#Policy

ESPON Programme and Open & Agile Smart Cities are looking for your help and insight!

As part of the ESPON DIGISER project (Digital Innovation in Governance and Public Service Provision) and beyond, we are collecting data on the practices and current situation of digital innovation in European cities, towns and regions.

The survey is available here until 9 July 2021:
 https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/DIGIsurvey2021

The DIGISER project is an EU initiative run by the ESPON Programme and supported by the European Committee of the Regions, living-in.eu, EUROCITIES, ICLEI, 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge, Smart Cities Marketplace and Open and Agile Smart Cities.

The goal is to lay the foundations for future EU programs and initiatives that support municipalities in their digital transition. To do this, we need to know what is being done at local level. The survey is also the cornerstone of the annual index, which will help you understand the current state of your digital journey and help cities with to benchmark themselves against similar cities across Europe. By participating in the survey, you will get a better overview of your city's approach to digital innovation. The results of the survey can be used by local governments to apply for funding from future EU or national programmes.

And: There’s even a chance for you to win 1 of 5 reMarkable tablets as a little token of appreciation for your time!

How can we learn from international smart city experiences to ensure that we do not keep reinventing the smart city wheel. In the City Deal “A Smart City, This Is How You Do It” 58 public and private parties are working together to collect, validate and scale smart city solutions in the Netherlands.

On 10 June, Future City Foundation (FCF) and Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) brought together more than 30 Dutch and international colleagues to connect the City Deal to international experiences and best practices. The session consisted of short pitches sharing the tools and solutions developed in the City Deal Working Groups. For every pitch the international experts were asked to share their experience with similar projects, and reflect on what is needed to improve and scale the solutions abroad.

1.     Open Urban Data Platform Tender

As more municipalities look to purchase urban data platforms, can we develop a generalized Program of Requirements? The Dutch cities of Rotterdam, Hilversum, and Helmond are working to develop such a flexible Program of Requirements, taking into account aspects such as scalability, flexibility and shareability of data, as well as privacy, cybersecurity, and data autonomy.  During the session, the city of Aahus shared the experience of Open Data DK, a collaboration of Danish municipalities and regions to not only tender, but collectively develop an open data portal, leading to improved collaboration and cost savings for Danish municipalities and their stakeholders.

2.     Model ByLaw Smart City in Public Space:

The public space is rapidly digitalization with many parties wishing to add sensors, beacons, cameras and other objects to enable various smart city applications. Local authorities need to find effective ways to regulate how this is done, so that the public space does not become a “Wild West” of smart applications. Within the City Deal, a model bylaw has been drawn and it is now being tested in Rotterdam. The question to the group was whether similar bylaws or initiatives been developed in other cities or jurisdictions? The city of Vienna shared its experience developing a Smart City Framework Strategy – a high level but binding document when it comes to designing bylaws related to various smart city domains.

3.     Citizen Measurement Initiatives:

Within the City Deal three Working Groups are exploring how to use citizen measurement to create smart, sustainable, and inclusive cities, and how to link these initiatives to policy. On this topic the group could learn from initiative like iScape and WeCount in Dublin’s Smart Docklands District, which focus on engaging citizens in measurement projects, and linking the results to city policy. And when it comes to engaging citizens in measuring their environment, city of Dublin had another suggestions for the Dutch colleagues: leverage the existing network of public libraries to engage and involve citizens and policy makers in citizen-measurement projects.

Second International Roundtable Planned
The discussion revealed there are a lot of shared challenges, for instance in scaling smart city projects, so it's necessary that we keep sharing approaches and lessons learned internationally.  Following the success of this first international roundtable, we are planning a second session on September 30.  Dutch and international experts who would like to participate, can send an email to Cornelia Dinca via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com with a short explanation of how like to contribute to the session. For more information or any other questions about the City Deal please contact Wendolijn Beukers via wendolijn@future-city.nl.

Thank You to the Participants
ASC and FCF would like to thank all the Dutch and international colleagues who contributed their expertise during the session.

