#Policy

Topic within Circular City
Beth Njeri, Digital Communications Manager at Metabolic, posted

Reimagining our relationship with land through regenerative agriculture.

Featured image

The term regenerative agriculture is popping up more and more often in news and articles. Often mentioned as the key to agricultural green transition, important for carbon sequestration purposes… but what is it exactly?

Regenerative farming, or farming in line with nature, also known as restorative agriculture or eco-agriculture, is a nature-based solution, and it is significantly different from organic farming.

Learn more from this article.

Beth Njeri's picture #CircularCity
Beth Njeri, Digital Communications Manager at Metabolic, posted

How to create a sustainable bioeconomy

Featured image

Today the bioeconomy is everywhere: We see it in the clothing we wear, the packaging that comes to our house daily, the house we live in, the food we eat, and the energy that fuels our life.

For the bioeconomy to truly be sustainable and circular, it must meet certain conditions:

• Using fundamentally renewable biological feedstocks
• Maximizing the varied types and cycles of biological resources
• Contributing to the biological cycle

Learn more from this article.

Beth Njeri's picture #CircularCity
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

Startups: Between the Curse of Becoming a Taker and the Prospect of Being a Maker

Featured image

For centuries, entrepreneurship was linked to art and craft and rewarded by personal fulfilment, satisfied customers, and a good life. The term entrepreneur is still associated with giving direction, shape and content to new activities based on personal motivation and skills and thereby creating socially approved value. A description that applies to the self-employed, business entrepreneurs, franchisees or intrapreneurs and includes both commercial, institutional, and artistic activities.
However, there are two problems. Overcoming them opens the way to become a better business.

The plunder of the earth

Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz has warned that the creative power of entrepreneurship can easily become destructive. A 'maker' becomes a 'taker' once creating value becomes making money in the first place. Indeed, for centuries, companies have robbed resources around the world, destroyed nature, traded millions of slaves and exploited domestic workers, creating the divide between rich and poor countries.
The creative power of entrepreneurship can also be aimed at sustainable prosperity, for their employees, the country, and the world. In that case, the “purpose” of a company precedes the pursuit of profit. Unfortunately, still a minority of all companies are moving in this direction while others pretending.

The decline of engagement and passion within the workforce

There is more. In developed countries, the blatant exploitation of labour has disappeared. Instead, the majority of employment relegates into low strain jobs. Research by Gallup and Deloite has shown over consecutive years that over 64% of all employees worldwide are not engaged or passionate. Find John Hagel explain this in a short video. The reason is clear. 20th century companies have organized their production according to principles of scalable efficiency and have top-down planning and control.  Room for initiative is therefore neither expected nor desired. Moreover, detailed protocols and regulations limit employment for people at a distance from the labour market.
In a rapidly changing world, companies must be adaptive and innovative. They therefore need flexible, interdisciplinary teams with a high degree of self-government and less pay differentials. According to recent research in 17 countries, this type of organizations (8%) outperforms in all respects.

Summarizing, to become a better business requires a double challenge:
·  Replacing the dominance of the pursuit of money with a social and environmental purpose.
·  Mobilizing the entrepreneurial and other capacities of their whole work force by forms of self-organization and shared leadership.

Why focussing on startups?

As only a limited number of companies meet these conditions, employees consider starting their own business. In the US alone, approximately two million workers give up well-paying jobs every year and become self-employed. 127,000 starters were registered in the Netherlands in 2018.  Of them, only a minority will become a startup, which means that they will successfully commercialize a promising technological innovation and grow rapidly on an international level.

Start-ups are potential engines of growth and innovation. In the US, their steady growth is compensating for job losses in the rest of the economy. Dutch startups created 20.000 of jobs in 2018 and 2019. A recent reportoffers excellent documentation of the identity, growth and potential of the 4,311 Dutch startups in 2019, most of which have fewer than 10 employees. 34% of Dutch startups can found in the Amsterdam metropolitan area.

The hope is that start-ups will rise to both challenges by nurturing their social and environmental purpose end fueling the commitment and passion of each employee, and thereby become a better business.

Yet, like any other businesses, startups risk becoming takers rather than makers, trading their social and environmental purpose for the pursuit of money and losing the engagement and passion of their employees. Fortunately, they can prevent this.

Eleven ways to become or stay a better business

1.  Embrace self-organization and shared leadership.
2.  Involve all employees in the continuous strengthening of the social and environmental purpose of the company.
3.  Enable all employees to become shareholders or even better co-owners.
4.  Cherish diversity within the employees.
5. Secure shares in a foundation while enabling shareholders to support the purpose of the company.
6.  Cap the profit to a level that guarantees the continuity of the company.
7.  Ban greed, cancel bonuses, or at most pay a limited and equal allowance to all employees.
8.  Place surplus profits in a foundation that spends money in accordance with the purpose of the company.
9.  Being a fair taxpayer who refrains from tax avoidance practices.
10.Create a supervisory board to monitor the purpose of the company.
11.Focus the founder/director/CEO role on monitoring the purpose of the company and the commitment of all employees and on fueling the discussion on how to deal with changing external conditions.

