#Citizens & Living

On Thursday December 14th, Amsterdam Smart City partners concluded 2023 with an afternoon full of inspiration, exchange and connections at our 22nd Demoday! Our partner Deloitte welcomed our network in The Garage, where their ‘Deloitte Studios’ department is located. In this article, we’ll give you a quick overview of the Knowledge Session, Work Sessions and Pitches. Interesting in learning more? Read the full reports by our Programme Managers Noor, Pelle and Sophie (linked below).

About our Demodays

The Demodays are one of the tools we use to stimulate innovation and encourage connection between our partners and community. The purpose of the Demodays is to present the progress of various innovation projects, ask for help, share dilemmas and involve more partners to take these projects to the next level. More information about the Demodays can be found here.

Knowledge Session: Change in the here and now, with Theory U

To kick-off our final Demoday of 2023, our brand-new partner Hieroo led an inspiring knowledge session about the change method they use for social innovation in the city: Theory U. Dorien Schneider and Maartje Krijnen taught us more about this methodology and how it can help us solve complex problems by shifting from ego to eco-thinking. Read the full report here.

Work sessions

After the plenary Knowledge Session we split up in different worksessions, each exploring regional innovation challenges. As always, we had set up the sessions’ topics and moderation in collaboration with our partners.

Mobility | Decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity – Jurhan Kwee (Municipality of Amsterdam)
In The Netherlands, the concept of ‘Inclusive Prosperity’ is on the rise. Policy makers are busy defining this concept, figuring out how to put this concept into practice and what it means for their decision-making process. Together with his colleagues at the Municipality of Amsterdam, Yurhan Kwee hosts sessions on decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity. With the input he gathers, he hopes to make the decisions needed for our Inclusive Prosperity ambitions more understandable and transparent, both for Amsterdam’s administrators and councillors as well as its citizens. Read Pelle’s recap article here.

Digital | Data Commons Collective: Using data for a liveable city – Lia Hsu (Amsterdam Economic Board) and Simone van der Burg (Waag)
In the big tech-dominated era, data has been commercially exploited for so long that it is now hard to imagine that data sharing might also benefit the community. Yet that is what a collective of businesses, governments, social institutions and residents in Amsterdam aim to do. Sharing more data to better care for the city. On behalf of the Data Commons Collective, Lia Hsu (Strategic Advisor at Amsterdam Economic Board) asked the Amsterdam Smart City network for input and feedback on their Data Commons initiative. Read Sophie's recap article here.

Energy | How can we continue to facilitate the homeowner in driving the energy transition? | Wouter van Rooijen (Alliander)
Wouter van Rooijen (Alliander) discussed the challenges related to grid congestion. From 2030 onwards, it is expected that a significant portion of the low-voltage network will experience both over- and under-voltage. While the network will be reinforced as quickly as possible, the lack of labour capacity is also prompting the consideration of alternative solutions.

The solution that emerged from Wouter's co-creation process was WijkWise. In this work session, Wouter aimed to validate the WijkWise concept and find parties that could contribute to its development and market implementation. Dave van Loon from Kennisland moderated the session. Read Noor’s recap article here.

Circular | Navigating eco-emotions: The impact of working in sustainability on your mental wellbeing| Marian Zandbergen (Hogeschool van Amsterdam)
This work session, led by Marian Zandbergen (CIRCOLLAB, HvA) and moderated by Mareille de Bloois (Royal HaskoningDHV), explored the challenges and opportunities associated with eco-emotions, both personally and within organizations. The key question addressed was: How can individuals and organisations constructively manage eco-emotions, and what implications does this have for organisations? Read Noor’s recap article here.

Pitches

To end this festive afternoon and the year 2023 as a whole, we invited project owners and -members to present their progress and next steps on topics brought in during our events and deep-dives throughout 2023. The following projects were presented. You can read more about these topics on their dedicated articles and project pages, linked below.

Local Energy Systems: Where we started, what we have achieved, and what are the next steps – Omar Shafqat (University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam)

Connecting the resource- and energy transition – Edwin Oskam (MRA)

ChatGPT and the government: Possibilities and impact on our work – Jeroen Silvis (Province of North Holland)

Floating urban districts: Future-proof living in the Metropolitan Region – Joke Dufourmont (AMS Institute)

Mobility Justice: Raising the topic of Mobility Poverty and the working group’s progress – Bas Gerbrandy (Province of North Holland)

Our next Demoday will take place in April. Do you have an inspiring story or project you want to pitch to the Amsterdam Smart City network? Let us know via sophie@amsterdamsmartcity.com

*This article makes use of the term Inclusive Prosperity as the English translation for the Dutch word; ‘Brede Welvaart’

In The Netherlands, the concept of Inclusive Prosperity* is on the rise. Policy makers are busy defining this concept, figuring out how to put this concept into practice and what it means for their decision-making process. Together with his colleagues at the Municipality of Amsterdam, Yurhan Kwee hosts sessions on decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity. With the input he gathers, he hopes to make the decisions needed for our Inclusive Prosperity ambitions more understandable and transparent, both for Amsterdam’s administrators and councillors as well as its citizens.

Inclusive Prosperity

Inclusive Prosperity is about more than just money. It involves everything that people consider valuable, such as health, the quality of education, the environment, a safe living environment, and equal opportunities for everyone. It's about the quality of life in the present, and the extent to which this affects the prosperity of future generations or those of people elsewhere in the world.

