Amsterdam Smart City Delegations Program — Achieving Continuous Improvement & Growth

The Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) delegations program continues to grow with 45 groups hosted during the first half of 2019.

These visiting delegations come most often from South Korea (11) with others coming from Japan (5), Germany (4), Bangladesh (2), France (2), Sweden (2), Singapore (2), the United States (2).

Delegations representatives come for various reasons and are from different sectors — public (21), private (8), academic (8), public-private (6) media (2).

Keeping in line with the ASC philosophy of sharing experiences in order to facilitate learning and knowledge transfer, delegates were asked to reflect on and share their thoughts after their visits. They shared their most important take-aways, asked questions on topics that they would like to address further, and presented opportunities for follow-up.

Overall Key Take-Aways of Visiting Delegations

1. Amsterdam is an example of an inclusive smart city. Many delegations find the ASC approach innovative in the way it brings together representatives from governments, companies, knowledge institutions, civil society and interested citizens. Whereas many other smart city programs are defined almost exclusively by governments and a few large corporations, in Amsterdam many other parties get a seat at the table.

“What is most impressive about the ASC program is that no single party has control and that many, different parties are working together.” — Japanese Delegate

“It’s interesting to see the (NEMO) science museum is a core smart city program partner. It shows that we in South Korea need to think more broadly about who we involve in smart city projects, especially as local and national governments look for ways to engage citizens.” — South Korean Delegate

2. Technology is neither necessary nor sufficient. Some delegations were interested in high-tech projects such as Vehicle2Grid or the Roboat. Still, most delegates noted they were pleasantly surprised to learn that low-tech projects focused on social innovation are also included in the Amsterdam Smart City community platform.

3. Public-private partnerships and community platforms can help build innovation ecosystems. Many delegates appreciated the role of Amsterdam Smart City in bringing parties together to share knowledge, networks and lessons learned through a public-private partnership and a community platform.

“Helsinki and other Finish cities can benefit from the use of a community platform to support open innovation and strengthen our innovation ecosystem.” — Finish Delegate

4. Working closely but operating independently of (city) government is unorthodox but, effective. From a governance perspective, many delegates are inspired by the approach to running the Amsterdam Smart City program in collaboration with but independent from the City of Amsterdam. For some delegates this approach seemed unorthodox as they believed the government should lead smart city programs. Others noted the approach could help depoliticize smart city projects and help build trust between public and private stakeholders and citizens.

5. There is strong interest in showcasing and testing solutions in local living labs. Several delegates from South Korea, Japan and Finland expressed strong interest in showcasing and sharing their smart city solutions in open living labs. With the recent launch of the Marinneterrein Amsterdam Living Lab (MALL), that is now possible!

6. More work is needed to evaluate projects. Many visiting delegations wanted to know if Amsterdam Smart City uses a specific methodology to evaluate projects, capture lessons learned, and define success. While many delegations are inspired by the approach, which makes it possible for any party in the ecosystem to share their project on the platform, some delegates felt uncomfortable with the idea that there is no complete overview of smart city projects carried out by the city and that projects are often run without clear KPI’s.

A Sampling of Experiences

Honda, Japan

This delegation was interested in getting an understanding of e-mobility and renewable energy developments in Amsterdam, as well as the overall management of Amsterdam Smart City. An expert meeting was cohosted with Amsterdam Electric and Arcadis who shared developments related to smart and e-mobility in Amsterdam. Delegates were particularly impressed with Amsterdam's leadership on e-mobility and reflected that they would like to see the Japanese government take similar steps to facilitate the transition to clean mobility.

Embassy of Finland & TradeMill, Finland

This visit was part of a roadshow for Finish companies working on the energy transition. The meeting was cohosted with Alliander who shared smart energy projects such as the Vehicle2Grid and Virtual Power Plant pilots. The delegates were most impressed by how projects in Amsterdam have a social consideration and the way the ASC community platform helps built a smart city ecosystem. One participant suggested Finish cities could benefit from a similar approach. Other participants highlighted that they would be interested to showcasing their smart energy storage solutions in a living lab setting in Amsterdam or elsewhere in the Netherlands.

