Folkert Leffring

As a decade of change has come to an end, what will the 2020s bring for cities?

Much of our work with city leaders and governments starts from an immediate pressing need–a housing crisis or a rise in knife crime–but so often moves onto preparing for the future trends that will change all of our lives, and cities as we know them.

When rolling out electric charging infrastructure, cities need to weigh options like voltage, charging time and the investment level.

So what are the considerations and what cities are leading the way?

Ride-share operator ViaVan has partnered with Shell to launch an on-demand electric service in Amsterdam.

The project will combine Shell’s fast-charging infrastructure in the Dutch capital with ViaVan’s electric vehicle fleet to improve routing information to available chargers nearby.

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🤔 Is data really the new oil? Do you need big data to tackle an urban challenge? Are you sure?
Cities increasingly realise that defining a data strategy is a journey full of pitfalls and challenges.

In July Amsterdam signed a ‘social charter’ with ride-hailing operator Uber, following a series of high-profile accidents involving its drivers in the Dutch capital last winter.

This, and more, was discussed at the City Leadership Forum in Vienna.

Seven Dutch cities are fighting against a central government proposal that would give free rein to telco providers over the installation of 5G antennas.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen, and Almere, backed by the Dutch Association of Cities, say that the proposed bill would force them to provide telcos with full access to public assets.