According to the definition, used by the Municipality, there are 8 themes to consider:

1. Subjective Well-being

Subjective well-being refers to the evaluation people make of their lives. Consider the question, "How satisfied are you with life in general?"

2. Health

The theme of Health encompasses physical illnesses and conditions, as well as mental health, living with limitations, perceived health, and self-regulation and resilience.

3. Consumption and Income

The theme of Consumption and Income refers to how income provides people with the freedom and opportunities to consume, including purchasing services and goods, maintaining a financial buffer, and shaping one's lifestyle.

4. Education and Training

Thinking about the theme of Education and Training involves the transfer of knowledge and skills, socialization, and considering the education or training experiences of individuals.

5. Spatial Quality and Cohesion

Regarding the theme of Spatial Cohesion and Quality, consider the following: a qualitatively well-designed space is a crucial precondition for the perceived broad prosperity. This includes spatial design on a functional level and with a focus on the future.

6. Economic Capital

Depending on the case, consider how it relates to:

• Human capital: the combination of competencies, knowledge, and skills;
• Physical capital: material possessions, such as machinery, buildings, and infrastructure;
• Knowledge capital: intangible assets, such as research and development, data, and patents;
• Financial capital: the financial resources of households and the government (purchasing power).

7. Natural Capital

Natural Capital refers to the stock of natural resources. Consider items such as (drinking) water, food, minerals, wind-sun-water energy, biodiversity, etc. Assess whether they are sufficiently available, in shortage, or if there is damage to these resources.

8. Social Capital

The concept of Social Capital often refers to the benefits of social networks, such as access to information and resources. This involves connections within and between groups. Positive effects can lead to trust, while negative effects can lead to loneliness.

Experimenting (with Mobility related policies) in public space

The case we used during this session is the use of experiments in public space, altering mobility or travel infrastructure. The months leading up to this afternoon, Amsterdam had put different experiments into practice (e.g. de ‘knip’ and de ‘paaltjesproef’) resulting in heated discussions, about both the success and desirability of using this method.

In a more objective manner, we used the Broad Prosperity principles to argue why its either desirable or undesirable to put such methods into practice.

Results

The group agreed that these Amsterdam experiments, concerned with creating calmer, more liveable urban areas, score well within themes like; Health (less air & noise pollution), Nature (more space for green and biodiversity), Social capital (more space and opportunity to meet and interact), Spacial quality (less dangerous and more moving space) and education (experimenting, learning by doing, viewing urban planning as experimenting and an ongoing learning process). However, as this year’s backlash on the experiments showed, there are some negative aspects to consider. Examples of domains in which we found some negative aspects, were; Economy (decreased speed and efficiency), Consumption & Income (local shop- and restaurant-owners need to be flexible and could be victims of changing infrastructure) and Subjective Well-being (citizens feel used, disadvantaged, and there is ambiguity about the purpose).

We found it difficult to arrive at a common answer because advantages and disadvantages exist on each theme separately. However, there was a common notion that the success of this method is rooted in clear and transparent communication on the effects and goals of such experiment. Frustration should be minimized and the opposing arguments should be taken seriously. Furthermore, we discussed the difference between a ‘real’ experiment in which every outcome is a success, and a trial, which is used to test a policy that’s envisioned for future years. The one who initiates the experiment should have this very clear for itself.

While one of the strengths of this method is the need to value these different domains in a more equal and objective manner, it proved to be difficult in practice. We all had the tendency to give some aspects more weight than others. While we were supposed to set up an advice and practice with decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity, it turned out to be challenging to let go of our prior experience, prejudices and opinions on this subject. We weren’t sure whether this is always a negative thing, but it’s one of the considerations Yurhan took home in the Municipality’s exploration of this approach.

Together, we experienced the challenge of working together with a new concept and approach. It should be an ongoing practice and discussion, a collective effort. Sessions like these serve that purpose perfectly.

Feel free to get in touch with me if you want to know more about the municipality’s and Amsterdam Economic Board’s efforts on the topic of Inclusive Prosperity.

When working together on transitions, it is important to be aware of and sensitive to the impact of power and systemic oppression in participatory processes. Within the Amsterdam Smart City network, the question of inclusion and civic participation, is often brought up in worksessions and discussions. However, we often lack the tools to find the bottlenecks and really include all important beneficiaries.

Therefore, we asked our valued partners Kennisland and DRIFT to lead a workshop about Power in Transitions at Demoday #20 on May 16. Dave van Loon and Faduma Mukhtar (Kennisland) together with Aron Teunissen (DRIFT) taught the participants more about power in transitions, based on the Power Literacy Framework and Field Guide from Kennisland. This guide describes five different forms of power and offers a set of tools for professionals to become more aware of power dynamics in their work.

The five forms of power

According to the Power Literacy Guide by Kennisland, there are five forms of power in design process. If you want to learn more about this, you can download the Power Literacy guide here. The five forms of power are:

Privilege: The type of power you get from a social relation whereby you benefit due to the social group you belong to, at the expense of another social group. It is an unearned advantage and often invisible to those who have it.

Access power: The ability to influence who is included in and excluded from the design project and process.

Goal power: The ability to initiate the design project to begin with, as well as the ability to influence decisions related to framing the problem, goals, and structure of the design process.

Role power: The ability to influence the roles that different stakeholders take on. This includes the ability to assign any roles or titles in the design process, as well as influencing the role each stakeholder plays in making decisions.

