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Topic within Citizens & Living
Peyton Gibson, Infrastructure, Policy, and Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), posted

Looking for Coworking Space with other Urban Design/Architecture/Smart City Firms

Hi all!

I'll be joining a small urban design & analytics firm as a contractor soon and am looking for a desk or coworking space that has folks in the same discipline/industry. The rest of my team is based in the US and Spain so I'm looking for a place with a nice community feel :)

Cheers!

Peyton Gibson's picture #Citizens&Living
Henrike Slob, Marketing Communications Lead at Impact Hub Amsterdam, posted

Financing- and investment options for the Clean Energy transition.

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Recognizing the significance of clean tech is pivotal in accelerating the energy transition and shaping a more sustainable future for our planet. However, these solutions are hindered by limited funding options for sustainable companies.

DuurzaamInvesteren.nl is committed to speeding up the sustainability transition by facilitating the right financial solutions for clean energy companies and democratizing investment opportunities. As an alternative investment solution, we connect entrepreneurs with investors and vice versa through our platform.

Founded in 2013, we now are the largest Dutch sustainable investment platform offering alternative finance solutions. We offer guidance, quick turnaround times and flexible terms & conditions and developed a renowned sector expertise in the clean energy transition.

Over the past 10 years we've financed over 335 million euros and we are proud to be a network of more than 17.000 investors. We have helped over 278+ green projects and companies to grow.
Join our webinar to hear more about speeding up the transitions and the opportunities as a sustainable entpreneur or investor.

Details

Date: Tuesday March 26
Time: 7:30-8:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour

Program

  • Welcome and opening by CEO Dennis Kromhout van der Meer.
  • How DuurzaamInvesteren.nl accelerates the energy transition
  • Cases

Marty Smits, founder Refurb battery and Sosimple:

Refurb battery won the Brabant Circular Innovation Award in 2023 and raised 1.15 million euros within 24 hours through DuurzaamInvesteren.nl. Refurb battery supports the energy transition by developing circular battery storage systems and eliminating the increasing amount of li-ion waste.

Marty Smits is also the founder of Sosimple, whose mission is to make clean energy accessible and affordable for everyone and every company in South Africa. SoSimple does this via company roofs throughout South Africa. There are 50 installations live and 15 in development. DuurzaamInvesteren.nl raised more than 5 million for Sosimple.

  • How to invest in clean tech energy solutions
  • How to raise finance as an entrepreneur via DuurzaamInvesteren.nl
  • Q&A Session

Moderation

Ilse Kwaaitaal, director Impact Hub Amsterdam. Impact Hub Amsterdam is part of a worldwide entrepreneurial network that focuses on scaling innovative sustainable solutions through connecting them to finance, knowledge and a valuable growth network.

Note: this event will be in Dutch.

Join our event here: https://lu.ma/kx7gj504

Henrike Slob's picture Online event on Mar 26th
Redactie ADC, Intern Communication ADC at Amsterdam Donut Coalition, posted

Community Meetup Amsterdam Donut Coalition!

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Amsterdam Donut Coalitie Community Meetup!

Op 29 februari organiseert de Amsterdam Donut Coalitie een community meetup in Noord over het voedselvraagstuk. 

Voedsel is een essentiële behoefte met aanzienlijke invloed op het milieu. Daarnaast verbindt het gemeenschappen. Daarom organiseren wij een meetup om initiatieven uit Noord, Zuidoost en Nieuw-West samen te brengen en in gesprek te laten gaan.

Op deze bijeenkomst zullen inspirerende initiatieven zoals Tuindorp Delicious, Wortel met Sjeu en Tuinen van Brasa hun inzichten delen over hun aanpak en de rol die de donut economie speelt in de transformatie van voedselsystemen. 

Vervolgens gaan we in groepen uiteen om samen het thema voedsel te onderzoeken vanuit de 4 lenzen. Wat gebeurt er als je voedsel bekijkt vanuit een sociaal, ecologisch, lokaal of globaal perspectief?

Dit wordt een waardevolle gelegenheid om te leren, te delen en gezamenlijk na te denken over de toekomst van ons voedselsysteem. Breng je nieuwsgierigheid, ideeën en enthousiasme mee!

🗓️ Datum: Donderdag 29 februari
🕒 Tijd: 16:00-17:30
📍 Locatie: Noord, Tuindorp Delicious, Zonneplein 18a, 1033 EK Amsterdam

Schrijf je hier in: https://forms.gle/jidLbQfjdKbHzNXu9 

Redactie ADC's picture Meet-up on Feb 29th
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

The 15-minute city: from vague memory to future reality (1/7)

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Without changing the transport system in which they operate, the advent of autonomous cars will not significantly improve the quality of life in our cities. This has been discussed in previous contributions. This change includes prioritizing investment in developing high-quality public transport and autonomous minibuses to cover the first and last mile.
 
However, this is not enough by itself. The need to reduce the distances we travel daily also applies to transporting raw materials and food around the world. This is the subject of a new series of blog posts, and probably the last.
Over the next few weeks I will be discussing the sustainability of the need for people and goods to travel long distances. In many cities, the corona pandemic has been a boost to this idea. Paris is used as an example. But what applies to Paris applies to every city.
 
