Amsterdam Smart City

Making cycling more attractive for motorists during the morning and evening rush hour is the main goal of the project

On Thursday March 24 Addy Verschuren (alderman Zaanstad) and Yvonne van der Hoff (region manager Havenbedrijf Amsterdam) were the first to receive discounts by cycling in the revitalization project for employees and residents of the area Westpoort/Sloterdijk – Zaanstad. Cycling to receive a discount in regional shops is one of the incentives to get as much motorists on their bike during rush hour.

Cycling more attractive for motorists Making cycling more attractive for motorists during the morning and evening rush hour is the main goal of the project. Cycling infrastructure is improved, existing fast cycling routes are promoted and a rewarding system is created to tempt residents and employees to take the bicycle to go to their job. With a special and free app cyclists keep track of the kilometers they’ve cycled which will be equally converted to a discount The goal is to get 1600 people on their bike to unburden busy rush hours in the north west side of Amsterdam. ‘’We hope a lot of employees from the area will commute by cycling’’, says Verschuren. They can apply for the project through this link and by downloading the app Ring-Ring.

The Bike coalition (FietsCoalitie) The project is an initiative of the Bike coalition (FietsCoalitie), a team of bike-lovers: Havenbedrijf Amsterdam, TNO, Amsterdam Smart City, Count&Create, BRIGHT UP and Ring-Ring. The project is supported by the municipality Zaanstad, cityregion Amsterdam and the program Beter Benutten. The main goal of the partnership is: more cyclists and less traffic jams in the area Westpoort/Sloterdijk and Zaanstad. Together with existing bicyclers like ambassadors, other residents, contributors, associations and employers they want to involve motorists in the project. Through cycling ambassadors, rewarding cyclers with discounts, involving the community, the partnership wants to enhance a structural change in behavior of motorists. They want to change the attitude and behavior that residents and employees have towards commuting and also create more awareness amongst employers, associations and other organizations in the area. Each party has an interest in reducing travel time, making the harbor area more sustainable and contribute to the health of residents and employees.

Picture: fietscoalitie

Waternet, the water company for Amsterdam and surroundings, will be providing heat and cold from drinking water

Waternet, the water company for Amsterdam and surroundings, will be providing heat and cold from drinking water, says the alderman Udo Kock of Amsterdam.

The national blood bank Sanquin will use the cold coming from drinking water for the cooling of pharmaceutical production this winter. The cold is extracted from water in two large drinking water pipes located near Sanquin in Amsterdam. The blood bank will use a part of the cold directly, the rest is stored underground for use in the summer.

Heat from drinking water will be used in the new district Plantage de Sniepen in Diemen next summer. The heat will be extracted during summer from the relatively warm drinking water and will be stored for heating 376 homes in the next winter.

Source: Parool
Photo: Parool

Everyone can join the platform and think about biodiversity, vacancy and innovation until May 1

Participate through actively help thinking The Royal Commissioner of Noord-Holland, Johan Remkes, kicked off the online participation of citizens and entrepreneurs. They can express their points of view and ideas through a new participation platform: Civocracy. Remkes invites citizens and entrepreneurs to think about three essential subjects: the promotion of biodiversity, addressing vacancy and the support of innovations in SMEs. The Province exploits the knowledge and expertise of its citizens and entrepreneurs by letting them discuss about these subjects. Remkes kicked off the platform at the opening of the Amsterdam Euronenextbeurs, with a stroke on the gong.

Connection of wishes and needs The Province of Noord-Holland is actively involved in the platform and uses all constructive contributions as input for the development of economic policy. Thereby the Province wants to create an economic implementation plan that better suits the needs of people in Noord-Holland. Meanwhile Recron, MKB Netherlands, NHN Development Corporation and Port Amsterdam already contributed.

Province as one of the ‘launching customers’ In July 2015, just after the founding of startup Civocracy (May 2015), the Municipality of Losser took a subscription at Civocracy. Afterwards the Municipality Potsdam (Germany) followed. The third ‘launching customer’ is Province Noord-Holland. The need for involving citizens and entrepreneurs in decision-making is growing. It leads to better decision making and more support. Civocracy responds to this need by offering an accessible online platform for participation. Read more information.