IED, Spain

A group of 12 international design master students based in Barcelona visited Amsterdam during the rEVolution event. Because the students are working on a design project for an automotive company, the students booked a smart mobility expert session. Participants were impressed with Amsterdam's leadership on e-mobility but, some struggled to see how this approach could be transferred to their home cities which are dealing with serious congestion and air quality problems.

“Amsterdam’s approach to e-mobility is inspiring but in most Indian cities we don’t even have sidewalks. It’s a risk that so many cities are focusing on high-tech solutions which they often can’t afford.” — IED Student

EU Project RESOLE, Czech Republic

This delegation consisted of municipal experts from Czech cities of Ostrava and Opava who are working together on RESOLVE, an EU-funded project focused on clean mobility and logistics. The delegates were surprised that the ASC program is independent of the City of Amsterdam and involves various stakeholders. The group would have liked to dive deeper into parking management, cycling planning and Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS) used by the City of Amsterdam.

Le Syndicat Intercommunal de Gestion informatique (SIGI or Intercommunal Syndicate of IT Management), Luxemburg

This delegation was interested in exchanging experiences on e-government and digital transformation topics. The meeting was cohosted with Amsterdam Economic Board and City of Haarlemmermeer. Delegates were most impressed by the privacy-friendly identity platform I Reveal My Attributes (IRMA) and the smart parking pilot presented by City of Haarlemmermeer. There was a fruitful discussion about the possibility for Dutch municipalities to learn from SIGI’s experience and a suggestion that a group of Dutch municipalities should visit SIGI. SIGI delegates were also impressed with Edge Olympic where the meeting took place and would like to work with Edge Technologies to make their new office more data-driven and healthy.

Electricité de France (EDF) & Enedis

This public-private delegation consisted of high level representatives from France’s largest utility company (EDF) and its subsidiary Enedis who wanted to learn from Amsterdam-based innovations related to smart energy and e-mobility. The delegation was cohosted with Alliander and the City of Amsterdam who provided an overview to smart energy and smart grid developments in Amsterdam and on a regional level. The delegates were most impressed by Amsterdam's leadership on e-mobility and the hands-on experience of visiting EV-Box’s showcase of electric vehicle changing infrastructure. One of the delegates shared EDF would like to play a leadership role in transitioning Paris and other French cities to e-mobility.

Chungbuk Research Institute, South Korea

The delegation was impressed with ASC's role as a convener and facilitator, and with ASC’s focus on smaller social initiatives instead of new cities and large projects, as is often the case in S Korea.

Skellefteå Science City, Sweden

Visit by two delegates who work to stimulate open innovation between larger corporates and SME’s. Delegates were impressed with ASC’s approach to facilitating innovation by building a community platform and thought this approach could help Swedish companies innovate more openly by sharing knowledge and lessons learned, and by connecting ecosystem members to one another.

l’IPAG Business School, France

This group of business students was interested in the role of smart cities in stimulating economic development and innovation. The students wanted to know what motivates corporations to participate in public-private partnerships such as Amsterdam Smart City and shared that the main reason companies join such initiatives in France is in exchange for lower taxes.

City of Leverkusen, Germany

Amsterdam Smart City hosted a full day Smart Mobility Experience for a municipal delegation from Leverkusen which included their Mayor. The delegation met with representatives from the City of Amsterdam, Royal Haskoning, BYCS and EV-Box and followed a bicycle tour. You can read the full visit report here.

Panasonic, Japan

This small delegation of Panasonic representatives was interested in entering the smart energy / smart home market in the Netherlands and Europe. The purpose of the visit was to connect to the right expertise and explore opportunities for collaboration. Delegates would like to follow-up about the possibility of showcasing and testing their smart energy devices in new districts and living labs.

AffaldPlus, Denmark

AffaldPlus is a joint municipal waste company owned by six Danish municipalities. Company representatives and members of their Board participated in an expert session which focused on Amsterdam’s progress on circular economy. This session was cohosted with Metropole Region Amsterdam (MRA) and Metabolic. The delegates would like to bring back to their municipalities the Metabolic’s material flows analysis.

