Within less then one year shared electric scooters (I would say electric steps) are gaining ground very fast in already 65 cities in the USA. They might become a dream solution for the first and last miles, much better than the growing deployment of Ubers at these short distances. In my newest blogpost I deal with these and other micro-mobility solutions for the future.
You will find the Dutch version of this post here: https://wp.me/p32hqY-1GS
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Dave van Loon,
Onderzoeker / adviseur stedelijke vraagstukken
at Kennisland,
posted
KL Brouwerij ‘Leefomgeving van de toekomst’
Waar je woont en hoe je leeft, heeft invloed op je gezondheid. Hoe kunnen we de leefomgeving inrichten om de gezondheid van bewoners te bevorderen en gezondheidsachterstanden te verminderen? Tijdens deze KL Brouwerij gaan we samen op buurtsafari op het Marineterrein in Amsterdam.
Het Marineterrein is een prachtige leefomgeving, waar veel geëxperimenteerd wordt met creatieve innovaties die de leefomgeving en publieke ruimte van de toekomst voorbereiden. Op 28 september gaan we samen op safari over het terrein. We ervaren zelf hoe een aantal van deze experimenten onze leefomgeving verbeteren. Daarna vertelt Annick Mantoua, directeur van De Gezonde Stad over hoe zij samen met bewoners en de gemeente een initiatief hebben opgestart dat leidt tot aanpassingen in de fysieke leefomgeving en de bevordering van de gezondheid in de buurt.
We laten ons inspireren door de leefomgeving van de toekomst. We zoeken naar inspiratie voor wat er allemaal mogelijk is en zal zijn in de openbare ruimte, en ontwerpen vervolgens onze eigen ideeën. Kom ook!
De KL Brouwerij wordt georganiseerd door Kennisland. Een aantal keer per jaar laten we ons werk even voor wat het is en brouwen we samen nieuwe ideeën voor maatschappelijke uitdagingen. We brengen leven in de brouwerij door te ontdekken, smeden, broeden, fantaseren en borrelen. Dit doen we met partners, experts, ervaringsdeskundigen en betrokkenen bij het vraagstuk dat die middag centraal staat, en waar we meer over willen leren.
Deze KL Brouwerij vindt plaats op <strong>28 september van 16.30-18.30 uur</strong>. Meer informatie en aanmelden kan via onderstaande link. Via e-mail houden we je op de hoogte over het programma. Heb je vragen? Stuur dan een mailtje naar Faduma Mukhtar via fm@kl.nl.
Herman van den Bosch,
professor in management development
,
posted
3. Attractive streetscape
This article is part of the series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. Read how design, starting from the physical aspects of the streetscape en -pattern contributes to the quality of the urban environment. Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.
Streets and squares are appreciated best if there is cohesion between several elements, such as the block height, the number of floors, the type of houses, the building line and the colour. When some elements work together, others can vary. Uniformity without variation results in people avoiding a street.
Coherence and variation in balance
Variation creates liveliness and will extend the time visitors spend on a street. This principle is applied almost everywhere in the world. Walls are fitted with arches, pillars, porches, porches, pitched roofs, windowsills, canopies, balustrades, cornices, dormer windows, linear and vertical elements, see the bottom-centre image of a Paris’ building. At the same time, the attributes of separate buildings that provide variety are most effective against a coherent background. The Parisian avenues illustrate this too, because most edifices are built according to the same principles while the ornamentation of each facade differs. The attractive streetscape in Sicily (top right) and in the Alsace (bottom right) demonstrate an almost perfect balance between similarity and difference.
Use of colour
A good example are the painted houses in the Canadian settlement of Lunenburg, which was founded in the 18th century by German woodworkers and is a UNESCO world heritage site today (top centre). The nature of the construction and the type of buildings ensure cohesion; the colour provides the variation.
Street pattern
A manageable pattern of similarly important streets contributes to the spread of visitors and provides a level playing field for shops and restaurants. A mesh, which does not necessarily have to be rectangular, facilitates orientation. A rectangular street pattern is at the expense of the element of surprise and detracts from the feeling that there is something to discover. Squares will often be found at street intersections.
Landmarks
Understanding of the pattern of the streets is reinforced by providing intersections with landmarks, such as statues, fountains, or distinguishing buildings (photo, top right). These elements help visitors developing a mental map. Maps every here and there are more helpful than signposts. The fewer poles in the ground, the better.
Canals and moats
Canals and moats also contribute to the attractivity of the streetscape. They restore the human dimension in too wide streets, also in new parts of the city. The images on the left show a central street in Zaandam (top) and a 'waterway' in the Amsterdam Houthavens quarter (bottom). The edges of waterways should never be used as parking spaces. Definitely not in Amsterdam, because its unique streetscape.
Anoop Kumar Jha,
Architect Planner, MSc. (Infrastructure & Smart Cities)
,
posted
Request: Seeking guidance and possible work opportunities in the smart city domain.
I am a mid-career Architect and, Urban and Regional Planner. I recently graduated with a second master's (MSc.) from IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a Specialization in "Infrastructure and Smart Cities". My MSc. thesis research topic was based on Circular Economy concepts including the Circular Business Model and High-value reuse of material and components.
I am very passionate about smart cities and sustainability, and I am highly inspired by all the work in the smart city area that is being done in the Netherlands, where I hope to contribute and make a positive impact.
Previously, in addition to planning and project management roles, I have worked in relevant areas of smart mobility, ICT Infrastructure, renewable energy, and waste to energy, among others as part of consulting firms.
I am looking for possible work opportunities in the Smart City area in the Netherlands. I will appreciate any reference, resource, and mentorship that could be offered to me.
Regards
Anoop Jha
Netherlands
Hi Samantha. I did not spend too many thoughts about the conditions in Amsterdam. One thing is clear. In Amsterdam there is no place for e-steps or any additional form of transport unless the available space is redistributed at the expense of cars.
In case of their appearance in Dutch town a serious debate has to take place about the conditions under which they might become a blessing for mobility. One of the issues will be a more or less orderly way of parking.
I wrote this post in the first place as a contribution to the debate about mobility within the first and last miles. In the Netherlands cycling and walking are without much dispute considered as the first options. However, the shared e-step might be a serous (partial) alternative, because of its compactness, flexibility and cheapness.
Hello! I'm so curious how you see the dockless scooter situation playing out in Amsterdam. I am located in Denver and, since the electric scooter systems are dockless, I often see Lime and Bird scooters lying on the sidewalks and in the public rights-of-way. I worry about this more than the creation/re-allocation of scooter lanes. It hasn't become too much of an issue or inconvenience yet since the scooters are new and relatively few in comparison to other types of transportation, but Denver, like many other cities in especially the western United States is quite spread out. Contrarily, Amsterdam is more compact, its space strategically alotted and it seems no space is unused. I don't see much extra room for the haphazard collections of unused electric scooters. Do you think the model will have to be adjusted to a more orderly version (although I imagine the joy of the shared electric scooter system is the user's complete freedom in mobility to reach the last meter, moreso than the alternative docked rental bikes); do you foresee scooter usership becoming bigger, and in some ways replacing, bicycle usership? Very curious to get your perspective!