City Deal Working Groups Members
·       Noor van den Brink, Policy Advisor, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
·       Marcel Broekhaar, Smart City Program Management, City of Zwolle
·       Arjan Hof, CTO, WeCity
·       Daniel de Klein, Business Development Manager Digital City, City of Helmond
·       Anita Nijboer, Partner, Kennedy Van de Laan
·       Shahid Talib, Directeur Smart City, Heijmans
·       Simone Rodenburg, Advisor CIO Office, City of Enschede
·       Henri de Ruiter, Environmental Advisor, RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
·       Jeroen Steenbakkers, Owner, Agaleo

International Peers
·       Ulrich Ahle, CEO, FIWARE Foundation
·       Jamie Cudden, Smart City Program Manager, City of Dublin
·       Bo Fristed, CIO, City of Aahus
·       Gianluca Galletto, Managing Director, Global Futures Group
·       Lea Hemetsberger, Director Projects & Network, Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC)
·       Jong-Sung Hwang, Masterplanner Busan Smart City, South Korea
·       Nigel Jacob, Co-Founder New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
·       Gabriella Gomez-Mont, Former Director of Laboratorio para la Ciudad, Mexico City & Founder of Experimentalista
·       Jonathan Reichental, Former CIO of Palo Alto & author of Smart Cities for Dummies
·       Florian Wollen, Coordinator, Urban Innovation Vienna

Provincie Noord-Holland heeft in mei 2021 een nieuwe datastrategie in concept vastgesteld. De wereld verandert snel en de strategie uit 2018 sloot steeds minder aan bij de huidige ambities. Het streven is om datatechnologie in te zetten voor optimale resultaten van onze maatschappelijke opgaven.

Hierbij zijn drie elementen van belang. Als eerste ‘duurzaamheid’. Wij willen profiteren van digitalisering op een manier die zo min mogelijk ten koste gaat van natuurlijke hulpbronnen. Het tweede element is ‘transparantie’. Wij zien in transparantie de kans om te innoveren mét het vertrouwen van onze inwoners. Het laatste element is ‘data-soevereiniteit’. Wij zien het als onze verantwoordelijkheid om onze onafhankelijkheid zo veel mogelijk te borgen. En misschien nog wel belangrijker: óók de onafhankelijkheid van de inwoners van Noord-Holland.

Om deze stip op de horizon te bereiken hebben we vier doelstellingen opgesteld:

Doelstelling 1
In 2023 zijn wij beter dan nu in staat om met data de maatschappelijke resultaten van onze opgaven te beschrijven, verklaren, voorspellen of optimaliseren.

Met datatechnologie dragen we bij aan de maatschappelijke resultaten die wij voor onze opgaven willen bereiken. Die resultaten verschillen per opgave. Daarom zullen wij voor elke opgave de datapositie in kaart brengen, zo kunnen we tegemoetkomen aan de specifieke behoeften. Voor een aantal complexe deelopgaven starten we bijvoorbeeld een experiment, waarbij we  de mogelijkheden van een ‘digital twin’ onderzoeken.

Doelstelling 2
In 2023 zijn de digitaliseringsbelangen van onze provincie adequaat behartigd op het niveau van de Europese Unie, de Rijksoverheid, de Tweede Kamer en de regio Amsterdam.

Digitalisering en AI vertegenwoordigen een steeds groter economisch en maatschappelijk belang. Zij hebben meer en meer politiek-bestuurlijke aandacht. Zowel op het niveau van de Europese Unie, de Rijksoverheid, de Tweede Kamer als de regio Amsterdam. Dat is relevant voor onze lobby.

Doelstelling 3
In 2023 is meer data van de provincie open en toegankelijk beschikbaar en weten de inwoners van Noord-Holland waar ze deze data kunnen vinden.

Open data is voor de provincie om twee redenen van belang. Allereerst draagt het bij aan transparantie, wat essentieel is voor het vertrouwen van onze inwoners. Daarnaast stelt open data externe partijen, bijvoorbeeld startups, in staat om applicaties te ontwikkelen. Hiervoor richten wij in 2021 een open dataregister in. En hebben wij in 2023 onze meest relevante open datasets gepubliceerd.

Doelstelling 4
In 2023 ervaren inwoners, bedrijven en onze partners dat wij inzet van data en datatechnologie afwegen tegen de Tada-waarden: inclusief, zeggenschap, menselijke maat, legitiem en gecontroleerd, open en transparant, van iedereen - voor iedereen.

We werken vóór onze inwoners en bedrijven. Dus zorgen we dat ons werk met data geen negatieve gevolgen voor hen heeft. Kortom: we gaan verantwoord om met data en datatechnologie. Om dit waar te maken experimenteren we in 2021-2023 met het toepassen van de Tada-waarden en werken we toe naar het publiceren van onze algoritmen in een register. Zo innoveert de provincie Noord-Holland mét het vertrouwen van haar inwoners en bedrijven.