Rapid societal changes require a reinventing the concept of entrepreneurship. Because of their flexibility and commitment, startups are apt to embrace the dual ambition of pursuing a social and environmental purpose and of mobilizing all employee’s engagement and passion.

My next post will look at how cities can help start-ups to settle, grow and become better businesses. The history of entrepreneurship, its growing distance from ‘makership’ and its possible revival by start-ups is documented in chapter 4 of my e-book Humane cities. Always humane. Smart if helpful. The English version of this book can be downloaded for free below.

Herman van den Bosch's picture #CircularCity
Christiaan Elings, Strategy & Collaboration for Sustainable Transitions at Royal Haskoning, posted

Vacature: Samen impact maken op transities in de leefomgeving

Featured image

Als SMC| Strategie en Management Consultants van Royal HaskoningDHV zijn we op zoek naar mensen die 'samen' impact willen maken op de transities in onze leefomgeving. Niet omdat ze weten hoe het moet, maar omdat ze anderen kunnen begeleiden in hoe het kan! 'Gedeeld Eigenaarschap' noemen we dat in onze visie op samen werken aan maatschappelijke veranderopgaven.

Voor de volgende vacatures na de zomervakantie komen we graag nu al met je in contact:

→ Proces- en programmamanager nationale en regionale energiestrategieen en PPS (circa 10 jaar ervaring);
→ Senior-Consultant Bestuur, Programma’s en Organisatie (circa 10 à 15 jaar ervaring)
→ Proces-professionals Klimaat, Energie, Ruimte, Mobiliteit en Landbouw (circa 2 à 7 jaar ervaring).

Voor een eerste 'teen in het water', bel of mail al gerust met pascal.lamberigts@rhdhv.com / 06 – 22 37 86 65. Dan passen we onze vacatures graag aan op jouw kwaliteiten en meerwaarde.

→ Voor een kijkje in de keuken bij ministeries, provincies, gemeenten, waterschappen en - steeds meer - ook bedrijven;
→ Voor strategisch mensenwerk in de voorfase van nieuwe ontwikkelingen, met 6.500 collega's als inhoudelijke sparringpartners in een groot, internationaal bedrijf;
→ Voor samenwerken in een cultuur gebaseerd op de principes van de netwerkorganisatie – veel vrijheid, veel verantwoordelijkheid;
→ Voor een eigen SMC Academy gericht op samen leren en ontwikkelen in proces- en programmamanagement en organisatieontwikkeling;
→ Voor de snelste leercurve in opgavegericht werken voor young professionals als springplank naar een volgende uitdagende baan bij ministeries, provincies en grote gemeenten.

Christiaan Elings's picture #CircularCity
Jennifer Drouin, Community Manager at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, posted

Open call powers to act workshop with kate raworth

Featured image

We need each other to get into the 'doughnut'. Transforming a city only succeeds if all stakeholders have one goal and work together. So: how do we get to a joint agenda and approach?

On September 29th from 09.00 - 18.00 we are organising a Powers to Act Workshop led by none other than Kate Raworth, the creator of Doughnut Economics.

Looking for 30 participants
We are looking for thirty participants; highly motivated, from all stakeholder groups, doers/thinkers, and diverse in all ways. Are you up for helping the city turn into a doughnut city? Then let us know via the form why we should not miss you!

This event is part of the Amsterdam Doughnut Days 28 september - 1 oktober. More info on https://bit.ly/3eBVAwB

Note from ASC: Have a question? Let’s hear it in the comments.

Jennifer Drouin's picture Masterclass / workshop on Sep 29th
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

Tools for circular construction

Featured image

The impact of circular principles on the construction sector will be large and beneficial because buildings are responsible for more than 50% of the total use of materials on earth, including valuable specimen such as steel, copper, aluminium and zinc.

The picture above – the interior of the Circle pavilion of the ABN-AMRO bank in Amsterdam is an example of a new building that uses as many existing components as possible and new components of the building are designed to be reused. Think of:

• 1200 m2 of wooden floors
• Partition walls of a demolished building
• 16.000 garments of employees for isolation purposes

By circular construction we mean designing, building and demolishing a building in such a way that, in addition to the high-quality reuse of materials, justice is done to sustainability ambitions in the field of energy, water, and biodiversity and ecosystems.

New materials are often more expensive than new ones
In case of demolishment, nowadays many components are already reused, but at a very low level, for instance concrete and stones as the foundation of new roads. Apart from the limited necessity to construct many new roads, this type of recycling destroys the intrinsic quality of materials and does not diminish the use of new materials. The biggest problem is that recycled materials are often more expensive than new ones.

Evidently, progress can be made by planning, designing, developing, and building circular buildings. A number of options are mentioned below.

