekt.

Rechtspleging: Als energiecoöperatie ben je een formeel rechtspersoon, die rollen en verantwoordelijkheden goed moet inrichten. Stel dat de coöperatie eigenaar wordt van een warmtenetwerk, dan geeft dat mogelijk een verantwoordelijkheid van beheer, veiligheid en financiering. Hierbij is juridische ondersteuning noodzakelijk.

Communicatie: Goede communicatie met de wijk is cruciaal. Om draagvlak te creëren en om onduidelijkheid te vermijden, moet je helder communiceren en hiermee voldoende bereik creëren. Denk aan actief gebruik van social media, maar ook juist andere middelen voor minder actieve social media gebruikers in de buurt.

Financiën: Kennis van financiën is belangrijk. Niet alleen omdat je als initiatief ook inkomsten genereert en die moet incasseren en mogelijk weer verdelen, maar ook omdat je vaak in gecompliceerde subsidieprocessen kan belanden.

Om kunnen gaan met kaders vanuit overheidsinstanties:
Kennis van de kaders waarmee overheidsinstanties werken is van belang voor een lokaal energie-initiatief. Relaties met overheidsinstanties zijn belangrijk, bijvoorbeeld vanwege subsidieaanvragen en andere soortgelijke processen. Door hier kennis van te hebben, weet je hoe besluitvormingsprocessen werken krijg je een beter idee van hoe je binnen de schaal van activiteiten past. Verder is het van belang om te kunnen omgaan met bestaande infrastructuren en investeringen in de wijk. Dit is belangrijk voor conflicterende aanpassingen zoals groenvoorzieningen.

Handelsperspectief: Het beschikken over een contactpersoon binnen een overheidsinstantie zoals de gemeente is cruciaal. Omdat Amsterdam veel verschillende initiatieven kent en de gemeente geen homogene organisatie is, kan de kennis die een initiatief nodig heeft zeer project- en contextspecifiek zijn.

REFLECTIE:
Bovenstaande resultaten zijn uitkomsten van een (bescheiden) onderzoek, en de vraag is of deze punten echt in de praktijk gebruikt kunnen worden. Daarom hebben we het publiek tijdens mijn presentatie voor het AKN programma gevraagd of ze wel of niet eens waren met mijn hypotheses. Hier zie je de resultaten:

Draagvlak en ambitie kwamen hierin naar voren als belangrijkste voorwaarden voor een bewonersinitiatief. Vanuit de zaal werd er gevraagd of de andere vier criteria relevant zijn voor alle typen initiatieven. Amsterdam is natuurlijk een diverse stad met mensen van verschillende afkomsten en met verschillende achtergronden. Niet iedereen heeft de capaciteit en middelen om (bijvoorbeeld) kennis te vergaren over de relevante vaardigheden en expertises. Met dit in gedachten is het belangrijk om te vermelden dat deze lijst is opgesteld zonder inachtneming van beschikbare (financiële) middelen voor lokale initiatieven.

Ondanks deze mogelijke ontwikkelpunten voor lokale initiatieven, zie ik juist de meerwaarde voor een community-brede aanpak bij een intensieve transitie, zoals richting een aardgasvrije wijk. De energietransitie is naar mijn mening een kwestie van elkaar helpen en samenwerken om een collectief en gewenst doel te bereiken. Als het niet lukt om lokaal samen te werken kan het zijn dat er weerstand ontstaat vanuit top-down instanties, zoals wat er onlangs is gebeurd in de Wegener Sleeswijkbuurt. Ten slotte, zijn deze criteria gebaseerd op een combinatie van wijdverbreide succesfactoren en gesprekken met enkele lokale energie-initiatieven waarmee de gemeente Amsterdam samenwerkt. Als het elders kan, waarom niet in Amsterdam?

CONCLUSIE:
In de afgelopen vier maanden heb ik veel geleerd over de rol van lokale energie-initiatieven in de Amsterdamse energietransitie. Door bijvoorbeeld aanwezig te zijn op de energie-ontbijten van 02025 was duidelijk te zien dat er al veel goeds wordt gedaan door de bewoners van de stad. Om te zorgen dat lokale initiatieven optimaal bijdragen aan de doelen en ambities van de gemeente Amsterdam, moet er nog veel gebeuren. Alle woningen aardgasvrij voor 2040 is ten slotte een behoorlijke opgave. Zonder een verhoogde participatie of betrokkenheid wordt het bijna onmogelijk om een succesvolle energietransitie te realiseren. Een actieve bijdrage van bewoners om dit voor elkaar te krijgen is dus van het grootste belang. Alle hens aan dek!

Nicholas Been's picture #Energy
Herman van den Bosch, Curator at Amsterdam Smart City; professor in management education , posted

Becoming smart? My advise to a mayor

Until recently, no mayor asked me how to become a smart city. Recently, I talked to an audience of mayors and civil servants in Zagreb. When I told them that the first step to become smart is not about technology, their attention was caught. Then I advised them to go through six steps. Does your attention be caught too? Read my post.
You will find a Dutch version here: https://wp.me/p32hqY-1Ll

Herman van den Bosch's picture #DigitalCity
Marjolein Bot, Lead Energy&Digital at Amsterdam Economic Board, posted

City-zen subsidient bewijst: duurzaam wonen op het water is mogelijk

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Wouter Wolfswinkel verbouwde met City-zen subsidie een klassiek vrachtschip uit 1906 tot een woonschip dat energie produceert. Zo lukt het om met zijn gezin op duurzame wijze een vrijstaand huis middenin de hoofdstad te blijven bewonen. In een inzichtelijk en vermakelijk (!) artikel vertelt hij alles over duurzaam wonen op het water, circulair bouwen, veel zelf doen, een béétje valsspelen én het belang van een goede sfeer in huis.