Note van ASC: Wil je nog net iets meer weten? Laat het weten in de comments.

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

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.

Onze inzending voor ‘Missie Nederland’ van de Volkskrant (wat kan eigenlijk niet, maar wil je toch voor elkaar krijgen), oftewel een “Moonshot”, is het creëren van Bruto Nationaal Geluk met digitale sociale innovatie. In 9 punten de missie die we samen met Future City Foundation, het G40 Stedennetwerk, BTG Branchevereniging ICT en Telecommunicatie Grootgebruikers hebben ingestuurd.

Om dit te bereiken, moeten we zorgen dat íedereen kan meedoen in onze maatschappij, onze democratie. Ook de groep mensen die we nu niet horen. Met digitale technieken maken we nieuwe verbindingen mogelijk. Zodat je mee kan doen, bij kan dragen, ook als je de deur niet uit kunt, verbaal minder sterk bent of amper tijd hebt. Zo kan iedereen bijdragen aan het eigen geluk én aan dat van een ander.

In 2030 ...

… is geen enkele Nederlander meer digibeet, in plaats daarvan is elke Nederlander digitaal vaardig.

… heeft elke inwoner van Nederland toegang tot hoogwaardig internet. Dat betekent dat elk huis wordt aangesloten op snel vast en mobiel internet en elk huishouden in staat is om apparaten te kopen waarmee toegang mogelijk is. Een goede laptop is net zo belangrijk als een goede koelkast.

… wordt het internet op een nieuwe manier gebruikt. Toepassingen (software en
hardware) worden vanuit de gebruikers gemaakt. Met als uitgangspunt dat iedereen ze kan gebruiken. Programma’s en de daarvoor benodigde algoritmen worden zo geschreven dat ze ten dienste staan van de samenleving en niet van het bigtech-bedrijfsleven.

… heeft elke inwoner van Nederland een ‘self-sovereign-identity’ waarmee ze vrij, binnen de context van hun eigen grenzen, digitaal kunnen opereren en acteren.

… is nieuwe technologie ontwikkeld die de inwoners en bedrijven de kans mee te
denken en beslissen over en mee te ontwikkelen en handelen aan welzijn regio’s,
steden en dorpen.

… hebben alle Nederlandse politici verstand van digitalisering en technologisering.

… is het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven leidend in de ontwikkeling van deze oplossingen.

… zorgt dit alles voor meer welzijn en niet alleen voor meer welvaart.

… is het internet weer van ons.

Laat ons weten wat je ervan vindt in de comments. Lees ook de hele  moonshot.

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.

This workshop is an initiative by Amsterdam Smart City in collaboration with RVO to bring together stakeholders from the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) and the 100 Climate-Neutral Cities (CNC) mission, to share their ambitions and approaches, creating synergy and amplifying their impact.

Background
The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a project by the European Commission (EC) helping more than 100 European cities on their way to green, climate-neutral and sustainable growth through the use of digital technologies.  In 2021, the EC will also launch the 100 Climate-Neutral Cities (CNC) mission, supporting cities on their away to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Both the ICC and CNC aim to support European cities in their transformation towards sustainability.

Together with ICC and CNC stakeholders we will discuss:
• The key lessons learned from the ICC regarding collaboration and innovation in city networks
• Examples of technological solutions from the ICC which can be scaled up in the CNC
• Potential collaboration and learning opportunities between ICC and CNC cities

Monday June 21, 15:00-15:55 CEST

Program
• 15:00 – 15:10 Welcome and introductions, Cornelia Dinca (Amsterdam Smart City International Liaison) & Leonie van den Beuken (Amsterdam Smart City Program Director)
• 15:10 – 15:30 Short pitches by ICC and CNC stakeholders including: Jacobine de Zwaan (RVO Advisor Smart Cities), Dana Eleftheriadou (Head of ICC), Paul Tuinder (DG Research & Innovation Advisor), Christiaan Norde (City of Amsterdam International Affairs Advisor)
• 15:30 – 15:50 Roundtable discussion with the audience
• 15:50 – 15:55 Final reflections and program end

Join the Meeting
The meeting will be conducted using Zoom. There are two ways to join:
1.  Click on this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85216055375?pwd=MDhZL0ZhbllZck5pSVo3YmR5dGt2dz09
2.  Join using meeting ID: 852 1605 537 and Passcode: 775720

Call for Contributions
Are you an ICC or (aspiring) CNC city representative or stakeholder and would like to share your experience and perspective during the session?  Please send an email to Cornelia Dinca via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com with a short explanation of how you would like to contribute to the discussion and we will include you in the program.

