#Citizens & Living
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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.

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.

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).

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‘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.

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

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.

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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

Bewoners, ondernemers en bezoekers hebben het afgelopen jaar samen met de gemeente onderzocht hoe De Bretten er in 2030 uit kan zien, onder de naam LaBGreen De Bretten. Een boek vol ideeën voor De Bretten, het prachtige stuk natuur tussen Sloterdijk en Halfweg. Ideeën die over een periode van ruim een jaar zijn opgehaald bij bewoners, bezoekers en ondernemers, voor de komende 10 jaar.
Hun ideeën zijn samengebracht in een boek. In aanwezigheid van de wethouder Marieke van Doorninck en dagelijks bestuurder Erik Bobeldijk wordt op 14 september het ontwikkelboek LaBGreen De Bretten feestelijk uitgebracht. U kunt meekijken via een livestream met de volgende link: https://vimeo.com/event/276632

Kleine en grote ideeën
De opgehaalde ideeën zijn erg divers. Klein en groot. Enkele voorbeelden: meer activiteiten in De Bretten, meer waterrecreatie, een informatiecentrum met horecagelegenheid. De gemeente gaat de komende jaren kijken welke ideeën haalbaar zijn en hoe we de ideeën kunnen uitvoeren. Sommige ideeën worden al uitgevoerd, zoals (kinder)activiteiten in De Bretten.

Details uitgave ontwikkelboek
Wanneer: 14 september 2020
Tijd: van 16.00 tot 17.00 uur
Link livestream: https://vimeo.com/event/276632

Unfortunately we see an increase in the litter statistics of gloves and one time used face masks that people dispose off by just dropping it on the street and in nature.

With my business partners we have made some products that are re useable, fully recyclable and all the green parts are already made from recycled plastics (recyclate from obsolete fishing gear and ropes)

We intend to also make the other parts from recycled plastics as soon as possible

Stay healthy and safe

The AMS Startup Booster is now open for applications. Do you have a cool, innovative solution that can tackle the challenges facing Amsterdam? Then apply now for the AMS Startup Booster. A 4 month program that will help you with the 1st steps in starting your business.
for more info: https://www.ams-institute.org/news/ams-start-booster/
or contact Marije Wassenaar, marije.wassenaar@ams-institute.org

At a time of accelerated growth and ubiquity, connectivity technologies like AI and quantum computing allow us to find ourselves anywhere quickly. The most important question to ask is therefore where exactly do we want to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eihAOW6CR8
Some platforms know exactly what series you would like to watch today based on your previous preferences and when to display you an advertisement for a baby chair before you even know that you need one. Imagine that a city knows for you and in real-time who is worth meeting so that you can develop as an expert, and which team needs your key competencies so that you can be hired immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNNF4iw44r8
As we are more conscious of ourselves and our goals, the world is responding to our actions with more synchronicity. It is one basic and very old knowledge based on the concept of the subconscious and selective perception. What’s more, psychology elaborates that the main factor of satisfaction with a certain situation is the set of relationships with the environment and people that suit us best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeg18Ej9sro
For one good relation set will be a quiet desk and a world of numbers and tables, for the other it will be an energetic communication with others towards an ambitious aim of changing the world. In separated ontologies, those types can be described and classified differently. We are diverse in so many many ways that there is no perfect system that would describe precisely what makes us unique. Nevertheless, some systems are pretty well adjusted, enough to make them a part of our language or part of smart city competencies’ platform, and even to use them to help navigate citizens through activities and events.

In my dream, cities of the future help us adapt the outside world to our deep needs. The main component of a smart city is not a network of external sensors, but a deep radar of our internal needs which looks deep into our psyche and soul. Doesn’t that fit the slogan of the technocratic city?

In our living lab in Wroclaw, we worked with young people on solutions to help them with the new labor market. We tested there the latest achievements of psychology and a new approach to motivation and interpersonal development of young students.

We used our imagination to create a city-wide game that was about defeating the mythical anti-creator by working together to develop creative skills. During the one year process we tried to answer many questions: How to apply the national qualifications framework in an accessible form? Who will be good programmers? Who will never become one? How to change thinking about the city and its role? How to recognize talents at an early stage? How can we build qualities such as leadership, commitment, and entrepreneurship?