Dedicated urban planning
Challenges for planning are the use of inner-city vacant land and issuing mandatory requirements regarding the construction of new buildings, for instance the use of less cement, glass and steel, the mandatory application of a certain percentage of reused materials, and becoming energy positive or at least energy-neutral. Switching to sustainable timber is an option for 90% of homes and 70% of offices being built.

Mandatory reuse of existing components
Reuse of existing materials means that glass is reused as glass and concrete pillars as pillars. The same applies to doors, frames, carpets, wall-cladding materials and so on. To start with, after demolishment all materials must be selected, cleaned, registered, and stored in new-to-develop warehouses. A materials passport, which contains an overview of all materials and components that are used to construct of a house or building, is a useful tool as well. The obligation to reuse a large percentage of existing components has far-reaching consequences for the design and construction of new houses.

Industrial production and 3D printing
Construction of components in factories, deploying industrial processes, will reduce costs by 30 percent and the delivery time by at least 50 percent. In 2014, the Chinese company WinSun printed and assembled ten houses, each 195 square meters, in 24 hours, for an amount of €5,000 per house[1]. The company used 30 - 60 percent less material than in traditional construction. The “ink” for their 3D printers is a mixture of dry cement and construction waste. WinSun plans to open 100 recycling plants in China to convert waste into cost-efficient ink. This video below demonstrates the printing activities of WinSun

Sharing space
The size of apartments will decrease, partly due to costs, but also because of the presence of shared guest rooms, lounge areas and terraces for working and socializing, spaces for washing and drying laundry. The need for office space will decrease rapidly due to sharing space and working home. Already now, IBM has only one desk available for 12 employees. Given the presence of 300,000 employees, this has led worldwide to savings on real estate of around € 1 billion in the past 10 years.

Modularity and durability
A key barrier for better use of floor space is the lack of flexibility in the design of buildings and room configurations. A modular design, which provides for easy replacement of partitions and placement of complete pre-fab units (kitchens and bathrooms, walls, and roofs as well) facilitates adjustments in case of new construction or as the use of a building changes. DIRTT builds interior components that are modular and standardized and offer maximum interchangeability in both existing and new buildings[2]. This video gives an impression of the production and application of these flexible and inexpensive solutions.

Forget new construction at all
Anyway, a first step is more efficient use of existing buildings and houses.
As families become smaller and offices need less space, existing space becomes underused. Many thousands of one family houses can be transformed in apartments. Well-thought adjustments to the lay-out of existing houses and buildings can improve their efficiency without reducing their functionality and amenity. Look here for inspiring examples.

I will regularly share with you ‘snapshots’ of the challenge to bring social and ecological sustainable cities closer using technology if helpful. These posts represent findings, updates, and supplements of my e-book Humane cities. Always humane. Smart if helpful. The English version of this book can be downloaded for free below.

Note from ASC: What are your thoughts on this? Let Herman know bellow.

Herman van den Bosch's picture #CircularCity
Christiaan Elings, Strategy & Collaboration for Sustainable Transitions at Royal Haskoning, posted

Gezonde stad: slim, samen en in samenhang

Featured image

Een gezonde stad is vitaal, veerkrachtig en toekomstbestendig – zowel maatschappelijk als economisch. Maar vanzelf gaat het niet. De druk op de stad is groot en de situatie is urgent, want er moet veel en liefst tegelijk: meer woningen, minder lawaai, schonere lucht, minder hittestress, een lager energiegebruik. Dit lukt alleen als we het slim, samen en in samenhang doen.

En er is goed nieuws: al die transities scheppen niet alleen verplichtingen, maar ook geweldige mogelijkheden. Zo biedt data science kansen om tot goede plannen en oplossingen te komen, om deze te visualiseren en communiceren én om participatie en besluitvorming te organiseren. In bijgaand artikel uit Binnenlands Bestuur geeft mijn collega Jan de Wit een overzicht van kansen.

Meer info: Gezonde stad: slim, samen en in samenhang

Christiaan Elings's picture #Citizens&Living
Audrie van Veen, Director Strategic Partnerships at Amsterdam Economic Board, posted

Regional Green Deals presented at EU 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge and EU Blueprint for Local Green Deals published

Featured image

The Regional Green Deals of the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam were presented by Frank Weerwind, Mayor of Almere at the Mayor’s Summit of the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge. Together with the Amsterdam Economic Board and Amsterdam Smart City, the Metropolitan Regio Amsterdam acts as a mentor region for the 100 European cities who participate in the challenge to work together on their ambitions for the digital and green transition.

For cities that want to work with their stakeholders on ambitious green deals the European Commission now published a practical guide titled Local Green Deals, A Blueprint for Action.

Find the speech by Mayor Weerwind below

22 June 2022

Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure and honor to me to be invited to the Mayors’ Summit of the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge,  and I am very excited to share with you some of my thoughts on the green and digital – or  twin – transition in the cities and regions of Europe. I also would like to express my gratitude to the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions for organizing this event on Green Deals and for launching the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge. By doing this, you recognize the power of cities in the twin transition, you see the need for support for cities to make this transition happen and by this programme, you facilitate the network that cities can create.