Rule power: The ability to influence the way that those in the design process will work together. It includes the ability to influence what is considered normal, what is allowed and what isn’t, how actors will communicate with each other, what language is used, and beliefs about what types of knowledge are valid.

Power check

After a theoretical introduction of the five forms of power, we split into smaller groups to perform a so-called power check for different Amsterdam Smart City projects, such as the Mobility Challenge and “Wat mensen beweegt”. Using this power check, the participants looked at access power and goal power. We identified all actors affected by the project and indicated which actors were not involved. The different actors were then assigned a role in different stages of the process: listener, co-creator, advisor, partner or director.

Most important take-aways

The goal of this exercise was to create more awareness about involving target groups in different stages of the project. The main take-aways were:

• The role for the for the ‘benefit group’, the people that are impacted by the project, is often too small. If beneficiaries are involved, this often happens in the last stages of the project. In this phase in the project, it is often more difficult or not possible at all to influence decision-making;

• To create equal power, some parties have to ‘give away’ (some of) their power;

• Truly inclusive work takes time, effort and money. It is not something takes place overnight;

• Awareness is half of the battle: make the topic of systemic oppression in participatory process a structural part of your (work)process).

Want to learn more about power in transitions? Read more.

We need to see opportunities (including the growing momentum for building back better and accelerating transformation processes) as much as thinking of challenges. This roundtable aims to provide a creative and refreshing opportunity to focus on chances more than only challenges. We will explore how to think of opportunities, of ways forward, of hope and ambition. We want to also investigate how sharing cities are connecting and merging with different agendas and topics in Europe and around the world.

For my Master's Thesis, I am pursuing the topic of Smart Cities from the perspective of the citizen. Primarily, focusing on first, the awareness among citizens about their cities "smart initiatives" and secondly, the extent to which they participate and would like to participate in such initiatives. My sample population consists of normal citizens as I would like to investigate how much the average citizen is aware of these things. However, I am looking for people on this forum who have somewhat of a previous experience either about or working with smart cities who I could hopefully conduct a short interview with so I could use that as sort of a benchmark when compared to normal citizens of a city.

This article is written by Dobos Emese (hvg.hu) in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy in Hungary.

Most people think of technology and data about the smart city, while Amsterdam Smart City thinks of a donut. Creative ideas for more liveable cities.

What is a smart city? “Most of all, how can we make cities more liveable places for the people who live, work, play and improve their quality of life,” says Frans-Anton Vermast, Strategic Adviser and International Smart City Ambassador, who has been working in Amsterdam since 2008. (smart) strategy. For more than a decade, this was quite different: back then, the smart city was more about how we can improve air quality through electricity and connectivity, ”he recalls.

According to a large-scale survey of Amsterdammers, air pollution has been identified as a major problem. And because this is caused by fossil fuel vehicles, as a first step, plenty of electric chargers have been installed throughout the city to encourage more environmentally friendly transport.
The smart city strategy is, of course, the result of joint work: residents, companies, experts, NGOs and public authorities are equally involved in thinking. In the meantime, an “innovation cemetery” has also been set up: unused, unrealised ideas are collected here: they are reviewed every six months, because a problem that arises later may be the result of an earlier idea.

“Over the years, we’ve increasingly shifted from technology solutions to solving people’s problems,” he says, as their orientation has changed. It is precisely this approach that underpins the Netherlands ’smart city strategy established in 2017, that mobility, accessibility, sustainable and low-energy homes, improving air quality and healthy urbanisation are equally important in a truly smart city.

Would you give up sitting in a car for € 1,000 a month?

And there are several initiatives in Amsterdam to reduce air pollution and traffic. SMARTX presenting the strategies of Europe's leading smart city !!! conference, several of these will be presented by the expert. One is an electric charging station system through which not only can we charge our e-car in public places, for example, but if we have more energy than we need, we can recharge it - and the city pays us in return.

But it’s not just because it’s financially worthwhile to be a citizen of a smarter city: as part of the Zuidas project, thousands of workers in Amsterdam’s business center have been asked to leave their cars in parking garages and travel differently. The city paid them € 1,000 in exchange (that’s what employees would get for a leased car from the company). As part of the project, they were wondering when and why people would sit in a car. Most often they missed the car on the weekends, during a visit to a relative and shopping, and in the evening, with the thinness of public transport, but apart from this, they easily switched to community car-sharing solutions, resorted to taxis, rentals - or hopped on bikes. And from the feedback, they can form a useful strategy for reducing the city’s traffic.

Part of that is the Roboat program: anyone who has been to Amsterdam knows that canals weave across the city. Self-guided boats are also used to dampen traffic jams: they can also be used to supply the city's restaurants, so they can also act as freight carriers, but tourists can also use these boats: all you have to do is hit where you want to go and the boat takes the group there.

And the coronavirus epidemic has also accelerated developments already underway: mass-sensing cameras, also started due to traffic reductions, could be used in the city during the pandemic to monitor where crowds might develop (anonymously, of course) and whether people are being held. the distance. So through an app, residents had the opportunity to see how many there were in a park right now, so they could consider whether it was wise to go there.

The role of city dwellers

Problems are often first perceived and affected by city dwellers themselves, so it is important to know how they can be active. They need clear needs and channels to know where to turn with a problem or idea. And the best cities in the world are excellent at this, ”points out Samu Szemerey, a senior settlement expert at the Lechner Knowledge Center.