Cities need to take immediate action towards mapping and supporting digital and future-proof competencies and approaches.

On the one hand, we helped students get to know each other better, and on the other, internalized with a multilevel transformation of the external world. We used to work on paintings, create our own icons, debate with experts. We also required communication of our own interpersonal discoveries. We created personal websites, business cards, and team presentations. It helps us (and the platform) to understand each one's unique feature and potential roles.

The final stage was to create a small project as a team for one of the local companies or an NGO. Communication with a peer group was just as important as the flow of information with the career adviser and mentors platform. We set up the framework of internal game paths of development and individual competencies.

In the future, artificial intelligence can also be an important player in the ecosystem, so we need to communicate our needs and intentions understandable for its language so that it can help in suggesting the path to achieving our personal goals. We discover that badges and icons can be a great tool to build a common language between different actors. The results of the project evaluation gave outstanding results. Over 60% of people felt closer to the group, which is a good help in the circumstances of growing alienation in the digital and mobile world. Most participants realized their own needs and dreams and made the first step to fulfill them. At the end we replicated and simulated talks with future employer HR, to give a chance to newly acquired competences Our model has been recommended for implementation across the country. However, I feel that hardly anyone in the technology sector understands the importance of soft technologies in the ecosystem of an intelligent country and city.

Even if it is underlined in the newest digital strategies for the EU there is no solution to support mass talent evaluation and constant mapping process. The core element of the Smart Cities Polska vision and strategy is to build smart cities on social capital and supporting it by delivering digital tools for competencies diagnosis and places for meetings and collaboration.

The next stage of our journey will be to conduct an experiment with our living lab on a larger scale and improve the technologies behind the group management and development processes of joint projects. Our new team members will be experts in artificial intelligence, bots, and e-learning platforms. We also want to start international cooperation, hence the translation of our working method into Russian and English.

What I have learned about myself during the project:

The test confirms that I am a participant characteristically (Factor S’) so I want to participate in culture and values, and a technician personality (Factor V’) so I want to gain the know-how to act efficiently. Temperamentally, I am averse to the group (Factor -O) and matter (Factor M) so I act as an independent analyst.

Does my current work fulfill my personal relationship needs?

The role of the coordinator of teams dealing with the development of systems for cities is in line with my social and technical needs. I work on both theoretical models and on occasionally while networking with people. In a living lab environment, I can work with young people so I can meet and recognize my participation needs.

This is a good predictor of satisfaction and harmonic career. Everyone is different, and we need to know how to team up in new teams in a very fast manner by using one language and methodology linked with AI This self-knowledge is enough to precisely match potential roles in the ecosystem and team behavior.

Using the latest methods, it takes less than 15 minutes to see myself structure with great precision. It is easier than quantitative tests based on questions like popular methodology DISC or MBTI, although the results are correlated.

If you would like to improve your city with talent discovery and competencies mapping tool please ask me how we can cooperate: mateusz.jarosiewicz@smartcitiespolska.org

Previously appeared on: https://scgn.smartdubai.ae/social/2020/09/03/mateusz-c0324d40-a052-4503-a113-dfbb12ce3212

with a summary of actions and disturbing data about the impoverishment of the public sector and the enrichment of the private sector. At the time only in Dutch. English version follows soon.

De gemeente Amsterdam werkt aan democratische vernieuwing vanuit de overtuiging dat bewoners zelf het beste weten wat er speelt in de buurt en waar behoefte aan is. Een van de methoden waarmee geëxperimenteerd wordt, is de inzet van buurtbudgetten. In het leerprogramma ‘Amsterdammers, Maak je stad!’ deden Kennisland, Pakhuis de Zwijger en Waag onderzoek naar deze buurtbudgetpilots en recent deelden we de resultaten in een livecast. Wat leert de eerste editie buurtbudgetpilots ons voor de volgende stap naar meer eigenaarschap, zeggenschap en cocreatie in de stad?