My own city is Almere, a new town near Amsterdam and just 45 years old: it was created from scratch on reclaimed land from the sea, and is now a vibrant city with over 215.000 inhabitants. It is a city without ancient history and traditions, but a young city with a strong pioneering spirit, where there is space to experiment and to test innovative solutions in living labs. Our living lab approach has resulted in various circular and sustainable energy innovations in the city, for example: a smart thermal grid for the new Hortus neighborhood. The living lab approach has also led to the choice for Almere as the location for the World Expo on Horticulture in 2022, the Floriade, which will showcase innovations on greening, feeding, healthying and energizing cities, under the umbrella off Growing Green Cities.  The twin transition is evidently a core aspect in this event. I will take this opportunity to invite you all to visit the expo next year in Almere.

But this morning I represent not only Almere but the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam, a region consisting of 32 municipalities and two provinces. An economically strong region in Europe with a high quality of life, an international hub with a huge amount of talent, knowledge, innovation and businesses. The Metropolitan Region Amsterdam is one of the so-called mentors in this programme, because we believe in sharing our vision with other cities in terms of knowledge and innovation, but, please, let me assure you that our ‘success’ story has been established, due to knowledge and innovation coming from the cooperation between cities. My aim for now is to continue the dialogue with you on the issues that we are sharing together.

As many of your regions, our region, with an economy highly defined by tourism and services industries, was hit hard by COVID-19. Therefore, we decided at an early stage to investigate, together with knowledge institutions and the business sector, how we could aim for green recovery. We felt more was needed, besides the required regional energy strategies, investing in our energy backbones, which nowadays also include a hydrogen-infrastructure, and ongoing European energy transition projects such as Atelier. We asked the Amsterdam Economic Board to organise this investigation, since they act independently and aim for connecting the companies, research and education institutes and governments in our region. Facing such an unprecedented crisis, we did not want to do this as governments alone, but together with all relevant stakeholders. And, my fellow Mayors, that is a lesson I want to share with you: don’t do it alone.

Based on interactive stakeholder sessions and scenario-planning, we started a trajectory towards green recovery, resulting so far in 3 Regional Green Deals and with these deals, extra focus on skills for sustainable jobs. The Green Deals are: making the textile value chain circular, developing the region as a innovative bicycle hotspot and -for the Netherlands this is really innovative- increase the amount of new-build houses in timber to 20% of the total of new residential building activity.

As a result of those Local Green Deals, we invest faster and more effectively in the economy of today and tomorrow. The aim is to anticipate on changing jobs and the necessary skills, to fill existing and future vacancies and to achieve greater well-being and prosperity in the long term. And that is what we wish for the whole of the European Union.

To conclude, I would like to compliment you with your efforts in the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge. And please feel free to take a closer look into the work of the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam and to learn, copy the elements that would benefit you, but also to bring your knowledge to us, for example via our online platform Amsterdam Smart City. That way, together we advance in the European twin transition. And move forward to the digital, inclusive and sustainable future of our cities.

Audrie van Veen's picture #CircularCity
Camille Janssen, Sustainability Consultant , posted

Fossil Free Sweden: The Swedish Model for a Carbon-Neutral Economy

Featured image

Sweden has passed a law to become fossil-free by 2045 and has created elaborate strategies to achieve this goal.

A plethora of policy and market mechanisms have been formed of which a special interest lies in the "green bonds" – a financing tool adopted widely across municipalities in Sweden, enabling large-scale investments in renewable energies and energy efficiency projects – mostly in Sweden, but also abroad.

With these mechanisms, Sweden is a leader in demonstrating a positive link between going fossil-free and a country’s prosperity and therefore increases the incentive to exit the fossil economy to move to a low-carbon economy.

Event Moderator: Avi Blau, Director of the Afeka Institute of Circular Engineering and Economy

Program:

14:00 - 14:05: Greetings

Mr. Erik Ullenhag, Ambassador of Sweden to Israel

14:05- 14:35: Introduction to fossil free policies in Sweden

Åsa Romson, former Minister for Climate and the Environment, current Senior researcher in environmental law and policy at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute - Sweden's fossil free policy

Örjan Lönngren, Policy Analyst, Energy and Climate at the City of Stockholm - fossil free policy In Stockholm

14:35 - 15:25: Swedish Industry Action for Climate Neutrality

Ms. Ann-Mari Fineman, Counsellor for Innovation Affairs Head of the Vinnova Office in Tel Aviv

City climate solutions by Sweden - transportation, grid, water treatment

Ronen Aharon, CEO at ABB Technologies Ltd. Israel

James Lundström, Head of Circular Economy at Volvo Cars

Erik Odén, CEO at C-Green Technology AB

Eva Stål, project leader biochar project , NSR AB

15:25 – 15:45: Green bonds - how can it be used to fund climate solutions

Göran Färm, Chairman of Kommuninvest Cooperative Society - Introduction to green bonds and their use in Sweden

Irene Svenonius, Chairman of the Board of Stockholm Region - Use of green bonds to fund climate projects in the city of Stockholm

15:45 - 16:15: Tel Aviv responses to climate change

Vered Crispin Ramati, Deputy Director of Environment & Sustainability Authority at Tel Aviv Municipality

The event is organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Tel Aviv in collaboration with Merhav - the movement for Israeli Urbanism

Don't forget to register.