When Anne Hidalgo took office as the newly elected mayor in 2016, her first actions were to close the motorway over the Seine quay and build kilometres of cycle paths. Initially, these actions were motivated by environmental concerns. Apparently, there was enough support for these plans to ensure her re-election in 2020. She had understood that measures to limit car traffic would not be enough. That is why she campaigned on the idea of "La Ville du Quart d'Heure", the 15-minute city, also known as the "complete neighbourhood". In essence, the idea is to provide citizens with almost all of their daily needs - employment, housing, amenities, schools, care and recreation - within a 15-minute walk or bike ride of their homes. The idea appealed. The idea of keeping people in their cars was replaced by the more sympathetic, empirical idea of making them redundant.
 
During pandemics, lockdowns prevent people from leaving their homes or travelling more than one kilometer. For the daily journey to work or school, the tele-works took their place, and the number of (temporary) "pistes á cycler" quickly increased. For many Parisians, the rediscovery of their own neighbourhood was a revelation. They looked up to the parks every day, the neighbourhood shops had more customers, commuters suddenly had much more time and, despite all the worries, the pandemic was in a revival of "village" coziness.
 
A revival, indeed, because until the 1960s, most of the inhabitants of the countries of Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia did not know that everything they needed on a daily basis was available within walking or cycling distance. It was against this backdrop that the idea of the 15-minute city gained ground in Paris.
 
We talk about a 15-minute city when neighbourhoods have the following characteristics
- a mix of housing for people of different ages and backgrounds - pedestrians and cyclists
- Pedestrians and cyclists, especially children, can safely use car-free streets.
- Shops within walking distance (up to 400 meters) for all daily needs
- The same goes for a medical center and a primary school.
- There are excellent public transport links;
- Parking is available on the outskirts of the neighbourhood.
- Several businesses and workshops are located in each neighbourhood.
- Neighbourhoods offer different types of meeting places, from parks to cafes and restaurants.
- There are many green and leafy streets in a neighbourhood.
- The population is large enough to support these facilities.
- Citizens have a degree of self-management.
 
Urban planners have rarely lost sight of these ideas. In many cities, the pandemic has made these vague memories accessible goals, even if they are far from reality.
 
In the next post, I will reflect on how the idea of the 15-minute city is moving from dream to reality.

Below you can link to my free downloadable e-book: 25 Building blocks to create better streets, neighborhoods and cities

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Citizens&Living
Noor Veenhoven, Program manager energy & circularity at Amsterdam Smart City, posted

A new challenge: Floating neighbourhoods with AMS Institute and municipality of Amsterdam

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A lot of what we did in Barcelona was about making connections, sharing knowledge, and being inspired. However, we wouldn’t be Amsterdam Smart City if we didn’t give it a bit of our own special flavour. That’s why we decided to take this inspiring opportunity to start a new challenge about floating neighbourhoods together with Anja Reimann (municipality of Amsterdam) and Joke Dufourmont (AMS Institute). The session was hosted at the Microsoft Pavilion.

We are facing many problems right now in the Netherlands. With climate change, flooding and drought are both becoming big problems. We have a big housing shortage and net congestion is becoming a more prominent problem every day. This drove the municipality of Amsterdam and AMS institute to think outside the box when it came to building a new neighbourhood and looking towards all the space we have on the water. Floating neighbourhoods might be the neighbourhoods of the future. In this session, we dived into the challenges and opportunities that this type of neighbourhood can bring.

The session was split up into two parts. The first part was with municipalities and governmental organisations to discuss what a floating neighbourhood would look like. The second part was with entrepreneurs who specialized in mobility to discuss what mobility on and around a floating neighbourhood should look like.

Part one - What should a floating neighbourhood look like?

In this part of the session, we discussed what a floating district should look like:

  • What will we do there?
  • What will we need there?
  • How will we get there?

We discussed by having all the contestants place their answers to these questions on post-its and putting them under the questions. We voted on the post-its to decide what points we found most important. 
A few of the answers were:

  • One of the key reasons for a person to live in a floating neighbourhood would be to live closer to nature. Making sure that the neighbourhood is in balance with nature is therefore very important.
  • We will need space for nature (insects included), modular buildings, and space for living (not just sleeping and working). There need to be recreational spaces, sports fields, theatres and more.
  • To get there we would need good infrastructure. If we make a bridge to this neighbourhood should cars be allowed? Or would we prefer foot and bicycle traffic, and, of course, boats? In this group, a carless neighbourhood had the preference, with public boat transfer to travel larger distances.

Part two - How might we organise the mobility system of a floating district?

In the second part of this session, we had a market consultation with mobility experts. We discussed how to organise the mobility system of a floating neighbourhood:

  • What are the necessary solutions for achieving this? What are opportunities that are not possible on land and what are the boundaries of what’s possible?
  • Which competencies are necessary to achieve this and who has them (which companies)?
  • How would we collaborate to achieve this? Is an innovation partnership suitable as a method to work together instead of a public tender? Would you be willing to work with other companies? What business model would work best to collaborate?

We again discussed these questions using the post-it method. After a few minutes of intense writing and putting up post-its we were ready to discuss. There a lot of points so here are only a few of the high lights: 
Solutions:

  • Local energy: wind, solar, and water energy. There are a lot of opportunities for local energy production on the water because it is often windy, you can generate energy from the water itself, and solar energy is available as well. Battery storage systems are crucial for this.
  • Autonomous boats such as the roboat. These can be used for city logistics (parcels) for instance.
  • Wireless charging for autonomous ferry’s.