A Dutch initiative is FixMyStreet: the application was created specifically with the aim that if someone notices an extinct street lamp or pit, they can immediately signal it with a map - and the competent authorities will solve the problem. A similar domestic example is Járókelő.hu: anyone on the website can report a detected public space problem, which is processed voluntarily and forwarded to the authorities.

“There is also a huge opportunity for a city to be able to make good use of incoming data,” explains Samu Szemerey. For example, there is a Hungarian settlement where a flat-rate contract was switched on the basis of the collected and analysed data - the city saved 40 percent in terms of operation with the decision.

A donut model?

According to the 2020 ranking of the Smart City Index listing smart cities, Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich are the “smartest”: how city residents also classify their own city based on five main areas plays a big role in this. These are health and safety, mobility, activity, opportunity and governance. In addition to data that characterize the economy and technological development of cities, the participation of residents is also an important aspect. By the way, Amsterdam was ranked 9th, Vienna 25th and Budapest 77th and 109th.

Amsterdam is the first major city to introduce the so-called “Donut model”: the model is named after a British economist, Kate Raworth, a researcher at the Institute for Environmental Change at the University of Oxford, and the Dutch capital will now use it as a guideline in urban development. What is the point of this? The innermost circle of the donut, the hole, symbolizes basic needs (such as food, clean water, housing, public health, energy, education, gender equality, income, and a say in public life), and what is outside the donut’s ring indicates that we have exceeded the limits of the Earth, the ecological boundaries. Everyone should be in the donut, but no one is here: developed countries are beyond the donut and developing countries are in the hole.

Although the Netherlands is what we associate with wooden slippers and windmills, and the city, for example, is at the forefront of environmentally friendly, pollution-free urban mobility, there are aspects that are not met: the city’s emissions, for example, are 31 percent higher than in 1990. level - 62 percent of CO2 emissions come from imports of construction materials, food and consumer products. That is why Marieke van Doorninck, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, is also urging that materials be recycled and that as many natural sources as possible be used in construction.

The article was prepared in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy in Hungary and hvg.hu.

Op woensdag 18 november organiseert de Future City Foundation een pitchcarrousel op het onderwerp van dataverzameling en dataverwerking binnen burgermeetnetwerken. Meld je pitch aan.

Om vraag en aanbod bij elkaar te brengen en kennis te delen, bieden wij zes bedrijven het podium om hun oplossing te pitchen voor een publiek dat bestaat uit ambtenaren en andere geïnteresseerden in het thema smart city uit het Future City Foundation netwerk.

Op woensdag 18 november organiseert de Future City Foundation een pitchcarrousel op het onderwerp van dataverzameling en dataverwerking binnen burgermeetnetwerken.

Om vraag en aanbod bij elkaar te brengen en kennis te delen, bieden wij zes bedrijven het podium om hun oplossing te pitchen voor een publiek dat bestaat uit ambtenaren en andere geïnteresseerden in het thema smart city uit het Future City Foundation netwerk.

Wat voor pitches zoeken we?

In steeds meer gemeenten wordt geëxperimenteerd met burgermeetnetwerken. Daarbij worden door burgers, met steun van de gemeente, sensoren opgehangen om een bepaald aspect van de leefbaarheid in die wijk te meten. Het verzamelen van data biedt de inwoners inzicht in hun eigen leefomgeving en geeft aan hoe ze deze kunnen versterken. Voor gemeenten (en andere overheden) biedt dit het voordeel dat ze hun beleid en dienstverlening veel preciezer kunnen afstemmen op de werkelijkheid (op meetresultaten in plaats van op aannames) en daardoor veel effectiever kunnen werken. We zoeken bedrijven die een product hebben dat hier een antwoord op geeft. Heel concreet kun je denken aan:

• het leveren van een dashboard;
• analysetools voor data;
• het leveren van sensoren.

Wat bieden we?

• 4 minuten in de spotlight
• Meet&Greet mogelijkheden met de bezoekers (door middel van break-out rooms na de pitches) die belangstelling hebben voor je oplossing.
• Toegang tot een netwerk
• Deelname aan de pitchcarrousel is gratis
• Op 12 november, tussen 16:00-17:00 uur een masterclass van oud-wethouder Yvonne Kemmerling over hoe effectief te pitchen voor de (lokale) overheid. Je wordt geacht hier bij te zijn.

American newspapers suggested a direct link between urban compactness and the spread of Covid-19. The Washington Post even considered the suburbs as the secret weapon against corona. Research shows that there is no statistical indication of such a relation. My newest blogpost discusses this research (in Dutch).

Save this date - 29.10 - and register for #GreenerHealthierWilder, an event brought to you by our friends from National Park City Foundation, Salzburg Global Seminar and World Urban Parks.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-make-cities-greenerhealthierwilder-voices-from-around-the-world-tickets-121339907931 - FREE -

1 day, 3 sessions, 50 voices! 🌳🌎
From #Amsterdamm Daan Bleichrodt #tinyforests - from #ClujNapoca #SomesDelivery - from #Bogota Maria Mejia & many many others.

‘Collaborate, put technology to the benefit of the people and use this crisis to become more sustainable’, those were the three lessons vice-mayor of Haarlemmermeer Marja Ruigrok presented at the Mayors’ Summit of the EU’s Intelligent Cities Challenge. This initiative from the European Commission unites 126 cities, among which 20 mentors, to work towards green recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the transition towards a sustainable digital society. Around 200 mayors and other representatives joined the Summit, where Ruigrok held a keynote speech.