The event is part of series of webinars by Merhav: "Cities at the Front of the Climate Crisis".

Camille Janssen's picture Meet-up on Jun 16th
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Data Dilemma recap: Focus on the right data when measuring Circular Economy

Featured image

As a city Amsterdam has ‘ambitious ambitions’ Jorren Bosga (city of Amsterdam) stated in his opening, as he was referring to Amsterdam’s Circular Economy (CE) Monitor. He did this in another edition of Data Dilemma’s. Here - in collaboration with Datalab Amsterdam - the biggest data-related hurdles of the great public transitions get addressed in a discussion between a panel of (international) experts and the audience.

This time, our experts talked about their experiences, plans and struggles on monitoring the circular economy. Jorren shared the cities ambition to reduce the use of primary abiotic resources (not derived from living organisms) by 50% in 2030 and by 100% in 2050. To gain insights into the progress towards the city’s top-level circular economy targets, Jorren expressed the need for both high coverage, as well as high detail of the data collected. Characteristics that seem almost mutually exclusive.

Data with high coverage and detail

A top-down approach, like Amsterdam’s collaboration with the Central Bureau of Statistics, leads to a broad general insight, but lacks detailed data of materials and is
subjected to assumptions. Working bottom-up will grant you more detailed data, but only on a small part of the system. To do the latter, Amsterdam partners with sector-wide reporting organizations or large companies, for instance in monitoring company-level waste processing.

What’s being reused and repaired?

Next up was Nina Lander Svendsen from PlanMiljø to talk about their multinational
collaboration study on the state of the circular economy in the Nordic countries. Like Amsterdam, she urged the need for more data on the ‘inner circles’ of CE, containing the reuse and repair of products and materials. Being able to influence the lifetime of materials will be most interesting to policy makers. Political strategies on stimulating the circular economy allow more specific collection of data and monitoring, in contrast to just generally gathering data. Having a stronger correlation between the circular transition and the expected impacts, will increase the influence of policy changes.

Focus on measuring what you really want to know

The call for focus on the things you really want to measure was underlined by Luc
Alaerts, researcher at the KU Leuven and Leuven 2030. It is easy to look at what you can do with the data that is available, but it contains the risk of creating a false sense of control. If policy makers only look at a small portion of the system, that portion will get a disproportionate amount of influence. It is therefore important to also focus on the data that is not available yet. A city can aim for a high amount of registered users of a car sharing-app, but if that means that people are grabbing a car instead of a bike
or using public transport, it’s debatable if it has had the effect they were
aiming for.

Importance of dialogue with stakeholders

Also, Luc touched upon the importance of dialogue with stakeholders in collecting data. Lowering reluctance by making them part of the project, focusing on the value
it creates and gaining trust before you ask for data seems the way to go. In
Leuven, they showed this in their materials bank - a project where construction
materials get a second life.

Wanted to join the session, but couldn’t? Or do you want to rewatch that one particularly good part of the discussion? Check out the recording anytime you like.

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #CircularCity
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Meet the speakers of Data Dilemma’s event: “Measuring the Circular Economy”

Featured image

A tool that gives strategic insights in the materials that are being used in the city and how we use them. That’s what the Monitor Circular Economy - created by the city of Amsterdam - does. And it doesn’t stop there.

What we buy, build & throw away has significant social and environmental impact abroad. And since the city has adopted the Doughnut Economics framework, these impacts need to be quantified and addressed.

Introducing Our Speakers

We’re looking forward to discussing different ways to include this information in the data during this session with our three talented speakers on June 3rd, 16:00 - 17:15. It’s in English and (also) aimed at (inter)national city-to-city knowledge exchange & collaboration.

Jorren Bosga – City of Amsterdam
Jorren has quite recently begun working at the city of Amsterdam, but has quite a background in data science in sustainability and monitoring the impact of sustainability interventions. At the city of Amsterdam, he is now working on the development of their Circular Economy Monitor and dashboard.

Nina Lander Svendsen – PlanMiljø
Nina has a master in Political Sciences and is specialised in Environmental and Climate policies. Since she has joined consultancy platform PlanMiljø, she has worked on policy analyses and strategies for topics in the Circular Economy and UN Sustainability Goals, where she also focuses on monitoring systems.