Competencies:

  • It should be a pleasant and social place to live in.
  • Data needs to be optimized for good city logistics. Shared mobility is a must.
  • GPS signal doesn’t work well on water. A solution must be found for this.
  • There needs to be a system in place for safety. How would a fire department function on water for instance?

Collaboration:

  • Grid operators should be involved. What would the electricity net look like for a floating neighbourhood?
  • How do you work together with the mainland? Would you need the mainland or can a floating neighbourhood be self-sufficient?
  • We should continue working on this problem on a demo day from Amsterdam Smart City!

A lot more interesting points were raised, and if you are interested in this topic, please reach out to us and get involved. We will continue the conversation around floating neighbourhoods in 2024.

Noor Veenhoven's picture #Mobility
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

The Netherlands: country of cars and cows

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Last months, 25 facets of the quality of streets, neighbourhoods and cities have been discussed on this spot. But what are the next steps? How urgent is improvement of the quality of the living environment actually?
 
I fear that the quality of the living environment has been going in the wrong direction for at least half a century and in two respects:  

Country of cars

 
Firstly, the car came to play an increasingly dominant role during that period. Step by step, choices have been made that make traveling by car easier and this has had far-reaching consequences for nature, air quality, climate and environmental planning. Our living environment is designed based on the use of the car instead of what is ecologically possible and desirable for our health. At the same time, public transport is rarely a good alternative, in terms of travel time, costs and punctuality.  

Country of cows

 
A second structural damage to the quality of the living environment comes from the agro-industry. About one half of the surface of our country is intended for cows. These cows make an important contribution to greenhouse gas emissions that further destroy the remaining nature. But this form of land use also leads to inefficient food production, which also results in health problems.
 
In the next months I will explore two themes: 'Are 'self-driving' cars advantageous ' and the 'The merits of the 15-minute city'. These themes are case studies regarding the quality of the living environment and in both cases mobility and nature  play an important role.
 
After the publication of these two miniseries with zeven posts each, the frequency of my posts on this site will decrease, although I will continue to draw attention on the fundamental choices we have to make regarding environmental issues.
 
Meanwhile, I started a new blog 'Expeditie Muziek' (in Dutch). I have always neglected my love for music and I am making up for it now. I think readers who love music will enjoy my posts in which pieces of text alternate with YouTube videos as much as I enjoy writing them.
 
Curious? Visit the link below

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Citizens&Living
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

24 Participation

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This is the 24st episode of a series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. Its topic is how involving citizens in policy, beyond the elected representatives, will strengthen democracy and enhance the quality of the living environment, as experienced by citizens.

Strengthening local democracy

Democratization is a decision-making process that identifies the will of the people after which government implements the results. Voting once every few years and subsequently letting an unpredictable coalition of parties make and implement policy is the leanest form of democracy. Democracy can be given more substance along two lines: (1) greater involvement of citizens in policy-making and (2) more autonomy in the performance of tasks. The photos above illustrate these lines; they show citizens who at some stage contribute to policy development, citizens who work on its implementation and citizens who celebrate a success.

Citizen Forums

In Swiss, the desire of citizens for greater involvement in political decision-making at all levels is substantiated by referenda. However, they lack the opportunity to exchange views, let alone to discuss them.
In his book Against Elections (2013), the Flemish political scientist David van Reybrouck proposes appointing representatives based on a weighted lottery. There are several examples in the Netherlands. In most cases, the acceptance of the results by the established politicians, in particular the elected representatives of the people, was the biggest hurdle. A committee led by Alex Brenninkmeijer, who has sadly passed away, has expressed a positive opinion about the role of citizen forums in climate policy in some advice to the House of Representatives. Last year, a mini-citizen's forum was held in Amsterdam, also chaired by Alex Brenninkmeijer, on the concrete question of how Amsterdam can accelerate the energy transition.

Autonomy

The ultimate step towards democratization is autonomy: Residents then not only decide, for example, about playgrounds in their neighbourhood, they also ensure that these are provided, sometimes with financial support from the municipality. The right to do so is formally laid down in the 'right to challenge'. For example, a group of residents proves that they can perform a municipal task better and cheaper themselves. This represents a significant step on the participation ladder from participation to co-creation.

Commons

In Italy, this process has boomed. The city of Bologna is a stronghold of urban commons. Citizens become designers, managers, and users of part of municipal tasks. Ranging from creating green areas, converting an empty house into affordable units for students, the elderly or migrants, operating a minibus service, cleaning and maintaining the city walls, redesigning parts of the public space etcetera.
From 2011 on commons can be given a formal status.  In cooperation pacts the city council and the parties involved (informal groups, NGOs, schools, companies) lay down agreements about their activities, responsibilities, and power. Hundreds of pacts have been signed since the regulation was adopted. The city makes available what the citizens need - money, materials, housing, advice - and the citizens donate their time and skills.

