This is the title of the newest edition in my series 'Looking for the humane city'. The well-known Kate Raworth plays an important role, but I refer to other approaches too.
Wie het artikel liever in het Nederlands leest han hier terecht: https://wp.me/p32hqY-1OE
The pioneering innovations were presented of the Scale Up Future-proof artificial turf pitches project, a collaboration between Amsterdam and Haarlem focused on sustainable artificial turf pitches. Over the next few years, more than 250 sports pitches in both cities will be transformed into circular, energy-generating and climate-adaptive sports venues. These artificial turf pitches can not only generate and store energy, but also involve smart water management. An approach that is globally relevant for urban sports infrastructure.
Three consortia collaborate on the sport pitch of the future
The three selected consortia Antea Sport, EnergieVeld and GOO4iT together comprise more than 15 market players. They join forces within this innovation partnership, where there is room for long-term collaboration, co-creation and scalable innovation. The pioneering solutions will make it possible to cool down sport pitches on warm days, help dispose of and collect rainwater, make the pitches more pleasant for the users and possibly even generate energy for the surrounding area. Find out how these innovations are shaping the sport pitch of the future here.
Two municipalities: joint procurement
The Scale Up Future-proof artificial turf pitches project is a unique collaboration between two municipalities and market players. The municipalities jointly procure pooling their purchasing power and use an innovation partnership to challenge the market to test and scale up innovative and sustainable solutions. In doing so, the solutions are also scalable and transferable to other cities in the Netherlands and Europe.
From prototype to pilot fields
The first prototype fields will be constructed in Amsterdam and Haarlem in 2026, in different capacities and combining multiple innovations, where they will be extensively tested and monitored for a year. Successful concepts are then scaled up to full-scale pilot pitches and tested and monitored for another year. This will form the basis for the new standard of sustainable sports pitches, with potential for adoption in other cities around the world. At the same time, existing pitches are already being improved with the most sustainable solutions available, making an immediate impact from the start. The project thus shows how cooperation between municipalities and market players can lead to innovative, climate-proof sports infrastructure with international relevance.
Join us
This project provides cities worldwide a blueprint for sustainable, smart, and future-proof artificial turf pitches. Interested municipalities and industry partners can get in touch and subscribe to our news updates by sending an e-mail to: sportveldvandetoekomst@amsterdam.nl.
Everything Urban 001 (LinkedIn Event) is the first in the Interactive Talk series for students and young professionals interested in Urban Affairs i.e. urban planning, urban management, architecture, sustainability, smart cities, to name some. Feel Free to attend it on September 4, 2025. More details in the link.
During this ThingsCon Salon, we explore how to give good intentions a lasting place in smart city projects. Join us!
On October 29th from 16:00-19:00 we will be at the stunning Scheveningen Pier for a workshop and talks on how to give good intentions a lasting place in government digital projects. Sign up here!
What is the Thingscon Salon about?
When you interact with the municipality, you often first encounter a digital tool: a website, a menu system, an algorithm, or a parking scan car. There are important reasons behind such digital systems: they're convenient and often efficient.
But if things go wrong, citizens shouldn't get lost in the digital reality. That's why the municipality promises its residents, for example in a coalition agreement, the human dimension in the digital city. And according to project plans, a digital tool should be fair, accessible, transparent, and just.
These kinds of good intentions are formulated before or at the beginning of development processes, but can sometimes slip out of view along the way. During procurement, development and implementation, choices are made that later seem to clash with the original intentions.
How do we design so that good intentions remain leading not just at the beginning, but also during execution?
During this ThingsCon Salon, we explore how to give good intentions a lasting place in government digital projects. Using one or two case studies, we'll develop concrete methods in a workshop to make intentions tangible and maintain them throughout the entire process – from administrative agenda to technical implementation and practical, daily use.
This Salon is co-organized by the 'Human Values for Smarter Cities' project from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Smart City The Hague. The program consists of a workshop and several speakers.
Tessa Steenkamp and Mike de Kreek will host the workshop.
Date: Wednesday October 29th
Time: 16:00-19:00
Location: Infopunt Scheveningen
