#Sharing economy

A previous post made it clear that a 15-minute city ideally consists of a 5-minute walking zone, a 15-minute walking zone, also a 5-minute cycling zone and a the 15-minute cycling zone. These three types of neighbourhoods and districts should be developed in conjunction, with employment accessibility also playing an important role.
 
In the plans for 15-minute cities in many places around the world, these types of zones intertwine, and often it is not even clear which type of zone is meant.  In Paris too, I miss clear choices in this regard.
 
The city of Melbourne aims to give a local lifestyle a dominant place among all residents. Therefore, everyone should live within at most 10 minutes' walking distance to and from all daily amenities.  For this reason, it is referred to as a 20-minute city, whereas in most examples of a 15-minute city, such as Paris, it is only about <strong>the round trip</strong>. The policy in Melbourne has received strong support from the health sector, which highlights the negative effects of traffic and air pollution.
 
In Vancouver, there is talk of a 5-minute city. The idea is for neighbourhoods to become more distinct parts of the city. Each neighbourhood should have several locally owned shops as well as public facilities such as parks, schools, community centres, childcare and libraries. High on the agenda is the push for greater diversity of residents and housing types. Especially in inner-city neighbourhoods, this is accompanied by high densities and high-rise buildings. Confronting this idea with reality yields a pattern of about 120 such geographical units (see map above).
 
Many other cities picked up the idea of the 15-minute city.  Among them: Barcelona, London, Milan, Ottawa, Detroit and Portland. The organisation of world cities C40 (now consisting of 96 cities) elevated the idea to the main policy goal in the post-Covid period.
 
All these cities advocate a reversal of mainstream urbanisation policies. In recent decades, many billions have been invested in building roads with the aim of improving accessibility. This means increasing the distance you can travel in a given time. As a result, facilities were scaled up and concentrated in increasingly distant places. This in turn led to increased congestion that negated improvements in accessibility. The response was further expansion of the road network.  This phenomenon is known as the 'mobility trap' or the Marchetti constant.
 
Instead of increasing accessibility, the 15-minute city aims to expand the number of urban functions you can access within a certain amount of time. This includes employment opportunities. The possibility of working from home has reduced the relevance of the distance between home and workplace. In contrast, the importance of a pleasant living environment has increased. A modified version of the 15-minute city, the 'walkable city' then throws high hopes. That, among other things, is the subject of my next post.

🌍✨ Join Us in Making a Difference! ✨🌍
We're excited to launch a groundbreaking project aimed at transforming e-waste into educational opportunities! 🚀📚 As part of our commitment to sustainability and digital literacy, we're collecting smartphones, laptops, and other electronics to support vibrant educational workshops in Rwanda.
Why join us? By participating, you'll:

• 🌱 Support environmental sustainability by helping reduce e-waste.
• 📖 Contribute to enhancing digital literacy among underserved communities.
• 🤝 Be part of a global movement advocating for responsible technology use.
• 🎓 Help provide essential skills that can transform lives and foster long-term growth.

We're looking for individuals and organizations to donate devices, share expertise, or sponsor our efforts. Every contribution makes a real difference, and together, we can create a more sustainable and inclusive future. 🌟
Let's reshape the future, one device at a time. Join us in this exciting journey and be credited in our upcoming documentary that highlights the collective efforts of our incredible partners from Germany, Latvia, and the Netherlands. 🎥🌍
CONTACT US THROUGH EMAIL - madaralace1999@gmail.com

From March 4 to April 5, Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) collaborated with international peers from 77 cities across Europe in a series of online knowledge and inspiration sessions during the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) Implementation Lab. The focus was on sharing best practices and building knowledge for implementing Local Green Deals (LGDs) to accelerate the transformation towards sustainability based on the principles of good governance, policy integration, partnership with local stakeholders.
 
Colleagues, partners, and experts from the Amsterdam Smart City network shared insights in several thematic and training sessions, including:
•      Mobility & Transport Thematic Session: Pelle Menke shared the approach and lessons from ASC's Mobility Justice Challenge, while Diederik Basta introduced the City of Amsterdam's participation in the Gemini project, supporting residents in starting local, shared mobility cooperatives through a "Mobility as a Commons" (MaaC) approach.
•      Local Green Deals Training Session: Egon van Wees presented Amsterdam's experience in setting up nine Impact Deals with social enterprises under the CLIMAA Local Green Deals project. The evaluation indicates that these deals have resulted in the creation of 105 jobs for people with barriers to the labor market and a reduction of 92 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Amsterdam, in collaboration with Aalborg (Denmark), also developed a framework now utilized by other cities in setting up similar Impact Deals.
•      Social Economy Thematic Session: Frits Verhoef shared lessons from his involvement in two local energy cooperatives, including the pioneering work of NDSM-Energie in developing a 15MW wind park in the NoorderIJplas area, highlighting various financial and political barriers yet to be overcome. Frits also his work with MeerEnergie, a cooperative aiming to establish a heating network owned by local residents in the Watergraafsmeer district of Amsterdam, utilizing waste heat from nearby data centers.
 