From executing together to deciding together

The following types of commons can be distinguished:
Collaboration: Citizens perform projects in their living environment, such as the management of a communal (vegetable) garden, the management of tools to be used jointly, a neighborhood party. The social impact of this kind of activities is large.
Taking over (municipal) tasks: Citizens take care of collective facilities, such as a community center or they manage a previously closed swimming pool. In Bologna, residents have set up a music center in an empty factory with financial support from the municipality.
Cooperation: This refers to a (commercial) activity, for example a group of entrepreneurs who revive a street under their own responsibility.
Self-government: The municipality delegates several administrative and management tasks to the residents of a neighborhood after they have drawn up a plan, for example for the maintenance of green areas, taking care of shared facilities, the operation of minibus transport.
<em>Budgetting</em>: In a growing number of cities, citizens jointly develop proposals to spend part of the municipal budget.

The role of the municipality in local initiatives

The success of commons in Italy and elsewhere in the world – think of the Dutch energy cooperatives – is based on people’s desire to perform a task of mutual benefit together, but also on the availability of resources and support.
The way support is organized is an important success factor. The placemaking model, developed in the United Kingdom, can be applied on a large scale. In this model, small independent support teams at neighbourhood level have proven to be necessary and effective.
 
Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.  

   

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Citizens&Living
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

23. Governance

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This is the 23st episode of a series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. Its topic is the way how the quality of the living environment benefits from good governance.

In 1339 Ambrogio Lorenzetti completed his famous series of six paintings in the town hall of the Italian city of Siena: The Allegory of Good and Bad Government. The image above refers to the characteristics of governance: Putting the interests of citizens first, renouncing self-interest, helpfulness, and justice. These characteristics still apply.

Rooted in the community

The starting point of urban policy is a long-term vision on the development of the city that is tailored to the needs and wishes of citizens, as they become manifest within and beyond the institutional channels of representative democracy. In policies that are rooted in the community, knowledge, experiences, and actions of those involved are also addressed. Each city has a pool of experts in every field; many are prepared to commit themselves to the future of their hometown.

Participation

Governance goes beyond elections, representative bodies, following proper procedures and enforcing the law. An essential feature is that citizens can trust that the government protects their interests and that their voices are heard. The municipality of Amsterdam has access to a broad range of instruments: co-design, Initiating a referendum, subsiding local initiatives, neighbourhood law, including the 'right to challenge' and neighbourhood budgets. I will deal with participation in the next post.

Two-way communication

Barcelona and Madrid both use technical means to give citizens a voice and to make this voice heard in policy. Barcelona developed the platform Decidem (which means 'We decide' in Catalan) and Madrid made available Decide Madrid ('Madrid decides'). Both platforms provide citizens with information about the policy, allow them to put topics on the policy agenda, start discussions, change policy proposals, and issue voting recommendations for the city council.
Madrid has developed its participatory electronic environment together with CONSUL, a Madrid-based company. CONSUL enables cities to organize citizen participation on the internet. The package is very extensive. The software and its use is free. Consul is in use in 130 cities and organizations in 33 countries and has reached some 90 million citizens worldwide.

City management

Each city offers a range of services and facilities, varying from the fire brigade, police, health services, municipal cleaning services to 'Call and repair' lines, enabling residents to report defects, vandalism, damage, or neglect. Nuisance has many sources: non-functioning bridges, traffic lights, behavior of fellow citizens, young and old, traffic, aircraft noise and neighbours. In many cases, the police are called upon, but they are too often unable or unwilling to intervene because other work is considered more urgent. This is detrimental to citizens' confidence in 'politics' and seriously detracts from the quality of the living environment.

Resilience

Cities encounter disasters and chronic problems that can take decades to resolve. Resilience is needed to cope and includes measures that reduce the consequences of chronic stress (e.g., communal violence) and - if possible - acute shocks (e.g., floods) and eliminate their occurrence through measures 'at the source.'
For an adequate approach to disasters, the fire brigade, police, and ambulances work together and involve citizens. This cooperation must be learned and built up through practice, improvisation and trust and is not created through a hierarchical chain of command.
 
 
Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.  

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Citizens&Living
Marije Poel, Programma manager at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, posted

Just.City.2023

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KOM NAAR JUST.CITY.AMSTERDAM.2023

Amsterdam is al 750 jaar in beweging. De ontwikkelingen van de afgelopen jaren maken het een stad waarin niet voor iedereen plek is. Basisvoorzieningen zoals wonen, onderwijs, zorg, voedsel, de publieke ruimte en een leefbaar klimaat staan bijvoorbeeld steeds meer onder druk. We merken allemaal dat er zaken niet rechtvaardig zijn en daar willen wij, samen met jou, verandering in brengen.

Vanaf 16 november voert het Centre of Expertise Urban Governance and Social Innovation daarom officieel de naam Centre of Expertise Rechtvaardige Stad. Op die datum organiseren wij als lancering Just.City.Amsterdam.2023; een middag vol workshops, lezingen, gesprekken en persoonlijke ontmoetingen. Tijdens deze middag in Ru Paré Community willen we elkaar inspireren en aanzetten tot manieren om naar een rechtvaardige stad te kijken en er samen aan te werken. Jij bent van harte welkom!

We hebben schrijvers, dichters, onderzoekers, ondernemers, studenten, bestuurders en buurtorganisaties uit de stad gevraagd om een bijdrage te leveren aan ons programma. Met onder andere: Gökhan Aksoy, Abdelkader Benali, Joris Lechêne, Ria Braaf-Fränkel, Lucia Kula, Roberto Rocco, Arnt Mein.
Via onderstaande knop vind je meer informatie over de lancering en het aanmelden.