Smart Mobility Trade Mission, Singapore

This delegation visit was organized by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO in Dutch) during the ITS European Congress in Eindhoven. The Singaporean delegation visited Amsterdam to learn about smart and e-mobility developments and opportunities for collaboration. Participating startups and governmental representatives were enthusiastic to hear about MRA’s upcoming Startup in Residence program which will focus on mobility topics and is open to international startups. The delegates reflected that they would like to learn more about Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilots and opportunities in the Netherlands.

Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)

This delegation visit by policy makers was part of a program entitled “Data-based Local Policy Making For Sustainable Cities” and was funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The goal of the visit was to learn from best practices related to data governance for data-driven policy making. The delegation was first introduced to the Amsterdam Smart City program and to key digital initiates such as the TaDa manifesto and Cities for Digital Rights. Then the delegation met with Open State Foundation for an in-depth discussion about the way governments are opening up their data and the importance of digital transparency.

NIKKEN SEKKEI Research Institute & NTT Urban Development Corporation, Japan

Delegation visit focused on learning from Amsterdam’s experience as a leading citizen-centric smart city. Delegates were most impressed by the ASC approach to building and facilitating an open community of innovators, and they thought the approach could be transferred to Japan.

Get Involved!

Are you a local or international delegation interested to exchange experiences with Amsterdam Smart City? The Visits page provides an overview of programs coordinated and hosted by Amsterdam Smart City, our program partners and other community members.

Are you a local ASC expert or stakeholder interested in sharing your experience with local and international delegations? Or do you have suggestions for how we to improve the ASC delegations program? Get in touch with cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com or share your ideas in the comments section below.

1 Comment

Raisa Sultana on August 14th 2019 - 09:37

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Naomi Vrielink, Projectmedewerker at Future City Foundation, posted Apr 22nd

Op 20 en 21 juni reizen we af naar het zuiden om daar van Sittard-Geleen en Heerlen te leren. Ervaar in Heerlen en Sittard-Geleen hoe de slimme stad in de praktijk toegepast wordt en waar deze slimme toepassingen het fysieke en sociale domein verbindt.

In Sittard-Geleen zie je hoe zij in hun proeftuin Zeeheldenbuurt in gesprek gaan met de inwoner over activiteiten en bewegen. In Heerlen-Noord leren we van de stappen die worden gezet in een van de gebieden van het Nationaal Programma Leefbaarheid en Veiligheid op gebied van kansengelijkheid. En bij de Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen gaan we in gesprek over hoe onderzoek en organiseer je samen met diverse partijen digitalisering enerzijds op gebied van circulariteit, anderzijds in het kader van bestaanszekerheid en particpatie. De gebundelde kennis van data science en mensgerichte Artificial Intelligence (AI) leidt tot nieuwe slimme digitale ontwikkelingen en diensten, die de kwaliteit van leven verbeteren.

Conceptprogramma
Dag 1: Proeftuin Zeeheldenbuurt Sittard-Geleen
Met de proeftuin Zeeheldenbuurt speelt de gemeente Sittard-Geleen in op drie thema’s, (Smart City, Participatie en Klimaat adaptatie). Samen met buurtbewoners en vakspecialisten (extern en intern) zijn ze in één buurt aan de slag om een betere toekomstbestendige leefomgeving te creëren en ontmoeting te stimuleren.
De gemeente luistert aan de hand van ‘slimme’ toepassingen naar de inwoner, houdt 0-metingen en monitoren, werkt aan een Digital Twin meetnetwerk en bekijkt dit alles gezamenlijk door de glazen van VR-brillen.
Kortom: Hoe kun je in deze buurt samen een Klimaatbestendige betere leef en ontmoet- omgeving creëren? Welke lessen leren we hier? Wat vinden de buurtbewoners van deze aanpak?

Dag 2: Van de Brightlands Smart Services Campus naar Heerlen – Noord
We starten deze dag in de Brightlands Smart Services Campus met twee parallelle tracks na een gezamenlijke aftrap over hoe de Brightlands Smart Services werkt.