Luc Alaerts – KU Leuven / Leuven 2030
Luc works at the KU Leuven in the department of Sustainable Material Management. He’s also part of the expert group of Leuven 2030, which is focused on making Leuven a climate neutral city. Luc works on the knowledge and monitoring of both sustainability pilots as well as evaluating and optimizing organisational practices.

Get your (free) ticket

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #CircularCity
Innovatie Partners Amsterdam, Facilitating public-private collaboration and innovation at Gemeente Amsterdam, posted

Subsidies voor duurzaam economisch herstel in tijden van Corona

Featured image

De Amsterdamse economie is zwaar getroffen door de coronacrisis. Daarom heeft gemeente Amsterdam extra geld beschikbaar gesteld om de economie juist in deze moeilijke tijden aan te jagen.

De subsidies zijn bedoeld om vernieuwing en werkgelegenheid in onderstaande sectoren te realiseren:

• circulaire economie
• energietransitie
• schone en slimme mobiliteit
• digitaliseren
• gezondheid

De steun zal in de vorm zijn van twee subsidies. Hieronder lees je meer over de subsidies.

Subsidie om een projectvoorstel te schrijven

Amsterdam stelt extra geld beschikbaar voor ondernemers die bijdragen aan duurzaam economisch herstel in tijden van corona. Heb je een idee dat niet van de grond komt tijdens de coronacrisis? Ontvang tot 25.000 euro om een projectvoorstel van tenminste 2 miljoen te ontwikkelen voor een Nationaal of Europees coronaherstel- of stimuleringsfonds.

Kijk op de website om te zien of jij in aanmerking komt voor de subsidie of om je direct in te schrijven.

Subsidie om een project te realiseren

Amsterdam stelt extra geld beschikbaar voor ondernemers die bijdragen aan duurzaam economisch herstel in tijden van corona. Heb je een project dat niet van de grond komt tijdens de coronacrisis? Krijg 100.000 tot 500.000 euro subsidie om jouw project te realiseren.

Zie de website om te kijken of jij in aanmerking komt voor de subsidie of om je direct in te schrijven.

Innovatie Partners Amsterdam's picture #CircularCity
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Data Dilemma's: Measuring the Circular Economy

Featured image

The city of Amsterdam is developing the Monitor Circular Economy; a tool that gives strategic insights in the materials that are being used in the city and how we use them.

One of the key motivations behind the push to a circular economy is that material consumption - what we buy, build & throw away - has significant social and environmental impact abroad. And since the city has adopted the Doughnut Economics framework, these impacts need to be quantified and addressed.

Getting an overview of material flows

Measuring the circular economy is a crucial first step. We want an overview of material flows in the city and we want detailed data on how circular these flows are. So top-down and bottom-up, but each come with their own challenges:

• Detailed knowledge at a product level is difficult to obtain in a scalable way since
products are complex, there are no reporting standards or requirements, and there are many products.
• Aggregated material flow statistics are only available at a national level, not at a regional or city level.

City of Amsterdam teamed up with CBS

To tackle the top-down challenge, the city of Amsterdam teamed up with the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). By combining trade statistics and transport data in a novel way, it was possible to create datasets that show regional material flows and they’re ready to give you some preliminary results.

These results cover material flows, but do not yet include information about how ‘circular’ certain goods or sectors are. We’re looking forward to discussing different ways to include this bottom-up information in the data during this session. Though slated for development later this year, the city of Amsterdam is also eager to share some ideas and approaches on gaining insight into the ecological impact and social impact of material consumption worldwide.

Together with a panel of experts, we will discuss these challenges and share learnings and insights. As per usual, the experts will not be the only ones participating: you can too. Join this Data Dilemma’s session and feel free to participate actively in the chat. That way we’ll have a nice interactive conversation between all parties.

Join this session of Data Dilemmas on June 3rd from 16:00 till 17:30

Sign up for the Data Dillema:
Measuring the Circular Economy - How to get the full picture.

Program:Online event
Date: 3rd of June 2021
Language: English

15.50 – Digital walk-in
16.00 –16.05: Introduction by Amsterdam Smart City & Datalab
16.05 – 16.10:Introduction to challenge
16.10 –16.45: Presentations + Q&A
16.45 –17.15: Plenary discussion and wrap-up

Speakers:
1. Jorren Bosga (city of Amsterdam); Netherlands
2. Nina Lander Svendsen & David McKinnon (Plan Miljø); Denmark
3. Luc Alaerts, Julie Marin & Karel van Acker (KU Leuven); Belgium

About the Data Dilemmas series
Projects like the Circular Economy Monitor show us that possibilities of using data and new technologies to address big transitional challenges are endless. We use the data to make cities safer, cleaner and more accessible. But do we really need the data in all cases? What happens to all the data that is collected? Which choices did people make and why? Which dilemmas can be encountered? These questions are important for everyone; for governments, knowledge institutions, residents and companies. Amsterdam Smart City likes to explore with you which decisions are needed for responsible use of data. Data Dilemmas is a collaboration between Amsterdam Smart City and the City of Amsterdam’s Datalab.