Marije Poel's picture Meet-up on Nov 16th
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

20. Facilities within walking and cycling distance

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This is the 20th episode of a series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. Its topic is to enable citizens having daily necessities in a walking and bicycling distance.

During the pandemic, lockdowns prevented people from leaving their homes or moving over a longer distance. Many citizens rediscovered their own neighbourhood. They visited the parks every day, the turnover of the local shops increased, and commuters suddenly had much more time. Despite all the concerns, the pandemic contributed to a revival of a village-like sociability.

Revival of the ‘whole neighbourhood’

Revival indeed, because until the 1960s, most residents of cities in Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia did not know better than their dally needs were available within a few minutes' walk. In the street where I was born, there were four butchers, four bakers, three greengrocers and four groceries, even though the street was not much longer than 500 meters. No single shop survived. My primary school was also on that street, and you had to be around the corner for the doctor. This type of quality of life went lost, in the USA in particular. However, urban planners never have forgotten this idea. In many cities, the pandemic has turned these memories into attainable goals, albeit still far removed from reality. Nevertheless, the idea of the 'whole neighborhood' gained traction in many cities. It fits into a more comprehensive planning concept, the 15-minute city.

Support for facilities

The idea is that residents can find all daily needs within an imaginary circle with an area of approximately 50 hectares. This implies a proportionate number of residents. A lower limit of 150 residents per hectare is often mentioned, considering a floor area of 40% for offices and small industry. The idea is further that most streets are car-free and provide plenty of opportunity for play and meeting.

Opportunity for social contacts

In a 'whole neighbourhood', residents find opportunity for shopping and meeting from morning to evening. There is a supermarket, a bakery, a butcher, a greengrocer's shop, a drugstore, a handful of cafes and restaurants, a fitness center, a primary school, a medical center, craft workshops, offices, green spaces and a wide variety of houses. Here, people who work at home drink their morning coffee, employees meet colleagues and freelancers work at a café table during the quiet hours. Housemen and women do their daily shopping or work out in the gym, have a chat, and drink a cup of tea. People meet for lunch, dinner and socializing on the terrace or in the cafes, until closing time. A good example is the Oostpoort in Amsterdam, albeit one of the larger ones with a station and a few tram lines.

Planning model

On the map above, the boundaries of the neighborhoods with an area of approximately 50 hectares are shown in the form of circles. The circular neighborhood is a model. This principle can already play a role on the drawing board in new neighborhoods to be built. In existing neighbourhoods, drawing circles is mainly a matter of considering local data. The center of the circle will then often be placed where there are already some shops. Shops outside the intended central area can be helped to move to this area. Spaces between existing homes can be reserved for small-scale businesses, schools, small parks, communal gardens and play facilities. Once the contours have been established, densification can be implemented by choosing housing designs that align to the character of the neighbourhood. Towards the outside of the imaginary circle, the building density will decrease, except at public transport stops or where circles border the water, often an ideal place for higher buildings.

If a thoroughfare passes through the center of the circle, this street can be developed into a city street, including a public transport route. Facilities are then realized around a small square in the center of the circle and the surrounding streets.
Incidentally, space between the circles can be used for through traffic, parks, and facilities that transcend districts, for instance a swimming pool or a sports hall or an underground parking garage. Mostly, neighborhoods will merge seamlessly into each other.
It will take time before this dream comes true.
 
 
Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Mobility
Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted

8. Polycentricity

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This is the 8th episode of a series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. The question is whether a distribution of services over the whole area contributes to the quality of the urban environment.
 
The central parts of cities like Siena, Amsterdam and Barcelona are overrun by visitors and tourists. Partly because Airbnb has increased its overnight capacity by withdrawing homes from their actual destination. As a result, these cities see their real estate prices rise ans residents leave, making room for expensive apartments, boutique hotels and corporate headquarters. Eventually, old city centers will become amusement parks that offer twenty-four hours of entertainment.

The need for distributed centers

There are no objections against visiting nice cities. The underlying problem is that many of these cities have few other places of interest left, partly due to destruction in the Second World War and their rapid expansion afterwards. Therefore, some cities are in urgent need to create additional attractive places and become polycentric. This aligns with the intention of cities to become a 15-minute city. The figure above is a model developed for this purpose by the council of Portland (USA).
Because of this policy, the prospect is that residents can buy their daily necessities close to home. At the other hand, tourists will be spread. What attractive neighborhood centers look like will be discussed in a subsequent post.

Ancillary centers

Cities without an inordinate number of tourists and visitors also observe a steady grow in the number of events, all competing for the same locations. For this reason, it is advisable that cities have a few ancillary centers each with one or two crowd pullers that divide the stream of visitors. An example is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and its newly developed public space around. In world cities such as London and New York, such centers have existed for years, but they are sometimes difficult to find because they are spread over a large area.
Amsterdam too urgently needs one or more ancillary centers. The area between Leidseplein and the Rijksmuseum has potential but lacks unity due to the chaotic intersections of roads and tram lines. The presence of a train or metro station is an advantage, that is why the area near Station Zuid also has potential.