The session is part of RVO's 100 Climate Neutral Cities Mission. Check the full program here:  https://climateneutralcities.b2match.io/agenda

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

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.

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.

Binnenkort verschijnt het onderzoek van de Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) over wat er wel en niet mag op smartcitygebied. Het onderzoek richt zich op verwerkingen van persoonsgegevens in de openbare ruimte met sensoren en andere technologieën. Veel gemeenten en andere overheden vragen zich af wat de mogelijkheden en grenzen zijn volgens de AP. Daarom zijn we erg blij dat Munish Ramlal, hoofd van de afdeling Systeemtoezicht bij de de AP samen met Gerald Hopster en Anna Maj Drenth, senior inspecteurs van de AP daarover met ons in gesprek willen. Dat doen we op 17 juni en u kunt daar bij zijn.

Datum en tijd: donderdag 17 juni
Tijd: 15.00 - 16.00 uur
Locatie: Online via Webex
Kosten: gratis

Meld je aan, zodat je verzekerd bent van een plekje.

Heb je een vraag of een specifieke casus voor de AP? In het aanmeldformulier kun je deze met ons delen. Zo kunnen we jouw vragen tijdens het gesprek aan de vertegenwoordigers van de AP voorleggen.

Voor vragen kun je contact opnemen met Zoë Spaaij (zoe@future-city.nl).

Program director Leonie van den Beuken joined the SmartCom Summit a few weeks ago to share her thoughts on Smart Societies. We give you a short recap on what came up and added a few interesting insights on the biggest challenges we face working from home and some possible solutions.

Due to the pandemic, we discovered that technology can lead to new opportunities. It also raised a lot of questions on ownership of data, privacy and autonomy. Technology needs not only to be trustworthy, but also to be perceived as trustworthy. Next to that it needs to me available and accessible. Let’s make sure that everyone can have access to hardware, wifi and understandable software. So every kid can join an online class and even older people are able to understand a mobility app.

“Climate change does not wait for us to decide who is in charge”

Used well, technology is an indispensable part of creating sustainable cities. Mobility and energy transitions need the use of data. That way we can create smart grids for example. But who is in charge of creating these smart sustainable societies? ‘A pack of leaders is in charge’,  Leonie says. ‘I like to compare it to the Tour de France. In different stages of the race, different cyclists take the lead. All aiming to support the star: sustainable society. And again, trust between parties is the most important thing when working together.’

Smart Communication

Covid has shown that with the support of technology we can meet anywhere online. But technology also comes with difficulties. The biggest challenges for the audience to work from home came out during a poll:
- 62% said ‘Not being around people’
- 24% said ‘Management’
- 100% said ‘Straining our Human Minds’

How can smart communication tools be of help within a company?

During the pandemic, employers manage 100 “offices” instead of one because everyone is working from home. There’s lots of technology available to monitor employees. Even though everyone agreed that trust is always better, camera’s and software to track activities on a device could stimulate and motivate.

Want to know more? Check out the talkshow.

City officials require sensor data to optimize operations, plan projects, or measure effects of interventions. Citizens often do not notice the sensors deployed by the City in public space. Also, the benefit for the public is not directly obvious to city residents or immediately shown by the sensing systems in place. Namely, in many cases only after data is processed, it informs an action that affects citizens.

Public concerns about sensors are often connected to concerns about potential action (to be taken by, for example, city officials), and that the action has negative implications. With ‘Simple Sensors’ we address these concerns.

The Simple Sensors project, which is part of the Responsible Sensing Lab, investigates these questions: What if sensors are designed to be seen? What if they communicate clearly what data they collect and how? And what if sensors invite you to interact with them?

Modules for responsible and ‘simple sensing’
Simple Sensors consists of a family of modules, designed by The Incredible Machine, that can be combined: some modules improve transparency over what data is being collected, other modules encourage interaction, and some modules just make it understandable how sensors work. The Simple Sensors family allows the City of Amsterdam to design sensors to fit any context or purpose.