Circulaire track
CollaborAll/Monady laten aan de hand van de transformatie van het voormalige DSM-hoofdkantoor in Heerlen zien hoe hun Circulaire Build Hubs werken. De Circulaire Build Hub zorgt ervoor dat al die individuele partijen met elk hun eigen informatie, specialistische inzichten, data, specificaties etc. op een makkelijke en betrouwbare manier naar dezelfde fysieke en digitale werkelijkheid kijken én handelen. De Circulaire Build Hub voorkomt onduidelijkheid, missers, onnodig werk, uitlopende planningen en onnodige kosten, vermindert risico’s en zorgt ervoor dat alle informatie in samenhang beschikbaar is. Dit bevordert efficiëntie en draagt bij aan de overgang naar een circulaire economie door duurzaam materiaalgebruik.

Sociale track
De Brightlands Smart Services Campus huisvest het ELSA Lab armoede en schulden. Dit lab richt zich op het voorkomen van geldproblemen, de bestrijding van schulden en armoede én het verbeteren van de financiële gezondheid. Leer wat hier wordt gedaan op gebied van AI en wat nu al de opbrengsten zijn. Daarna horen we van het Atelier Sociaal Domein van HS Zuyd hoe zij ervaringskennis hoe een samenwerking met ervaringsdeskundigen, onderwijs en onderzoek zorgt voor een betere match tussen vraag en aanbod.

Heerlen- Noord
In de middag bezoeken we Heerlen-Noord, waarin het sociaal en fysiek domein weer samenkomen. We maken een wandeling door een stukje Heerlen-Noord en bezoeken de Sjpruutshop. Een plek waar ouders van pasgeborenen gratis spullen kunnen halen voor de baby en voor de gemeente een vindplaats van de mensen voor wie we aan de slag zijn. Vervolgens lopen we via een opgeknapte kerk (tot limburgs archief), door een tweetal wijken (horende tot de armste wijken van het land). We leren hoe verduurzaming, renovatie tegen de achtergrond van het willen behouden van uniek cultureel erfgoed, namelijk de mijnwerkerswoningen samenkomen.
_______________________________________________________________
Datum: 20 en 21 juni
<strong>Tijd:</strong> 10.00 – 17.00 uur
<strong>Locatie:</strong> Sittard-Geleen, Brightlands Smart Services Campus en Heerlen- Noord

Meld je hieronder aan:

Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted Apr 22nd

Urbanisation in the US is undergoing major changes. The image of a central city surrounded by sprawling suburbs therefore needs to be updated. The question is what place does the 15-minute city have in it? That is what this somewhat longer post is about

From the 1950s, residents of US cities began moving en masse to the suburbs. A detached house in the green came within reach for the middle and upper classes, and the car made it possible to commute daily to factories and offices. These were initially still located in and around the cities. The government stimulated this development by investing billions in the road network.
From the 1980s, offices also started to move away from the big cities. They moved to attractive locations, often near motorway junctions. Sometimes large shopping and entertainment centres also settled there, and flats were built on a small scale for supporting staff. Garreau called such cities 'edge cities'.
Investors built new suburbs called 'urban villages' in the vicinity of the new office locations, significantly reducing the distance to the offices. This did not reduce congestion on congested highways.

However, more and more younger workers had no desire to live in suburbs. The progressive board of Arlington, near Washington DC, took the decision in the 1980s to develop a total of seven walkable, inclusive, attractive and densely built-up cores in circles of up to 800 metres around metro stations. In each was a wide range of employment, flats, shops and other amenities . In the process, the Rosslyn-Balston Corridor emerged and experienced rapid growth. The population of the seven cores now stands at 71,000 out of a total of 136,000 jobs. 36% of all residents use the metro or bus for commuting, which is unprecedentedly high for the US. The Rosslyn-Balston Corridor is a model for many other medium-sized cities in the US, such as New Rochelle near new York.

Moreover, to meet the desire to live within walking distance of all daily amenities, there is a strong movement to also regenerate the suburbs themselves. This is done by building new centres in the suburbs and densifying part of the suburbs.
The new centres have a wide range of flats, shopping facilities, restaurants and entertainment centres. Dublin Bridge Park, 30 minutes from Columbus (Ohio) is one of many examples.
It is a walkable residential and commercial area and an easily accessible centre for residents from the surrounding suburbs. It is located on the site of a former mall.