Amsterdam Smart City's picture Online event on Jun 3rd
Jet van Eeghen, Online communications advisor at Amsterdam Economic Board, posted

Event: Maak jouw werkkleding ook circulair

Featured image

Met inkopen van circulaire kleding kun jij of jouw organisatie een enorme bijdrage leveren aan het hergebruik van textiel. Denk aan representatieve kleding of beschermende kleding. En ook aan je partners die beveiligings-, onderhouds- of cateringsdiensten leveren. Zo stimuleer je de bedrijven en organisaties die al mooie circulaire producten en diensten aanbieden. En je moedigt ze aan verdere stappen te nemen. Bovendien jaag je de regionale economie aan. Het biedt jouw organisatie de mogelijkheid haar ambities op het gebied van duurzaamheid weer een stap verder te brengen. Dat lijkt ons met recht een positieve impact.

Doe mee op 3 juni van 15.00 tot 16.30

Op donderdag 3 juni organiseren we de eerste van twee ‘ronde
tafel bijeenkomsten’ met het thema ‘Circulair inkopen van werkkleding’. We
zoomen in op de achtergrond, de mogelijkheden en bekijken daarbij zowel representatieve, beschermende als functionele werkkleding. We maken een inventarisatie van de thema’s voor de volgende stappen en hoe we dat binnen de GreenDeal samen kunnen doen of oplossen. Wil jij samen met collega’s van andere bedrijven en experts aan de slag met werkkleding met impact? Meld je dan nu aan voor dit online event.

Jet van Eeghen's picture Online event on Jun 3rd
Young Urban Engineers, Student consultancy foundation , posted

Launch: Young Urban Engineers

Featured image

Young Urban Engineers (YUE) is a brand new student consultancy firm that focuses on projects within the urban environment. This new consultancy firm is founded by three entrepreneurial MSc MADE Students: Titus Venverloo, Annie Berendsen and Hanna Winters.

They want to give students from the MSc Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering program (MSc MADE) the opportunity to participate and gain experience with real-life projects. By matching them to project from companies that are looking for a fresh perspective on the urban issues at hand.

Get to know Young Urban Engineers

Due to the current circumstances, they have not been able to celebrate their go-live. You are invited to their official online launch on May 3rd at 16:30. During this event the current board, partners and participating students will tell you about their experiences with Young Urban Engineers. Also, the brand new website and logo will be revealed.

Can you use a fresh perspective on your urban environment topics? Get to know YUE on May 3rd and you might even win a free brainstorm session with these Young Urban Engineers.

You can Register Here.

Online event on May 3rd
Henrike Slob, Marketing Communications Lead at Impact Hub Amsterdam, posted

Circulair ondernemen in Noord-Holland

Featured image

Provincie Noord-Holland en Impact Hub Amsterdam werken samen om het circulaire ecosysteem van de provincie te versterken. Vanaf 29 april 2021 tot 3 feb 2022 organiseren we maandelijkse expertsessies, netwerkevenementen en masterclasses om je op weg te helpen met circulariteit. Het programma bestaat uit 11 gratis evenementen, waaronder 6 opeenvolgende masterclasses.

Henrike Slob's picture #CircularCity
Casper Thostrup, System Engineering Student at University of Twente, posted

Smart City Amsterdam - Defining the future!

Featured image

Dear AmsterdamSmartCity,

Today I start my dissertation project for Oxand. Together we will be working towards defining clearer goals for Gemeente Amsterdam's smart city objectives! We will approach this challenge by taking the #SmartCity principles and observing them through the lens of #SystemEngineering.

I am looking for members who are interesting in helping me identify stakeholders, current challenges facing the municipality, developing projects, objectives that must be fulfilled and much more!

Casper Thostrup's picture #CircularCity
Thieu Besselink, Participatory urbanism, commons, learning , posted

Meetup: Entrepreneurs share Mobility as a Common initiatives

Featured image

On April 9th three collective entrepreneurs present their Mobility as a Common initiatives and challenges at the Townmaking Common Labworks.

The Towmaking Common Labworks are a network of cooperative initiatives that develop and implement solutions for the common good. This Friday we start a series of meetups for the vertical in Mobility as a Commons, and invite entrepreneurs, governments and professionals to join the Labworks and build together.

This Friday WijZijnDeel and the Amsterdam Bicycle Collective will present their initiatives and journeys.
The ABC builds a local cooperative ecosystem for the development, production, maintenance, and use of community-built circular eBikes. Join the designers, engineers, bicycle shops, and educational partners in making Dutch cycling culture about care for healthy living, sustainable production, and quality making.
WijZijnDeel  organises citizens in cooperatives in order to be able to provide in their collective mobility needs.

Our city urgently requires zero-emissions and lower loads on aging infrastructure, and at the same time the health of our city also needs mobility solutions that are sensitive to local needs, and that are made and maintained by highly-skilled local economies. We believe local communities are best positioned to understand their collective needs and environment, and they form the heart of a healthy, sustainable and  inclusive society. Therefore our mission is to empower these communities with quality infrastructure and ownership.