You can read the full speech below.

EU 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge Mayors’ Summit

Speech by vice-mayor of Haarlemmermeer Marja Ruigrok on behalf of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is a great pleasure and honor for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region region and to me personally, to be invited as mentor region to the Mayors’ Summit of the Intelligent Cities Challenge by the EU. I would like to express my gratitude to the European Commission for launching the Intelligent Cities Challenge. With this programme you have recognized the power of cities in the transformation of Europe to an intelligent, green and healthy continent, you see the need for support to cities to make this transition happen, and in this programme, you facilitate the network that cities can create.

Today I am proud to represent the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. This region consists of 32 municipalities and two provinces with 2.5 million inhabitants, an international hub covering 20% of the GDP. As vice-mayor, I am responsible for Economy, Innovation and Mobility in Haarlemmermeer, a municipality of 150.000 inhabitants in the center of the region, home to the international airport Schiphol.

As you can imagine, COVID19 has changed our regional economy rapidly with a decrease of 29%. But during the lockdown, we saw a lot of creativity. For example, logistics employees who suddenly had no work at the airport anymore could be connected to the supermarkets in our region, where there was an adaptation needed to a whole different logistics chain in order to keep supplying our citizens with food and other essentials. Another example is the accommodation of hotels in the region and creative thinking in attracting leisure stay due to the loss of business overnight stay.

But before I zoom in further on crisis and recovery, I’d like to emphasize one thing. As a region, we gladly accepted the invitation to become a so-called mentoring region in this programme, because we strongly believe in the power of sharing experiences and knowledge with other cities and regions - my personal motto is, if you are not able to share, you cannot multiply. Nevertheless, let me assure you that we may be called mentor here, but we also learn by seeing what other cities do. The success story of our region has likewise been established by knowledge and innovation coming from your cities, and from the cooperation between European cities and regions. These bridges between our cities and regions are crucial, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help strengthen them.

We all know the COVID19-crisis has hit cities the hardest. The density of the city population, and the social exchanges between our citizens make it so easy for a virus to spread. At the same time, cities are the stakeholders Europe needs to climb out of the crisis. In cities, we are creating the ideal circumstances for social distancing and by helping our citizens, our companies, our institutes, and our schools cope with the new situation. And in the longer term, cities are the places were intelligent and sustainable recovery measures are developed and implemented.

And that is also why we applaud the European Commission and the Intelligent Cities Challenge Team: they were actively helping cities in sharing their COVID19 related best practices, even before the Challenge officially started.

Now I would like to share what my region is doing right now. I will focus on three lessons we have learned.

First lesson: collaborate and be a facilitator to all your stakeholders

For a local or regional government, it can feel tempting because it obviously will be faster, to create an entire strategy for making the city smarter, and present that to the companies and research and educational institutes in your municipality. We have learned - and I hope you will follow us in this vision - to do it the other way around: we involve all relevant stakeholders in order to create the strategy together, because from their perspective, they know better than we governments do what is necessary for our region. You know the old saying: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. So, going far together, really going the distance, is at the core of our strategy.

In order to involve all the relevant stakeholders, we created an independent and neutral organisation, the Amsterdam Economic Board, and its programme Amsterdam Smart City. Here, local government, knowledge institutes and companies work together to establish the actions we need to become a future proof, intelligent, green, and healthy region that is inclusive for all citizens. Amsterdam Smart City is an active innovation platform that brings together all relevant stakeholders, including citizens, collaborating towards innovative solutions for the city. This platform is open to the international community, so I would like to invite all ICC cities to join our Amsterdam Smart City platform.

Second lesson: put technology to the benefit of people, not the other way around

In all our initiatives, we try to put our citizens in the center of developments. Of course, you cannot involve all your citizens in every decision, but in the end, it is the citizen that is the core. I will give an example to explain. When the schools had to close because of COVID19, we saw that the schools and most students and their parents easily adapted to online learning, but in the whole country, we realized we also lost a group of children. At home, they didn’t have easy access to a computer or internet, or their parents couldn’t help them because they were not able to work from home. This was a serious problem. Therefore, in various places in the country, actions were started to provide these children with second hand laptops to help them connect to their schools. Several companies sponsored this action.

Creating access to the internet is also a means of democratizing technology, and therefore creating an inclusive society. This is just one example, but as general rule: we should support the creation of new business models in the data economy, but we should also be aware who has access to data. My core message is: always be careful to put the citizen in the center of your ambitions. In other words: focus on people first, not (only) the technology.

And that brings me to the third lesson learned: never waste a good crisis

Just like the EU, our Amsterdam Metropolitan Region is aiming for a green and inclusive recovery. That is why we are working on our own regional Green Deal, together with the business and knowledge sector. While I cannot share the outcome of this process yet, as that is expected in December, I can provide you with some examples today. Together we will establish programmes in which we will reskill and upskill citizens who have lost their jobs due to the crisis towards green and tech jobs. This is a short-term measure, with initiatives that have already started and will be replicated and upscaled. We will also join forces to change the relevant curricula of all levels of education towards a greener economy, which is a measure for the longer term.