Densification of the suburbs is necessary because of the high demand for (affordable) housing, but also to create sufficient support for the new centres.
Space is plentiful. In the suburbs, there are thousands of (semi-)detached houses that are too large for the mostly older couples who occupy them. An obvious solution is to split the houses, make them energy-positive and turn them into two or three starter homes. There are many examples how this can be done in a way that does not affect the identity of the suburbs (image).
New construction in suburbs

This kind of solution is difficult to realise because the municipal authorities concerned are bound by decades-old zoning plans, which prescribe in detail what can be built somewhere. Some of the residents fiercely oppose changing the laws. Especially in California, the NIMBYs (not in my backyard) and the YIMBYs (yes in my backyard) have a stranglehold on each other and housing construction is completely stalled.

But even without changing zoning laws, there are incremental changes. Here and there, for instance, garages, usually intended for two or three cars, are being converted into 'assessor flats' for grandma and grandpa or for children who cannot buy a house of their own. But garden houses are also being added and souterrains constructed. Along the path of gradualness, this adds thousands of housing units, without causing much fuss.

It is also worth noting that small, sometimes sleepy towns seem to be at the beginning of a period of boom. They are particularly popular with millennials. These towns are eminently 'walkable' , the houses are not expensive and there is a wide range of amenities. The distance to the city is long, but you can work well from home and that is increasingly the pattern. The pandemic and the homeworking it has initiated has greatly increased the popularity of this kind of residential location.

All in all, urbanisation in the US can be typified by the creation of giant metropolitan areas, across old municipal boundaries. These areas are a conglomeration of new cities, rivalling the old mostly shrinking and poverty-stricken cities in terms of amenities, and where much of employment is in offices and laboratories. In between are the suburbs, with a growing variety of housing. The aim is to create higher densities around railway stations. Besides the older suburbs, 'urban villages' have emerged in attractive locations. More and more suburbs are getting their own walkable centres, with a wide range of flats and facilities. Green space has been severely restricted by these developments.

According to Christopher Leinberger, professor of real estate and urban analysis at George Washington University, there is no doubt that in the US, walkable, attractive cores with a mixed population and a varied housing supply following the example of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor are the future. In addition, walkable car-free neighbourhoods, with attractive housing and ample amenities are in high demand in the US. Some of the 'urban villages' are developing as such. The objection is that these are 'walkable islands', rising in an environment that is anything but walkable. So residents always have one or two cars in the car park for when they leave the neighbourhood, as good metro or train connections are scarce. Nor are these kinds of neighbourhoods paragons of a mixed population; rents tend to be well above the already unaffordable average.

The answer of the question in the header therefore is: locally and slowly

Xander Bakker, Community Manager at Green Innovation Hub, posted Apr 22nd

Groepsfoto van alle deelnemers en aanwezigen tijdens de Green Innovation Hub Contest 2024 in Almere.

Almere, 18 april 2024 – Scale-up Vennster uit Nijkerk is de winnaar van de Green Innovation Hub Contest 2024. In deze wedstrijd presenteerden negen start-ups en scale-ups hun innovatieve oplossing voor een duurzame en inclusieve leefomgeving. Met hun methode en intelligente participatie app Parta wist Vennster de jury te overtuigen om hun product samen met de inwoners van Almere in te zetten voor de Almeerse woonwijken Hortus en Pampus.

De sociale app stelt een gemeente in staat om een brede doelgroep te bereiken, dit gaf uiteindelijk de doorslag om met de winst er vandoor te gaan. Het product zal verder ontwikkeld worden in samenwerking met de gemeente Almere en andere organisaties die betrokken waren bij de contest. Ook wint de scale-up een reis naar de Smart City World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, de productie van een eigen bedrijfsfilm en krijgen zij begeleiding om het bedrijf verder te ontwikkelen.

Partner en eigenaar Lonneke Dikmans van Vennster nam de Golden Award in ontvangst: “Wij zijn heel blij dat we hebben gewonnen, omdat het een erkenning is van onze missie. Wij willen zoveel mogelijk mensen in Nederland met elkaar in contact te brengen met onze methode en app en daarmee maatschappelijke uitdagingen oplossen, zoals de energietransitie.”