Join the Townmaking Common Labworks:

When: April 9th from 15h-17h
Where: Find more info about the event and sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mobility-as-a-commons-meetup-tickets-148005619793

Thieu Besselink's picture Meet-up on Apr 9th
Amsterdam Smart City, Connector of opportunities at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

Gezocht: (junior) Communicatie- en Programmamedewerker

Featured image

Wil jij je inzetten voor betere straten, buurten en steden? Ben jij thuis in de wereld van communicatie, social media en community management? En heb je affiniteit met stedelijke innovatie?

Kom dan het Amsterdam Smart City team versterken! Voor ons kernteam (bestaande uit 6 mensen) zijn wij op zoek naar een:

(junior) Communicatie- en programmamedewerker

Amsterdam Smart City is een onafhankelijk innovatieplatform dat innovatieve bedrijven, kennisinstellingen, overheden en proactieve bewoners samenbrengt en vorm geeft aan de stad van de toekomst.

Wij zijn ervan overtuigd dat de veranderingen die nodig zijn voor de vooruitgang van de stad en regio alleen gerealiseerd kunnen worden door samen te werken. Al onze activiteiten zijn daarom gericht op het faciliteren van ontmoeting, interactie en samenwerking, zodat partijen samen tastbare, duurzame innovaties tot stand kunnen brengen. Amsterdam Smart City richt zich met name op deze vier thema’s: mobiliteit, de digitale stad, energie en circulaire economie. Met het Amsterdam Smart City team zorgen we voor verbinding.

Wat ga je doen?
Je voert de communicatie- en communitystrategie actief uit door het maken van content, het schrijven van nieuwsbrieven, beheren van onze social media kanalen en het organiseren van events. Je bent veel in contact met de partners en andere organisaties binnen het netwerk van ASC.

Daarnaast werk je met onze partners aan het aanjagen van innovaties binnen het transitiepad Mobiliteit & Logistiek en legt verbindingen met de community. Ook breid je het netwerk uit met relevante organisaties en innovatieve projecten. De communicatie- en programmamedewerker werkt nauw samen met het gehele smart city team en legt verantwoording af aan de communicatiemanager. Daarnaast heb je een aantal programma ondersteunende taken.

Taken
• Je beheert onze social media kanalen, geeft inzage in de statistieken en onderneemt actie op basis van de data.
• Je onderhoudt het dagelijks contact met de leden van onze community op www.amsterdamsmartcity.com
• Je verzamelt, schrijft, redigeert en publiceert content voor de community en andere stakeholders.
• Je organiseert en draagt bij aan evenementen voor partners en ons bredere netwerk in de regio en communiceert hierover.
• Je coördineert, onder begeleiding, je eigen transitiepad: Mobiliteit & Logistiek en monitort voortgang van projecten en legt verbindingen.
• Je verbindt, mobiliseert en activeert partners en communityleden
• Je voert ondersteunende programma taken uit, zoals het vormgeven van presentaties en zorgdragen voor documentatie en het bijhouden van het CRM systeem.

Profiel:
• WO/HBO werk- en denkniveau
• Opleiding op gebied van communicatie of vergelijkbaar
• 1-2 jaar werkervaring
• Goede beheersing van Nederlands en Engels in woord en schrift
• Ervaring op het gebied van online communicatie, community management en/of projectondersteuning
• Affiniteit met innovatie en stedelijke ontwikkelingen, met het thema Mobiliteit & Logistiek in het bijzonder
• Type aanpakker, zelfstandig, communicatief sterk en flexibel.
• Gedreven in het creëren van maatschappelijke waarde

Wat bieden wij?
Wij bieden je een fijne werkplek op het Marineterrein in Amsterdam, met een informele en collegiale sfeer. Op dit moment werken we uiteraard veel thuis. We zijn een klein team (6 personen) waarin we nauw met elkaar samenwerken. We werken intensief samen met een grote groep gedreven mensen die zich inzetten voor een duurzame stad en regio, voor iedereen. Het is een regionale, nationale én internationale werkomgeving waarin je eigen inbreng en pro-activiteit zeer gewaardeerd worden.

We zoeken iemand voor 32-40 uur per week.  Salarisindicatie o.b.v. 40 uur: €2.900 - €3.400 bruto excl vakantiegeld en eindejaarsuitkering. Wij bieden een jaarcontract met uitzicht op een vaste aanstelling.

Interesse gewekt?
Vind je dit goed klinken? Dan horen we graag van je! Stuur je CV en een korte motivatie voor 17 april naar: info@amsterdamsmartcity.com. De eerste gesprekken zijn op 20 en 21 april. Voor meer informatie over de functie kun bellen met Menouschka Plugge via 06-43752636.

Hopelijk spreken we elkaar snel!

Amsterdam Smart City's picture #Energy