To reinforce economic development and sustainability, we will redefine building plans to accelerate towards fully energy neutral and circular new buildings. To take into consideration is the need for shorter food-chains ánd living, working and recreation within a short distance, so called the 20 minute-society. Relevant to mention as well are the agreements with organizations and employers to avoid rush hour, accelerated by the crisis and the fact that many more people use the bicycle (well at least in the Netherlands). And there is a lot more. So, to wrap up: even when times are hard, push your ambitions to create a better, more inclusive, economic sustainable world. See the energy transition as a job creator. See every crisis as an opportunity to get better.

In conclusion, I would like to affirm that this is just the start of the dialogue with you all on the issues that we as cities and regions are sharing together. I have not given you the recipe for the cities’ intelligent recovery from the crisis or the transition to a green sustainable society, because there is not one recipe for this. For now, I have given a glimpse of how we work in our region and what lessons we learned. Please feel free to follow us, to replicate the elements that would benefit you, but also do share your knowledge with us.

That way, my fellow mayors, we can walk together, on this path towards greener and more inclusive European cities.

Thank you.

One of the most powerful actions you can take is to starve the forces of extraction. To deny them your time, your efforts, your brilliance and to dedicate that time to sustainability, circularity, and global justice.

If you have the time and willingness, Metabolic is looking for dedicated and passionate individuals to help us accelerate the transition to a circular economy and a sustainable future. Help us find good people.

We're looking for a science writer/in-house journalist/content producer to help us bring these issues and topics to new heights and new reach.
https://www.metabolic.nl/vacancies/science-writer-in-house-journalist/

We're also looking for an intern for our Ventures team!
https://www.metabolic.nl/vacancies/ventures-internship-spring-2021/

For a big campaign we’re preparing, we’re looking for 40 members who want to act as ASC ambassadors in our next video! You don’t have to have any special skills and you can shoot it right out of the comfort of your own home (you’ll be done within a minute, we promise). If you want to contribute, you’ll be starred together with 39 other members in our next short community video! For more instructions, please let us know at gavin@amsterdamsmartcity.com or call +316 211 82 309

Het is tijd voor de twaalfde editie van de Trouw Duurzame 100. Een feestelijk (online) programma, vol toonaangevende sprekers en inspiratie van de duurzame denkers en doeners van nu. In het programma worden de meest duurzame initiatieven van 2020 onthuld. Welke duurzame Nederlanders staan dit jaar aan top?

Het is tijd voor de twaalfde editie van de Trouw Duurzame 100. Een feestelijk (online) programma, vol toonaangevende sprekers en inspiratie van de duurzame denkers en doeners van nu. In het programma worden de meest duurzame initiatieven van 2020 onthuld. Welke duurzame Nederlanders staan dit jaar aan top?

Wederom staat de duurzame burgerbeweging centraal. Gewone mensen dus, die zich inspannen om Nederland groener te maken. Vaak samen, soms individueel. Door insecten te helpen, een voedselbos te planten, afval op te ruimen, te protesteren voor het klimaat, te recyclen of spullen te delen. En ga zo maar door. De groene beweging ‘van onderop’ is springlevend! Welk burgerproject wordt dit jaar uitgeroepen tot de nummer 1 van de Trouw Duurzame 100?

Kijk en praat mee, op 8 oktober vanaf 20.30 uur!

Hey everyone,
I'm in my last semester right now and I'm supposed to submit a Master's Thesis by February. I have always been interested with everything regarding smart cities. Previously, I had done sort of a mini thesis if you will, on the awareness among citizens about smart cities and how they can be involved more in the planning and development of such cities and not just solely focusing on the technology aspect. I would like to further explore how people from different cultures think differently and basically have different mindsets and opinions about smart cities. Would like to know from the people over here if this is a good topic to pursue and/or if you have suggestions for any other topic in the same field I could do.

Thank you.

I 'am happy to announce the availability of the English version of my new e-book 'Cities of the Future: Always Humane. Smart if Helpful. You can download it for free. The boek deals with 15 urban challenges like waste, global warming, health, food quality, traffic, housing, living environment, safety, participation, empowerment and resilience. It describes 75 city actions to deal with these challenges.

You will find the English version here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfywoszhrn4xi5j/Looking%20for%20the%20city%20of%20the%20future.pdf?dl=1

and the Dutch version here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytdadwgdsdw6zke/Looking%20for%20the%20city%20of%20the%20future%20NL.pdf?dl=1

Please join us for a very special inside look at our latest exhibition ‘Patchwork 2020’ – the first ever digital collection from Dutch designer Tess van Zalinge! Tess will share insights into working with trailblazing digital technology alongside the traditional craftsmanship of demi-couture, to explore and push the boundaries of what sustainable fashion looks like in the future.

About the Collection

Earlier this year Tess van Zalinge was invited to establish a new demi-couture collection at Helsinki Fashion Week 2020. Due to the global situation, a physical show was not possible and Helsinki Fashion Week became the first-ever virtual fashion week around the world. This served as the main source of inspiration for Tess’ new collection ‘Patchwork 2020’ - her first digital collection.The collection makes use of cutting edge technologies to translate the craftsmanship of Tess’s pieces into digital: the handcraft details and tactility all requiring many layers of development. The exhibition aims to show how working with what you have available can lead to inspiration, innovation and sustainability.

About Tess van Zalinge

Tess’ love for heritage, detailed craftsmanship and historical costume design are common themes throughout her work. Tess translates her conscious mindset both into her designs and values as a label. Each piece from her collections is handcrafted in her beautiful Amsterdam atelier, where she constantly explores the potential for responsibility in fashion through fresh collaborations, inspiring partnerships and new demi-couture collections. Fine quality and longevity have been the prime focus for the label since its founding. Since then, Van Zalinge has launched a demi-couture collection every year and has worked on multiple collaborations including Fashion for Good, Artis, WNF, Royal Delft, Circl, the Centraal Museum Utrecht and more.