Peripheral centers

Next decade, many visitors will still arrive by car and the best policy is to seduce them to leave their cars at safe transfer points to continue their journey by public transport. For visitors who intend to stay longer, this solution is not optimal. Many will dismiss the perspective of carrying their luggage to the hotel by public transport, although taking a cab is an alternative, albeit expensive. The alternative is the presence of a couple of affordable hotels next to the car park and the development of these areas into attractive public space, with shops, cafes, and restaurants, as a starting point to visit places of interest in the city. These centers can also accommodate major events, such as a football stadium, a music hall, cinemas and open-air festivities, because of the presence of large scale parking facilities. The Amsterdam Arena district is developing in this direction. It used to be a desolate place, but it's getting better. There are excellent train and metro links.

And what about the old 'old' city center?

The public spaces in the old city centers must meet the same requirements as the whole city to prevent becoming an amusement park for tourists. Aside from its carefully maintained and functionally integrated cultural legacy, centers should provide a mix of functions, including housing, offices, spaces for craft and light industry and plenty of greenery dedicated to its inhabitants. The number of hotels should be limited and renting out by Airbnb prohibited. There will be shops for both residents and tourists, rents must be frozen, and the speculative sale of houses curbed. Space over shops must be repurposed for apartments.
 
Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x39qvzkw687rxsjvhsrzn/overzicht-blogposts-Eng.docx?rlkey=vpf7pwlfxkildpr9r062t5gf2&dl=0

Herman van den Bosch's picture #Mobility
Beep for Help, Direct hulp aan huis. Oplossingen voor een fijn thuis. , posted

Ontmoet Beep for Help, een Amsterdamse sociale startup die ouderen en mantelzorgers hulp aan huis biedt.

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Ontmoet Beep for Help, een Amsterdamse sociale startup die ouderen en mantelzorgers hulp aan huis biedt.

Ontdek hoe het idee ontstond, leer meer over digitale marketing en social media en discussieer mee over bedrijfscultuur. Ook vertelt Iconica, onze app ontwikkelaar, over de Beep for Help app.

Ondertussen zorgen wij voor fris en lekkere pizza en is er ruim gelegenheid om bij te praten met diverse mensen uit het veld. Fijn als je ook komt!

De inloop is vrij. Reserveren is fijn, dan weten we hoeveel pizza we verzorgen. Reserveren kan met onderstaande link of mail annebet@beepforhelp.nl

Wanneer: 07/06/2023
Tijd: 17:30
Locatie: Apollolaan 151

Beep for Help's picture Meet-up on Jun 7th
Maéva Dang, Researcher at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), posted

Event "Negotiating Energy" at AMS Institute

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#EVENT: NEGOTIATING ENERGY 💡

When: May 10 from 3 PM - 5 PM
Location: AMS Institute or online (hybrid)

Join SuperworldTU Delft, and AMS Institute for an inspiring event as we explore the complexities of energy transition and retrofitting in the built environment. The upcoming hybrid event will showcase their research project and how it supports the negotiation processes of retrofitting and energy as a common resource.

For more information and registration (free), please click here: https://lnkd.in/dDDtuEru

#energy #energytransition #project #environment #VVE #research
___

In #collaboration with Gemeente AmsterdamStichting !WOONCLICKNLNationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA

Lecture / presentation on May 10th
Puck Hoogenboom, Communication at Waag, posted

PublicSpaces Conference: For a Collective Internet

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Hoe bouwen we aan een internet dat werkt voor iedereen? Een online ruimte die onze gezondheid, vrijheid en bestaansmiddelen dient en niet in de houdgreep is van Big Tech?

Op 27 en 28 juni organiseren PublicSpaces en Waag Futurelab de derde editie van de PublicSpaces conferentie. Onder leiding van moderatoren Clarice Gargard en Roland Duong onderzoeken we of de democratie bestand is tegen Big Tech en hoe een eerlijke markt met alternatieve software en ethische infrastructuur er uit zou kunnen zien.
Samen met tientallen sprekers uit binnen- en buitenland verkennen we concrete oplossingen en tools voor een gezond digitaal ecosysteem en werken we samen aan een beter internet. Een internet voor en door het collectief.

Programma

Binnenkort maken we het programma en de sprekers bekend voor twee dagen vol met panels, keynotes, rondetafelsessies, talks, drinks, kunst en geestverruimende cultuur. Koop je ticket en werk mee aan een gezond digitaal ecosysteem!

Waar? Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam
Wanneer? Dinsdag 27 juni & woensdag 28 juni 2023
Meld je aan voor de conferentie nieuwsbrief om updates over het programma te ontvangen.

Koop je ticket.

Meet-up from Jun 27th to Jun 28th
Jaïr van der Bruggen, Musician, Events Manager , posted

Clothing Swap Event @Gast Art!

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Your closet is feeling a tad musty? Got some cool trash clothes you don’t wear anymore, and want to get some pre-loved items in return? Come hang out, have a beer, listen to some music, make connections and renew your wardrobe!

No ticket required!

🗓️ April 30
⏰ 1pm - 8pm
📍 Gasthuismolensteeg 3, Amsterdam

Instructions:
1. Bring items you don’t wear anymore
2. Exchange for tokens 
OR purchase tokens for 2,50€
3. Use tokens for second-hand clothes, curated by us and swapped by other participants
OR use tokens for drinks
4. Brag to your friends about how sustainable your new wardrobe is

Jaïr van der Bruggen's picture Meet-up on Apr 30th
Lisa Hobus, posted

Hubs: hét alternatief voor autobezit?