In het coalitieakkoord 2018-2022 ‘Een nieuwe lente en een nieuw geluid’ geeft het College van B&W van Amsterdam aan democratisering als een van de speerpunten te zien in de huidige bestuursperiode. De doelstellingen van democratisering zijn het vergroten van het eigenaarschap en de zeggenschap van bewoners en het vergroten van het vertrouwen van bewoners in de gemeente. In dat kader is de gemeente gestart met buurtbudgetten.

De pilots met buurtbudgetten zijn in 2019 in de stadsdelen Noord, Nieuw-West en Zuidoost van start gegaan. De stadsdelen hebben, aangevoerd door hun eigen teams Democratisering, zelf ingevuld op welke manier de budgetten verdeeld worden, waarbij rekening is gehouden met de lokale context van de buurt. In deze drie stadsdelen is met verschillende modellen geëxperimenteerd, van online stemmen tot deliberatieve werksessies.

Reflecteren op alle niveaus
Het huidige stadsbestuur heeft met haar democratiseringsagenda een stevige ambitie neergelegd en is voortvarend aan de slag gegaan met de pilots met als doel om straks in heel de stad met buurtbudgetten te werken. Vanwege deze ambitie is het belangrijk om de participatie van bewoners niet alleen op de korte termijn vorm te geven in experimenten, maar deze nieuwe vormen van participatie en een daarbij passende werkwijze – ook daadwerkelijk in het beleid te verankeren. Dat betekent dat er tijdens de pilots geleerd en gereflecteerd moet worden op alle niveaus: in de praktijk, maar óók ambtelijk en bestuurlijk.

In oktober 2019 zijn Waag, Kennisland en Pakhuis de Zwijger, in samenwerking met en in opdracht van de gemeente Amsterdam daarom van start gegaan met het leerprogramma ‘Amsterdammers, Maak je stad!’. Afgelopen 9 juni presenteerden wij de onderzoeksresultaten van dit leerprogramma in een online bijeenkomst vanuit Pakhuis de Zwijger. We gingen met verschillende betrokken bewoners, ambtenaren en de betrokken wethouder Democratisering Rutger Groot Wassink in gesprek rond de centrale vraag: ‘Wat leert de eerste editie buurtbudgetpilots ons voor de volgende stap naar meer eigenaarschap, zeggenschap en cocreatie in de stad?

Behoefte aan heldere kaders en duurzame samenwerking
In het eerste deel van de bijeenkomst deelde het Maak je Stad!-team de resultaten van het onderzoek naar de eerste ronde buurtbudgetten in Nieuw-West, Zuidoost en Noord. Hieruit blijkt dat zowel bewoners als ambtenaren met heel veel enthousiasme aan de pilots zijn begonnen, maar dat het proces ook veel frustratie heeft opgeleverd. Zo ontbraken belangrijke kaders rondom doelstellingen, rolverdeling, samenwerking, financiering en communicatie bijvoorbeeld. Aan de hand van verhalen van actieve bewoners, lokale democratiseringsprojectleiders en stadsdeelbestuurders werden deze thema’s geïllustreerd en besproken. Zo deelde een van de actieve bewoners in Nieuw-West, initiatiefnemer van Schoon Plein ‘40-’45 haar ervaringen met het buurtbudget:

> “Het enthousiasme van de buurt is groot. Iedereen wil graag een schoon plein. Maar we kijken ook naar de gemeente. De schoonmaak is nog altijd een primaire gemeentelijke taak, maar de samenwerking met de gemeente blijkt complex. De uitdaging is om elkaar te helpen om een schoon plein te realiseren. […] Ondanks het enthousiasme van bewoners en de mogelijkheden die het buurtbudget ons geeft, is het opmerkelijk dat de kosten die we maken tot nu toe door de initiatiefnemers is voorgeschoten. Hier heeft de gemeente helaas nog geen procedure voor opgezet.”

Het Maak je Stad!-team deed een oproep voor het gezamenlijk creëren van heldere doelstellingen en kaders, een duurzame samenwerking tussen bewoners en ambtenaren en het niet te snel afrekenen op resultaten:

> “We hebben gezien dat het van belang is om samen met bewoners belangrijke kaders en afspraken te maken rondom de doelstellingen, rolverdeling, samenwerking, financiering en communicatie van en rondom buurtbudgetten. Maar ook in zo’n stadsbreed kader moet ruimte blijven bestaan voor lokaal maatwerk in de verschillende stadsdelen, omdat de behoeften van bewoners in elke buurt verschillen.”