A privacy friendly alternative for CCTV
The first Simple Sensor prototype called millimeter wave (mmWave) has been developed as a proposal for the City’s crowd management sensor at the Marineterrein Amsterdam Living Lab. It consists of four modules: 1) sensor module 2) transmission module, 3) data module, 4) threshold module... Continue reading about the project on our website >>

When rain hits the ground it get absorbed by the soil, or it flows into see, rivers or storm drains. Construction sites also get their fair share of rain and the rain has to go somewhere. Usually it finds its way through the storm drains to the rivers. But what if this runoff water is polluted...?

When: May 10, 10:00-11:00 CEST (GMT+2)
Where: Online
Cost: Free
Language: English

This is the premise of the Gothenburg case of the SCOREwater project and in the past period the team has been working on solutions to this problem.

Definitely sign up for this event if you are:
💧 ... working on water management within your municipality,
💧 ... interested in the sensors used;
💧 ... working in construction / managing a construction site;
💧 ... interested in (EU) regulations on stormwater;

We've got a strong line-up with speakers from the Göteborg municipality and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL). You can register now.

The 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a European Commission (EC) initiative that supports 136 cities with using cutting-edge technologies to lead the intelligent, green and socially responsible recovery. The goal is to accelerate ICC cities and their local ecosystems as engines for post-pandemic recovery, creating new jobs and strengthening citizen participation and wellbeing.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, represented by Amsterdam Economic Board and Amsterdam Smart City (ASC), has joined the ICC as a mentor region. A key task for ASC is to connect and share best practices from the Amsterdam region with the ICC network.

Here are a few of the upcoming opportunities for ASC partners and community members who would like to get involved in the ICC:

1. Sharing best practices during the 3rd ICC City Lab, May 18 – May 21: During this four day event, ASC partners have the opportunity to contribute to various knowledge and working sessions across a range of topics including: circular economy and Local Green Deals (LGD’s), energy efficient renovation, digitalization of government services, digital twins, and citizen participation.
2. Contributing to Tech4Good Marketplace:Within the scope of ICC, the EC is developing a digital platform where cities can share their experience and recommendations for validated and deployed smart city solutions.  During the April - June timeframe, ASC will collect transferable solutions and best practices from the Amsterdam Region which will be shared on the Marketplace.
3. Advise on the development of the European Interoperability Framework for Smart Cities and Communities (EIF4SCC): Acknowledging the importance of interoperability for smart cities and communities, the EC contracted Deloitte and KU Leuven University to develop a proposal for a European Interoperability Framework. The aim of the EIF4SCC is to provide European local administration leaders with definitions, principles, recommendations (including practical use cases) and a common model that enables public service delivery across domains, cities, regions and borders.  The first draft of the Framework is open for stakeholder consultation via the following survey until April 12.

For more information about ICC or any of the above points, please contact Cornelia Dinca, ASC International Liaison via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com

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!

Wij zijn op zoek naar een optimist die gemotiveerd is om ‘Smart City ondernemerschap’ te bevorderen. Ons werk is door Corona veranderd, maar uiteindelijk draait het nog steeds – en steeds meer – om ondanks complexe processen te blijven streven naar vernieuwing en opschaling.

Reageren voor: 14 april 2021

Amsterdam is one of the world cities that support the Circular Innovation City Challenge and is proud to serve on the jury. Cities are looking for early prototype to market-ready innovative solutions, with the potential to help create circular and thriving cities.

If your company has a digital or data-driven solutionthat enhances the circular economy, apply now.

Online Event 24/3
You can also join online on March 24th, 14.00-15.00 CET to participate in the @Circular City Week New York event, in which The Circular Innovation City Challenge will be presented. Sign up and read more about the session: https://bit.ly/38TOwZ4

#circularcities #cicc #climateneutral #cities #tech #digital #circulareconomy #data #wcef

Challenge partners: Glasgow City Council I Gemeente Amsterdam I New York City Economic Development Corporation | City of New York I City of Toronto I Ellen MacArthur Foundation I Leaderlab I Danish Design Centre / Dansk Design Center

Recently I have graduated in urban planning, and I am looking for job or research opportunities in the Netherlands. Earlier I was a guest researcher at Technical University of Eindhoven (TUe) and University of California- Santa Barbara. The focus point of my interests is navigating information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their spatial effects in different urban subsystems (especially transportation and mobility, autonomous vehicles) toward Smart city, as a vision.
I would appreciate your advice if you know any opportunities in the Netherlands.