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Hoe houden we de stad leefbaar en bereikbaar voor iedereen? En hoe kunnen mobiliteitshubs hieraan bijdragen? Kom op donderdag 6 april naar de presentatie over de BuurtHubs pilot in Amsterdam. Projectleider Diederik Basta vertelt hier meer over de resultaten en geleerde lessen van BuurtHubs in Amsterdam: mobiliteitshubs in de buurt met elektrisch deelvervoer.
 
Hoe zijn de BuurtHubs gebruikt en wat is het effect op de openbare ruimte? Hoe is de buurt betrokken geweest bij de inrichting en realisatie? En welke effect op autobezit zien we? Je hoort er meer over tijdens deze presentatie. Verder wordt je meegenomen in de werkwijze van het Stedelijk Innovatie en R&D team van gemeente Amsterdam, waar vooronderstellingen en ethische afwegingen een belangrijke rol spelen.
 
Datum: donderdag 6 april 2023
Tijd: 16:00-17:00
Locatie: DataLab Amsterdam, Weesperstraat 113 BG, 1018 VN Amsterdam
 
Meld je nu aan via
https://www.meetup.com/nl-NL/datalab-amsterdam/events/292360391/
 
Over de BuurtHubs
Als onderdeel van het Europese eHUBS project zijn er de afgelopen 4 jaar 17 BuurtHubs gerealiseerd in de stad. In een BuurtHub wordt elektrisch deelvervoer aangeboden. Denk aan een fiets, bakfiets, scooter, of auto. Allemaal schoon, elektrisch en gebruikt door Amsterdammers uit de buurt. Met de BuurtHubs is onderzocht of deze bijdragen aan:
·         het verbeteren van de bereikbaarheid van een wijk of buurt
·         het stimuleren van gebruik van schoon deelvervoer
·         de luchtkwaliteit
·         het vergroten van de leefbaarheid
·         het verlagen van de CO2-uitstoot in de stad
 
Alvast meer weten?
We delen de geleerde lessen en handige tools van het BuurtHubs project graag met andere steden, organisaties en bewoners die aan de slag willen met zo’n mobiliteitshub of er meer over willen weten. Lees hier de Handreiking eHUBS: https://www.amsterdam.nl/innovatie/handreikingen-mobiliteit/

Meet-up on Apr 6th
NEMO Science Museum, posted

Lezing - Van vegansexuals tot kweekbossen

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Welkom in jouw toekomst

Vegansexuals, verwarmingsschaamte, multi-taskend wonen en de kweek van megabossen: welkom in jouw toekomst.

We verbruiken meer energie dan ooit, maar onze toekomst ziet er anders uit: toekomst-antropoloog Roanne van Voorst voorspelt een samenleving waarin we simpeler en slimmer leven, maar ook een samenleving waarin we afscheid nemen van bepaalde rechten en romantische ideeën, en op zoek gaan naar wat zij noemt 'sociaal pragmatisme'.

Als ‘antropoloog van de toekomst’ onderzoekt Roanne hoe een duurzame en wenselijke toekomst van onze wereld eruit kan zien. Daarbij denkt ze vooral na over wat ze ‘duurzame menselijkheid’ noemt: hoe houden we hoop in tijden van klimaatverandering en ‘fake news’? Wat houdt ons menselijk in tijden van robotisering? Welke vaardigheden moeten we onszelf en onze kinderen aanleren, om ook in een hoogtechnologische toekomst menselijk en professioneel succesvol te blijven?

Over Roanne van Voorst

Roanne van Voorst is toekomst-antropoloog, schrijver, (Tedx)spreker en voorzitter van de Dutch Future Society. Ze promoveerde in 2014 en is momenteel verbonden aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Haar kernonderzoek richt zich op menselijkheid in tijden van robotisering, digitalisering en big data. Haar onderzoek onderzoekt deze onderwerpen in de context van de volksgezondheid in vier verschillende landen.

Praktisch

Voor een bezoek aan deze lezing in De Studio reserveer je een ticket via de website van NEMO. De toegangsprijs is € 7,50.

De lezing start om 20.00 uur en en duurt ongeveer 1 uur. Voorafgaand aan de lezing kun je vanaf 19.00 uur de tentoonstelling Energy Junkies bezoeken.
 
Op vertoon van een kortingspas ontvangen pashouders voorafgaand aan de activiteit een gratis drankje. Deelnemende passen zijn: Museumkaart, VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART, Stadspas Amsterdam, CJP pas en Collegekaart.
 
De Studio van NEMO is een extra locatie van NEMO Science Museum op het Marineterrein in Amsterdam. De programmering is speciaal voor volwassenen.

NEMO Science Museum's picture Lecture / presentation on Jun 22nd
Beth Njeri, Digital Communications Manager at Metabolic, posted

Vacancy: Marketing and Communications Manager

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Are you passionate about sustainability and making a positive impact on the world? Do you believe in the power of communication to drive systemic change? Then Metabolic's MarComms & Design Team is looking for someone like you to support our work in Dutch and English!