Op naar een duurzaam lerend netwerk
In het tweede deel van de bijeenkomst keken we samen met Rutger Groot Wassink, wethouder Democratisering en Jacqueline van Loon, directeur van !Woon, vooruit. Hoe kunnen we geleerde lessen meenemen in het vervolg van de buurtbudgetten? Hoe zorgen we voor een duurzaam lerend netwerk in de stad dat samenwerkt aan democratische vernieuwing?

Zowel Van Loon als Groot Wassink pleitten tijdens de bijeenkomst voor meer eigenaarschap en zeggenschap bij verschillende groepen bewoners over het proces van het buurtbudget. Willen we het buurtbudget verdelen door middel van een challenge, door online stemmingen, door het organiseren we overlegtafels of geven we het buurtbudget aan een bewonersplatform? Betrek bewoners dus vanaf het begin en laat hen meebeslissen over hoe het buurtbudget georganiseerd moet worden. En niet pas op het moment dat de wijze waarop bewoners mee kunnen doen al is bedacht. Dit is ook een van de aanbevelingen vanuit het leerprogramma Amsterdammers, Maak je stad!

Groot Wassink gaf aan dat het stadsbestuur de pilots juist gestart heeft om ervan te leren, en bewust veel ruimte heeft gegeven aan allerlei verschillende vormen in de verschillende stadsdelen, zonder al te veel kaders. “Ik heb mensen uiteraard niet bewust willen frustreren, maar het is wel fijn dat we nu zien waar we tegenaan lopen als gemeentelijke organisatie.” De schuring die dit de afgelopen periode heeft opgeleverd en de inzichten uit het onderzoek en het leerprogramma Amsterdammers, Maak je stad! vormen belangrijke input voor een stedelijk kader met richtlijnen voor het buurtbudget dat de gemeente eind 2020 gaat opstellen.
Het volledige onderzoeksrapport met alle resultaten van het leerprogramma wordt binnenkort gepubliceerd. Neem voor meer informatie contact op met Dave van Loon (dl@kl.nl) of kijk op: https://www.kl.nl/nieuws/buurtbudgetten-enthousiasme-maar-ook-frustratie/

Futureproof is a follow-up to the ‘Snelloket for Corona Projects’ that the Amsterdam Funds for the Arts (AFK) launched in April this year in collaboration with the municipality of Amsterdam (Art and Culture, Digital City, Event Fund). €300,000 was made available and this budget was spent in no time.

That is why AFK once again made budget available to re-open its digital ‘Snelloket’ counter. However, this is not enough and that is why AFK now appeals to the valiancy and compassion of all culture lovers and everyone with a heart for Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam Fund for the Arts is a unique city fund. It has been committed to contributing to a diverse and vibrant cultural climate in the city of Amsterdam since 1972. The AFK has never called on the public to contribute. Up until now.

Due to the emergency in which many visual and performing artists currently find themselves, we are compelled to act. We are determined to offer Amsterdam and its makers more perspective.

INVEST IN OUR FUTURE. TOGETHER WE MAKE AMSTERDAM AND ITS MAKERS FUTURE-PROOF

https://www.voordekunst.nl/futureproof

Every two weeks the City of Amsterdam publishes a monitor on urban measures to deal with COVID-19. Different issues are discussed, depending on the questions we receive from within the municipal organization. It is aimed at giving a general overview of urban measures worldwide and of other information relevant for cities. It also has an overview of EU measures and of different relevant sources. Please find the 8th version of the monitor attached.
For more information about the measures in Amsterdam, please refer to this website. Earlier versions of the monitor are available through this weblink.
For any suggestions, please mail to internationaloffice@amsterdam.nl. Please refer to the same e-mail address if you would like to subscribe to this mailing.

Eveline van Leeuwen, Professor of Urban Economics at Wageningen University & Research and international expert on spatial economics, has been appointed as Scientific Director of Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute). The appointment by the board of AMS Institute is effective as per September 1st.