Lees hier het hele artikel: https://tinyurl.com/y6jk7o9s

Marjolein Bot's picture #Energy
Tom van Arman, Director & Founder at Tapp, posted

Testing Amsterdam Broedplaatsen in Boston USA.

Throughout history, the Dutch have been world famous for reclaiming land to make way for more productive space. Fast forward to today, and we see how the city is reclaiming derelict space to make way for creative industries. With over 60 locations to date, ‘Amsterdam Broedplaatsen’ has already transformed former problem-properties into more productive and profitable districts. Since its inception 10 years ago, this approach has proven to be a success having created acclaimed hotbeds like De Ceuvel, A-Lab, B.Amsterdam.

Can the success of Amsterdam Broedplaatsen work internationally?

Last month, we tested the Broedplaatsen concept in Boston. This 24hrs hands-on workshop asked 8 teams of entrepreneurs, spatial planners and community leaders to transform 15 properties in the Dorchester & Mattapan neighbourhoods. The challenge utilised digital tools and strategies of relevant data collection, applying design thinking, and immersion techniques. All eight teams rapid prototyped some serious pop-up solutions that will have a lasting impact on the growth and sustainability of the district communities.

See the results here: http://www.citixl.com/reclaiming-space-results/

Tom van Arman's picture #Citizens&Living
Cornelia Dinca, International Liaison at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

€300,000 available to build Platform for Cycling Innovations & Showcase Amsterdam as a Knowledge Cycling City

Are you . . .
* Passionate about the role that the bicycle plays in keeping Amsterdam and the metropolitan area accessible and livable?
* Playing an active role in sharing this knowledge internationally?
* Experienced with building digital platforms and innovation ecosystems?

If so, the City of Amsterdam and the Vervoerregio (Amsterdam Transport Region) could select your organization as the collaboration partner to support the following goals:
* Develop and share knowledge about cycling
* Stimulate innovation and experimentation in the field of cycling
* Profile Amsterdam nationally and internationally as a knowledge cycling city
* Stimulate bicycle use to achieve these goals

Why?
In its Multi-year Bicycle Plan (MJP), the municipality of Amsterdam profiles itself "nationally and internationally as The Knowledge City in the Field of Cycling.” According to the MJP, the City would like to create more room for experimentation in order to solve Amsterdam’s unique cycling challenges, and testing of innovative bicycle concepts plays an integral role in finding those solutions.

Amsterdam has been building on knowledge development in the field of cycling in a compact city, and the municipality is now taking a deliberate path toward a stronger profile of sharing knowledge and supporting innovation and experimentation. To achieve these goals, the municipality of Amsterdam and Vervoerregio seek support for the following activities:

1. Digital Knowledge & Innovation Platform
Knowledge sharing leads to concrete ideas, projects or initiatives. The winning proposal will need to detail plans for a digital platform which will be in both Dutch and English, through which knowledge and innovations concerning cycling in the Amsterdam region will be bundled and made accessible. It will provide a shared bicycle platform for companies, citizens, academic, municipality, and transport region and social organizations in the field of cycling for the Amsterdam region. The platform will also offer the opportunity to showcase Amsterdam as a cycling city internationally. The platform must be fully transferable, so that it can be managed and further developed by the municipality or third parties at the end of the term of the agreement.

2. Expanded Network in the Field of Cycling
The winning proposal will be charged with setting up, mobilizing, and stimulating a powerful network organization. Through this network, the makers, inventors, implementers and policymakers will share bicycle knowledge and will be empowered and supported to develop innovative ideas in close collaboration with the commissioning parties.

3. Receive Delegations
The Bicycle platform for knowledge sharing, innovation and experiment has a leading role in receiving international delegations, giving and organizing presentations, and arranging excursions for the many delegations that are expected in Amsterdam and throughout the region.

Interested?
Deadline for proposals is May 14 at 14:00 via TenderNed. All relevant documents and information can be found in Dutch via: https://www.tenderned.nl/tenderned-tap/aankondigingen/162544

Good Luck!
The wining proposal will play an important role in strengthening Amsterdam visibility as a cycling city nationally and internationally!

Cornelia Dinca's picture #Mobility
Smart City Academy, posted

Join our Smart City team at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

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Interesting vacancy in the field of Circularity and Smart City development.

Vacature: Onderzoeker Circulair Verpakken (0,4 FTE)

Als onderzoeker geef je een impuls aan het praktijkgericht onderzoek rondom circulair verpakken bij de HvA.

Wij bieden een interessante baan in een bruisende onderzoekomgeving. De HvA doet baanbrekend en innovatief onderzoek in samenwerking met vooraanstaande partners binnen dit werkveld en werkt aan de ontwikkeling van innovatieve, duurzaamheid bevorderende modellen, tools en kennis. Heb je een master in industrieel ontwerpen, of een andere discipline die aansluit bij het thema "Circulair Verpakken" en beschik je over meer dan 4 jaar ervaring als verpakkingsontwerper of verpakkingsdeskundige in het bedrijfsleven of als verpakkingsonderzoeker bij een kennisinstelling? Dan zijn wij op zoek naar jou!

Smart City Academy's picture #SmartCityAcademy