Your ticket price is a donation that goes towards the Fashion for Good Experience, helping to bring these kinds of events to life!

Een 12-uur durende online marathon over de ongewisse toekomst van onze stad en Metropoolregio. Samen maken we de stad van de toekomst van, voor en door iedereen!

Na twee succesvolle edities gaat het WeMakeThe.City festival als biënnale op naar 2025: de 750e verjaardag van Amsterdam. In dit Corona-jaar gaan we in een 12-uur durende LIVECAST-marathon in gesprek over de ongewisse toekomst van onze stad en metropoolregio. Met als thema ‘Reset’, brengen geniaal denkvermogen, verbeeldingskracht en creativiteit samen om alternatieve visies en handelingsperspectieven te formuleren. Hoe gaan we het de komende jaren anders doen? Waar moeten we per direct mee stoppen en in welke zaken moeten we stevig gaan investeren? Welke nieuwe financiële modellen en allianties hebben we daarvoor nodig? Hoe maken we samen onze metropool rechtvaardiger, inclusiever, duurzamer, klimaatbestendiger, veiliger, succesvoller en gelukkiger? En bovenal, welke waarden zijn leidend in de beslissingen die we de komende tijd als samenleving moeten nemen?

Onze samenleving en economie is het afgelopen half jaar dramatisch veranderd. Van een onstuimig groeiende en welvarende regio, met een overhitte woningmarkt en toerismesector, naar een gehavende stad met snel toenemende werkloosheid en sterk teruglopend toerisme. Maar ook een stad waarvoor de leefbaarheid en het vestigingsklimaat cruciale sectoren als de horeca, kunst en cultuur, nachtleven en evenementenbranche zwaar onder druk staan. Met het gevolg dat de groeistuip inmiddels is omgeslagen naar krimp. De centrale vraag is hoe we met z’n allen uit deze crisis komen, hoe we de metropoolregio Amsterdam duurzaam en veerkrachtig herstellen en welke waarden daarbij leidend zijn? Want als COVID-19 een ding duidelijk heeft gemaakt, is dat de ongelijkheid in onze stad groter en dieper is dan wij dachten. Het afgelopen half jaar zijn de grote misstanden in de zorg, het onderwijs en huisvesting en de problemen rondom armoede en schulden blootgelegd en pijnlijk zichtbaar geworden. En de Black Lives Matter beweging heeft institutioneel racisme op onomkeerbare wijze aan de orde gesteld, met de eis tot structurele verandering.

Uitgangspunt bij deze WeMakeThe.City-marathon is dat de metropool Amsterdam van ons allemaal is; van Nieuw-West en Oud-West, van Almere en Amstelveen, van Zuidoost en Purmerend, van alle bewoners en ondernemers, van ambtenaren en activisten, van minderheden en meerderheden, van de politiek en de buurtcommunities, van jong en oud.
Samen maken we immers de stad van de toekomst van, voor en door iedereen!

Dit programma is ontwikkeld door WeMakeThe.City. In samenwerking met Pakhuis de Zwijger, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Circl, gemeente Amsterdam, AMS Institute, Waag, Oram én Amsterdam Smart City.

Naast hevige regenval en wateroverlast waar Nederland regelmatig mee te kampen heeft, horen we de laatste zomers steeds meer over problemen met droogte. Hoe gaan we met beide klimaatproblemen om? Onderzoekers van de Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) bieden oplossingen met zogeheten infiltrerende bestrating. Wat doet dat precies? “We willen van de stad een spons maken”, vertelt Ted Veldkamp, onderzoeker en projectleider van onderzoeksproject De infiltrerende stad. Lees meer over de eindresultaten die gemeenten en mkb op weg moeten helpen.

“Infiltrerende bestrating bestaat al tientallen jaren”, vertelt Veldkamp. “Door deze bestrating loopt het regenwater beter weg in de grond. Het water gaat door poreus gemaakte stenen of door de brede voegen die tussen de stenen liggen. Bovendien houdt het systeem dat onder de bestrating wordt aangelegd het water langer vast. Zo voorkom je wateroverlast en kun je water bewaren voor droge periodes.” En dat is nodig met drie opeenvolgende droge zomers en een toename in neerslagintensiteit.

HANDVATTEN VOOR GEMEENTEN EN MKB’ERS
“Objectieve data over de werking en effectiviteit van infiltrerende bestrating was er nog niet”, vervolgt Veldkamp. “Daarom waren gemeenten vaak nog terughoudend. Nu hebben wij deze vorm van bestrating uitvoerig getest op technisch functioneren op de korte en lange duur. Terwijl we de effectiviteit van infiltrerende bestrating meten om gemeenten te overtuigen van de kracht ervan, dragen we met onze inzichten tegelijkertijd bij aan verbeteringen aan de innovaties of producten van mkb'ers. Die data verwerken wij in adviesrapporten met handvatten voor de markt en voor ontwerp, aanleg en beheer en onderhoud.”