GIH afbeelding 1
Vrnl: Lonneke Dikmans (eigenaar en partner bij Vennster) ontvangt de Golden Award van Lisa van der Heijden (adviseur community management FDS & Digilab bij Realisatie IBDS) en Geert-Jan Put (hoofd economische ontwikkelingen bij Gemeente Almere).

Jaarlijkse wedstrijd voor duurzame startups en scaleups
In april 2023 werd de eerste editie van de Green Innovation Hub Contest vanuit de Green Innovation Hub georganiseerd. Civity uit Amersfoort ging er toen met de hoofdprijs vandoor. Ook volgend jaar zal er weer een contest worden uitgeschreven. De Green Innovation Hub is een samenwerking tussen Gemeente Almere, Provincie Flevoland en VodafoneZiggo.

Nico Bettings, director Fixed Network (VodafoneZiggo) licht toe: “De manier waarop we werken, wonen, leven en communiceren met elkaar verandert in een hoog tempo. Nieuwe innovaties zijn daarbij essentieel. Ik vind Vennster hier een fantastisch voorbeeld van. Ik hoop dat deze prijs hen een duwtje in de goede richting geeft, met alle expertise die in de hub aanwezig is.”

Innovatiekracht in Almere
In heel Nederland, maar zeker in Almere, is de roep om duurzame en innovatieve leefoplossingen groot. De komende tien jaar zullen er één miljoen huizen worden gebouwd en nieuwe wijken ontstaan, inclusief de gehele infrastructuur. Het doel is deze gebieden zo duurzaam en toekomstbesteding mogelijk neer te zetten. Daaromis de Green Innovation Hub in 2023 neergestreken in Almere en richt de wedstrijd zich op innovaties die in deze nieuwe woongebieden toegepast kunnen worden.

Geert Jan Put, hoofd economische ontwikkelingen bij Gemeente Almere licht toe: “We zitten qua gebiedsontwikkeling in de grootste transitie van de afgelopen jaren. Almere groeit met meer dan twintig procent per jaar. Onze stad is daarmee de proeftuin van innovaties die bijdragen aan een toekomstbestendige en duurzame woonomgeving. De oplossingen die tijdens de Green Innovation Hub Contest zijn gepresenteerd, dragen ieder op hun eigen manier bij aan een duurzame en natuur inclusieve stad. Ik blijf de organisaties met interesse volgen.”

GIH afbeelding 2
Vlnr: Danny Frietman (Green Innovation Hub), Harm Dijkstra (Provincie Flevoland), Nico Bettings (VodafoneZiggo), Caspar de Jonge (DMI-ecosysteem), René Visser (Green Innovation Hub/VodafoneZiggo) en Geert-Jan Put (Gemeente Almere) na ondertekening samenwerking Dutch Metropolitan Innovations en Green Innovation Hub (van links naar rechts).

Volgende fase Green Innovation Hub
De Green Innovation Hub is onlangs verhuisd naar gebouw Floor aan de Hospitaaldreef in Almere. De finale van de Green Innovation Hub Contest vond hier plaats. In het gebouw is tevens tijdens de avond het CityLab Almere geopend waar Vennster hun product kan presenteren aan geïnteresseerde bedrijven, overheids- en onderwijsinstellingen binnen en buiten Almere. Met het nieuwe kantoor is de grootte van de hub bijna vertienvoudigd. Per 1 juli komt daar zelfs 1000 m2 extra ruime bij. Daarmee kan het nieuwe gebouw worden opengesteld aan startups en scaleups die nog kantoorruimte zoeken. Geïnteresseerden kunnen zich via de website van de Green Innovation Hub kenbaar maken.

Over de Green Innovation Hub
De Green Innovation Hub is een broedplaats voor ontmoeting, samenwerking en innovatie. Partijen ontwikkelen digitale oplossingen voor een gezondestadsomgeving, lokale voedselzekerheid, mobiliteit, circulair bouwen, energiedistributie en sociale verbondenheid tussen stadsbewoners. Gezamenlijke innovaties worden gevalideerd en opgeschaald op speciale ‘greenfield’ locaties. De Green Innovation Hub is een open ecosysteem van het bedrijfsleven, overheden en onderwijs.

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