How to move the masses

Namla and Univerzita Pardubice Anthropology Department are hosting a one time mini conference next week on the results of our project in Erasmus Plus called AnthroAction: increasing employability and societal impact of action researchers. (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2023-2-NL01-KA210-ADU-000180400)

We have been running the project since March 2024 and just wrapped up our pilot course for graduates of anthropology in Czech Republic and Netherlands; where the graduates learned to combine rapid ethnography and design thinking to tackle a real-world problem, suggested by real NGOs.

The NGOs that contributed to the project were:
-Czech Blind United (https://www.sons.cz/) with the question: how can we attract more younger members to our organisation?
-Junak - Czech Scouts (https://www.skaut.cz/) with the question: what do today’s teenagers want in leadership training?
-De Meevaart Community Centre (https://meevaart.nl/) with the question: how can we start a blue zone in Indische Buurt in Amsterdam?
-The Really Healthy School (https://www.skutecnezdravaskola.cz/) with the question: how can we reach more primary schools with our programme?

The participants in the course were coming from all over Czech Republic, and Amsterdam.

In the conference, we will discuss what happened in the course, how it went, what we can learn from the pilot. Also a number of professors in Anthropology from different parts of Europe (such as Laurens Bakker, Ana-Isabel Afonso), applied anthropologists from Czech Republic (such as Karolina Kania, PhD, Socionaut, z.s.), as well as organisations in our network will share reflections on how what we did here fits into a wider context.

Please register here before January 22nd: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGfI-vtCTk3XdaGpZvlK37y2VKqZqIV1LUfUiJhsD0OqFlxg/viewform

and join the conference at this Zoom link:
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89954251812?pwd=78KpFxVY3rXY682mEbErjDl7woYVnR.1#success
Meeting ID: 899 5425 1812
Password: 514987

From January 1 2025, a zero-emission zone will be introduced in the centre of Amsterdam, with the aim of improving air quality and making the city healthier and more liveable. This policy helps achieve climate goals and supports the ambition of becoming climate neutral by 2050. It encourages zero-emission urban logistics, which contributes to reduced pollution, noise, and traffic congestion. And cleaner air also has positive effects on the health and well-being of residents. With this initiative, Amsterdam - and other Dutch cities implementing such zones this year - aim to set an example for other cities and stimulate innovation in sustainable mobility. The so-called "zero-emission zone" is therefore an essential measure in the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable city.

This transition will only succeed through collaboration. Therefore, considerable attention is being paid to the experiences and needs of small business owners in the city. Think of; market vendors, house painters, and local greengrocers. What kind of support do they need to transition to zero-emission vehicles, and how do entrepreneurs creatively adapt to the transition and new rules? Other cities and municipalities are closely observing and there is a strong need for knowledge sharing. It is important that the experiences and lessons learned from Amsterdam, as one of the pioneers, are well-documented and shared on a national and international scale.

On December 18, join us for an evening in Amsterdam where we talk about Speed and Safety in cities. Do safer vehicles make us forget the need for safer streets?

Townmaking Institute in collaboration with Gemeente Amsterdam

In conversation with
Carl Honoré: Writer, speaker, broadcaster, advocate of the Slow Movement
Luca Bertolini: Professor of Urban Planning UvA
Onno Kramer: Head Collection Management at Accel

Vehicle speeds, whether cars, trucks, or e-bikes, profoundly affect our experience of cities. What feels too fast or too slow often depends on the place we occupy in traffic: a pedestrian may feel endangered by a motorist’s speed, while the motorist simply wants to reach their destination.

Traditionally, fixed speed limits have been the solution, but these don’t account for the dynamic nature of urban spaces, nor the emergence of new vehicle types. Unsafe streets push people into safer vehicles, but in doing so, we risk neglecting making safer streets.

To create safer, more livable streets, we need to rethink our approach to speed regulation, considering the evolving complexity of urban life.

This event marks the start of our journey towards the Speed Summit in 2025. The conversation opens with Carl Honoré, Luca Bertolini, and Onno Kramer exploring what should come first for liveable cities: safe streets or safe vehicles.

Event Details:
Wednesday, 18th December 2024
At 20:00 hours.
Grote Zaal, Pakhuis de Zwijger,
Piet Heinkade 179,
1019 HC Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Townmaking Podcasts.
Listen to the Townmaking episodes to dive deeper into the ideas that help shape the conversation.

https://www.townmaking.com/search/cls-townmaking-podcasts/cnt-s1e7-speed-liveability-and-safety