Join our dynamic and multicultural team to work on innovative communication strategies that break down the complexities of sustainability and inspire action. As a brand advocate, you'll network to form media and communications partnerships that accelerate our impact and guide your teammates to create large-scale campaigns with high relevance and reach.

Excited about this opportunity? Submit your application OR circulate it widely to your networks.

#greenjobs #vacancy #sustainability

Beth Njeri's picture #Citizens&Living
Anouk van der Laan, Public Affairs Manager at Check Technologies B.V., posted

Deelscooteraanbieder Check start ook met deelauto's

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Deelscooteraanbieder Check biedt vanaf vandaag ook deelauto’s aan. Het bedrijf begint met een pilot met 10 deelauto’s in Amsterdam en wil bij succes snel doorgroeien. Door het toevoegen van deelauto’s faciliteert het bedrijf vanaf heden ook reizen buiten de hoofdstad. Check is actief in 20 steden in Nederland en Duitsland. 

Bewuste keuze voor Amsterdam
Check kiest er bewust voor om te starten met een pilot in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is één van de eerste steden waar het bedrijf actief werd met deelscooters in september 2020. De gemeente signaleert dat de overstap naar deelmobiliteit hard nodig is. “Er komen steeds meer mensen in Amsterdam wonen en als we allemaal onze eigen auto hebben past het gewoon niet”, aldus Jeroen Schutter, programmamanager deelmobiliteit bij de gemeente Amsterdam. 
Data van Check laat zien dat de adoptie van deelscooters in Amsterdam zeer goed is: 105.000 inwoners van de hoofdstad hebben een account bij Check. Een deelscooter vervoert gemiddeld 11 mensen per dag. Bijna 1 op de 10 ritten begint- of eindigt in de regio.  

Een antwoord op elke mobiliteitsbehoefte
De missie van Check is het creëren van leefbare steden door onnodig autobezit en -gebruik terug te dringen. De deelauto sluit hier naadloos bij aan, vertelt mede-oprichter en managing director Paul van Merrienboer: “We zien dat onze deelscooters een sterk alternatief bieden voor de autorit binnen Amsterdam. Als een gebruiker een afspraak heeft ver buiten Amsterdam, of naar de bouwmarkt moet, biedt de deelscooter echter niet altijd uitkomst. Door deelauto’s toe te voegen hebben we ook een antwoord op die mobiliteitsbehoefte. Een eigen auto is nu écht niet meer nodig.”

Een simpele propositie
Check gaat van start met 10 volledig elektrische Volkswagen ID3’s. Er bevindt zich een laadpas in elke auto zodat de gebruiker zelf kan (snel)laden bij een laag accupercentage. De voorwaarden om van een auto gebruik te kunnen maken zijn hetzelfde als bij een scooter: gebruikers moeten 18 jaar of ouder zijn en een geldig autorijbewijs hebben. De meer dan 100.000 Amsterdamse gebruikers die momenteel al een account hebben bij Check kunnen dus direct de deelauto in. De auto’s kunnen worden geboekt in de app op het moment dat de gebruiker de auto nodig heeft. Na het boeken heeft de gebruiker 30 minuten om naar de auto toe te gaan en de rit te starten. Net als bij een scooter betaalt een gebruiker pas vanaf het moment dat de rit is gestart en alleen voor het daadwerkelijke gebruik: een starttarief voor een rit met een deelauto is 2 euro, het gebruik per minuut kost 30 cent en pauzeren kost 15 cent per minuut. Er komen achteraf geen kilometerkosten bij.

Een deelauto per zone
De auto’s worden per zone aangeboden: zonefloating. Dat betekent dat een gebruiker aan het einde van de rit de auto binnen een gebied van een paar straten moet parkeren. Amsterdam verwacht dat zonefloating goed werkt qua ruimtebeslag en efficiënt gebruik van laadpalen voor de stad. De zones voor de eerste 10 auto’s bevinden zich in de Pijp en in Amsterdam-Zuid. Op deze manier wil het bedrijf de nieuwe propositie testen in een buurt met een gemiddeld laag autobezit per inwoner (de Pijp) en een buurt met een gemiddeld hoog autobezit per inwoner (Amsterdam-Zuid). 

Anouk van der Laan's picture #Mobility
Masja Zeegers, eventmanager , posted

Kick-off - City Net Zero

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Op dinsdag 21 maart 2023 lanceren we op feestelijke wijze het Centre of Expertise City Net Zero.

De Metropoolregio Amsterdam wil in 2050 klimaatneutraal, circulair en klimaatbestendig zijn, een belangrijke en ingewikkelde opgave. City Net Zero wil hieraan bijdragen door de samenwerking tussen stad en kennisinstelling te versterken. We brengen onderwijs en onderzoek samen met overheid, bedrijfsleven en maatschappelijke partners. Zo draagt City Net Zero in de MRA bij aan zero emissions, zero waste en zero impact of climate extremes.

We nemen u graag mee in ons verhaal tijdens een feestelijke kick-off op dinsdag 21 maart 2023 in het Jakoba Mulderhuis op de Amstelcampus. Daarbij verkennen we de rol die een kennisinstelling als de HvA samen met haar partners kan spelen in de stedelijke transities. We gebruiken de middag om elkaar te verbinden, inspireren en activeren, in een programma met werk- en kennissessies en een plenaire sessie met keynote.

Meet-up on Mar 21st