Foto: Civocracy

Monday, April 18th 2016

‘Sense in the City’ offers an insight in the use of (sensor) technology in the city for an active and healthy lifestyle. Researchers, students, companies and (non-) governmental institutions gather to present the latest developments and to discuss the possibilities and challenges.

Main organizer: Digital Life Lab of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Details
Date: Monday, April 18th 2016
Time: 12.30 – 18.00 hours
Location: Pakhuis de Zwijger, Piet Heinkade 179, Amsterdam

Programme outline
12.30 – 13.30: Demo exposition and lunch
13.30 – 16.30: Keynote presentations and panel discussion
16.30 – 18.00: Demo exposition and closing drinks

Keynote speakers
Yvonne Rogers (University College London)
Paul Veugen (Human activity tracker)
Nicky Hekster (IBM)
Nelleke Penninx (Gemeente Amsterdam)
Laura Hakvoort (Gemeente Amsterdam)

This event is a parallel event of the Design & The City conference
Design & The City is a four-day event that brings together international experts, researchers, designers, educators and policy makers to explore citizen-centered design approaches to the smart city. Central theme is the role of design(ers) to create opportunities and practices for citizens, (social) entrepreneurs and policy makers towards more liveable, sustainable and sociable urban futures.

Different new techniques are used for construction.

The hotel gets a power roof where solar and wind energy will be combined. The building uses a natural heat exchanger called the Klimaatcascade. Tap water is warmed by solar energy in a sun-chimney.

More information
For more information check the publication ‘Knowledge on sustainable buildings and its users’, published by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The document can be downloaded from the RVO website.

Source: GemeenteAmsterdam
Photo: GemeenteAmsterdam

Co-designer Rick Buchter talks about sustainable housing

If you walk around FabCity Campus somewhere in April, among other things you can gaze at cardboard houses. But you won’t be able to blow them away, since these buildings, manufactured by Fiction Factory, are wind- and waterproof and will last al least a quarter of a century. Rick Buchter is co-designer of the Wikkelhuis (a ‘wrapped’ house), developed to address the changing needs in contemporary housing. The Wikkelhuis is sustainable, relatively cheap and adaptable.

Physical examples of the Wikkelhuis can be seen at the FabCity Campus, Buchter tells. ‘In one of them starting enterpreneurs of the Hogeschool of Amsterdam will settle and the second Wikkelhuis will be used for testing new kinds of façades, designed by students.’

The Fiction Factory will also relocate the production of Wikkelhuis-modules to the Head of Java-island, for the duration of FabCity Campus. That won’t be too complicated, as the machine which produces the cardboard elements, is attached to a truck which they acquired from René Snel, the original inventor. Buchter explains the process: ‘From a kind of giant toilet-roll, the cardboard is wrapped around an enormous cast. There are 24 layers; each of them is glued to the next. After that we cover the module in a ‘raincoat’ to make it wind- and waterproof.’ The whole process cumulates in one module – the average Wikkelhuis is made out of six of those. ‘The buildings will last at least 25 years’, Buchter states. ‘Then it’s time to change the ‘raincoat’. You can also add or take away modules, depending on your demands in housing.’

Buchter is excited about the project. ‘It is wonderful to work with an innovation that really ads something to the existing way of building. We see that concrete buildings are already demolished after twenty years, a terrible waste. A Wikkelhuis is a good alternative.’
In the Netherlands you can find, apart from the FabCity Campus, three cardboard houses: at Schiphol Airport, on campsite de Lievelinge in De Betuwe and in north Amsterdam on the premises of the Fiction Factory. If you want to observe the manufacturing process, you can come to the FabCity Campus, from mid-April onwards. Buchter: ‘We are looking forward to talking with people about building and housing in the future. And to exchanging knowledge and experiences with the other participants.’

Source: Europebypeople
Picture: Fiction Factory / Yvonne Witte

<http://europebypeople.nl/update/cardboard-houses-at-fabcity-campus>