What's Next?
Amsterdam Smart City is excited to host the ICC network in Amsterdam for a Mobility Field Visit in May, showcasing best practices for public-private collaboration in sustainable and smart mobility. We also look forward to connecting with ICC peers in person during the upcoming ICC conference in Porto in June.
 
More Information
For further details about the Implementation Lab and upcoming ICC activities, visit the ICC website: https://www.intelligentcitieschallenge.eu/events/icc-implementation-lab-1

Stakeholders in the Amsterdam Region interested in more information or wishing to connect to the ICC network during upcoming labs or other similar sessions can reach out to ASC International Liaison via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com

Op 11 april 2024, van 13.30 tot 17.30 uur, nodigen wij jullie uit voor een inspirerende workshop in het hart van Amsterdam! Samen met de Amsterdam Donut Coalitie en Erinch Sahan (Business and Enterprise Lead bij het Doughnut Economics Action Lab) zullen we dieper ingaan op hoe bedrijven kunnen bijdragen aan een duurzamere en rechtvaardigere economie.

In deze workshop zullen we bespreken hoe bedrijven kunnen helpen Amsterdam 'binnen de donut' te brengen, waarbij de behoeften van alle mensen worden vervuld binnen de grenzen van onze planeet. Je zult radicale ideeën ontdekken om jouw organisatie te transformeren en effectieve tools krijgen om deze ideeën in de praktijk te brengen.

De workshop biedt niet alleen waardevolle inzichten en praktische instrumenten, maar ook een kans om deel uit te maken van een netwerk van gelijkgestemde zakelijke pioniers die zich inzetten voor positieve verandering.

Gedurende het evenement zullen deelnemers de kans krijgen om:

• Inzicht te krijgen in de huidige stand van zaken van Donut Economics in Amsterdam, inclusief lopend onderzoek, strategieën en beleid.
• Innovatieve tools en methodologieën te verkennen die zijn ontwikkeld door het Doughnut Economics Action Lab om bedrijven te begeleiden bij het herontwerpen van hun bedrijfsvoering.
• In contact te komen met lokale pioniers en na te denken over hun rol binnen het bredere Amsterdamse ecosysteem.

Door deel te nemen, zullen deelnemers niet alleen waardevolle kennis en praktische vaardigheden opdoen, maar ook deel uitmaken van een netwerk van toegewijde individuen die zich inzetten voor positieve verandering in de zakenwereld.

Dit evenement is ideaal voor professionals uit bedrijven van alle groottes die enthousiast zijn om hun organisaties te transformeren en bij te dragen aan de opbouw van een veerkrachtige en inclusieve economie.

Registreer nu om je plek te reserveren!

Stel je voor: je werkt in een team waarin iedereen actief bijdraagt aan verbeteringen en innovatie. In plaats van weerstand tegen nieuwe werkwijzen, denken je teamleden hierover mee. Werknemers dragen zelf actief ideeën aan om het bedrijf en zichzelf verder te ontwikkelen. Samen breng je de organisatie naar een hoger niveau.

Dat is hoe een lerende organisatie eruitziet. Maar hoe krijg je dat voor elkaar? BouwLab R&Do vertelt je er alles over in de eendaagse training van de Smart Makers Academy. Tijdens de volledig verzorgde cursusdag op 25 april laten we je zien hoe je een lerende organisatie vormgeeft en een leerplan opstelt dat past bij jouw bedrijf. Na deze dag kun je zelfs kiezen voor persoonlijke begeleiding om de implementatie binnen jouw organisatie te versterken.

Wat maakt een lerende organisatie zo belangrijk? Het gaat niet alleen om individuele ontwikkeling, maar om een gedeelde visie waarbij elke medewerker bijdraagt aan de vooruitgang. We gaan, onder leiding van Wilfried Hoffman, dieper in op dit aspect tijdens de cursusdag en leggen uit waarom een lerende organisatie essentieel is voor succes op lange termijn. Met behulp van concrete activiteiten krijg je praktische handvatten aangereikt om zelf aan de slag te gaan.

Deelname aan de cursusdag bedraagt €49,50
De cursusdag duurt van 09:00 tot 17:00 uur.

In the past decade, we have witnessed a surge of cooperatives across society. From community-led energy projects to endeavours in collective mobility and housing, citizens and companies are increasingly organizing themselves to shape their surroundings, often driven by sustainability and social goals and most of them do this in a not for profit way. Despite this rich history and the ongoing proliferation of initiatives, cooperative efforts and their benefits often remain small-scale and localized and, in most cases, accessible only to specific and select demographics.

This challenge aims to help civil society organizations in the energy domain, such as energy cooperatives, to become more mainstream. We aim to create recognition, to create an understanding of mutual interests with the key stakeholders they have to work with, and to exchange knowledge for these organizations to grow faster or repeat.

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!

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

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 

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

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.

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

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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

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

#EVENT: NEGOTIATING ENERGY 💡

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

Join Superworld, TU 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
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In #collaboration with Gemeente Amsterdam, Stichting !WOON, CLICKNL, Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA

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.