PRAKTIJKPROEVEN OPGESCHAALD
Om tot wetenschappelijke data te komen over de waarde van infiltrerende bestrating heeft het team van Veldkamp grootschalig onderzoek gedaan. Zij deden zeventig praktijkproeven door heel Nederland om de infiltratiecapaciteit, de snelheid waarmee water de grond in zakt, te meten. “Daaruit blijkt dat infiltrerende bestrating beter functioneert dan traditionele bestrating”, zegt Veldkamp. “De infiltratiecapaciteit varieert van 220 mm tot 740 mm per uur, ver boven de EU-norm van 200 mm. Piekbuien kun je daarmee goed wegwerken.”

OP JE BEURT WACHTEN
Moeten dan gelijk alle straten in Nederland onder de schop? “Nee, een straat wordt ongeveer elke 15 jaar overhoop gehaald voor onderhoud en aanpassingen”, aldus Kluck. “Beter is rustig je kans af te wachten om de straten klimaatbestendig te maken. Daarnaast hoeft niet iedere straat aangepakt te worden. Je moet bijvoorbeeld goed weten wat de ondergrond en de grondwaterstand is, en hoe hoog de verkeersintensiteit van de straat is. Hoe hoger de intensiteit, hoe sterker de wegfundering moet zijn. Infiltreren kan niet overal. Maar ons streven is wel: onder iedere straat een slootje.”

FOCUS OP DROOGTE
“In het vervolg willen we specifiek kijken naar de ondergrond, de waterbergende weg”, sluit Veldkamp af. “De focus komt te liggen op manieren van opvang, berging en regulering. Doordat we onder elke straat een slootje creëren met innovatieve bergingssystemen, willen we droogte tegengaan. De afgelopen drie zomers waren natuurlijk ongezond, en hebben invloed op landbouw en natuur. Ook dit project gaan we weer in samenwerking doen met gemeenten en mkb’ers. Die praktijkgerichte dynamiek is zeer waardevol gebleken.”

In dit onderzoek werkte de HvA samen met de Hogeschool Rotterdam, de Hanze Hogeschool Groningen en een consortium van de aannemers en mkb-ondernemers die innovatieve infiltrerende producten hebben ontwikkeld.

De week van De infiltrerende stad
Hoe gaan we droogte en wateroverlast tegen? Tijdens De week van De infiltrerende stad van 14 t/m 18 september kom je hier bij de HvA meer over te weten. Van interviews tot praktijkproeven, de hele week staat in teken van infiltrerende bestrating om steden klimaatbestendig te maken.

https://www.hva.nl/urban-technology/gedeelde-content/nieuws/nieuws/2020/09/de-stad-als-spons.html
https://www.hva.nl/urban-technology/subsites/nl/kc-techniek/projecten/projecten-algemeen/infiltrerende-stad.html

Amsterdam needs more houses. The city wants to realise this within the city limits, and that means that the city must become more compact. But what does that mean for your neighbourhood? Won’t that become too crowded? The experience with Corona show that in some places there is now already not enough green space for everyone. How can the city ensure that there is enough green space in the new neighbourhoods to relax, play, sport and meet each other?

We are researching how people experience public space in, and around, those places where the City is planning to build more houses. Will you join us? What do you need green spaces for, and which places are important for you? Go to www.mijnpark.amsterdam for more information or https://app.maptionnaire.com/nl/6768/ to take part immediately.

-------------
Er moeten woningen bijkomen in Amsterdam. De stad wil dit realiseren binnen de stadsgrenzen, en dat betekent dat de stad compacter moet worden. Maar wat betekent dat voor jouw buurt? Wordt het dan niet veel te druk? De ervaringen met Corona laten zien dat er op sommige plekken nu al niet genoeg groene ruimte is voor iedereen. Hoe kan de stad er voor zorgen dat er in die nieuwe stadswijken voldoende groene ruimte is om in te ontspannen, te spelen, te sporten en elkaar te ontmoeten?

Wij doen onderzoek naar hoe mensen de openbare ruimte beleven op, en rondom, die plekken waar de Gemeente van plan is meer huizen te gaan bouwen. Doe jij mee? Waar hebt u groene plekken voor nodig en welke plekken zijn voor u belangrijk? Ga naar www.mijnpark.amsterdam voor meer informatie of https://app.maptionnaire.com/nl/6768/ om direct mee te doen.

Can cities recover from the current crisis and cut emissions at the same time? San Francisco, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Amsterdam share their strategies.

22nd of September, 20.45 – 22.00 hrs

This September Amsterdam was supposed to host the annual meeting of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA), a network of 22 global cities that have committed to cutting CO2-emissions by at least 80% before 2050. Due to Covid-19 the event has been moved online and focusses on green recovery. How do the cities within the network find and create opportunities in sustainable development to stimulate employment and economic growth?

In this public program Amsterdam alderperson Marieke van Doorninck will speak in our studio with city representatives of San Francisco, Vancouver, Copenhagen and Hamburg and other experts on how their cities are acting and adapting to the crisis. How do they combine greening the economy with other pressing urban needs, like jobs, housing and the struggle against inequality? How does the government support their efforts? And what can they learn from each other?

Register for free and join the conversation.

Contributing speakers:

Marieke van Doorninck
Alderperson Sustainability City of Amsterdam

Johanna Partin
Director Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance

Jørgen Abildgaard
Executive Climate Program Director Copenhagen

George Benson
Climate Change, Economic Development, Inclusion and Equity for the Vancouver Economic Commission

Anselm Sprandel
Head Energy & Climate Hamburg

Timothy Doherty
Policy manager San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency

Bert Tieben
Methodologist SEO Economic Research