London lags behind Amsterdam at present in its smart city efforts but there is now a new urgency, stemming from the mayor's office. This is reflected in ambitious zero carbon and zero waste goals. Projects are multiplying and there is a major effort to scale up.
In early November, I travelled to Barcelona for the third time to attend the Smart City Expo World Congress. Together with the Amsterdam InChange Team, some of our network partners, and the Dutch delegation, we put together a strong content-focused programme, gained inspiration, and strengthened both international and national connections. In this article, I’ll briefly share some of my personal highlights from this trip.
During the congress, I organised several guided visits from the Dutch Pavilion in collaboration with the DMI-Ecosystem. The aim of these visits was to connect the Dutch delegation with international colleagues and facilitate knowledge exchange. At the busy expo, full of companies, cities, regions, and conference stages, it’s really appreciated to join planned meetings on specific themes. It’s also a great chance to meet many international representatives in just a few days, since everyone is in the same place at the same time.
We visited and connected with the pavilions of EIT Urban Mobility, Forum Virium (Helsinki), the European Commission, and Catalonian innovations. Topics such as The Future of Mobility, Digital Twins, and Net Zero Cities were central to the discussions. It was a good opportunity to strengthen existing networks and establish new connections. For myself, for Amsterdam InChange, and for the participants joining the meetings.
A few aspects of the visits particularly stood out to me. At Forum Virium Helsinki we met with Timo Sillander and Jaana Halonen. I was impressed by their work with Digital Twins. They focus not only on the technology itself and the efficiency of urban systems, but also on the social dimensions a digital simulation can play into. Think of; unequal distributions of risks related to climate change and extreme weather conditions.
I also appreciated the efforts of the European Commission. They are working to make it easier to navigate research topics, funding opportunities, and findings related to themes like energy-neutral cities. With their new marketplace, there is more focus on small and medium-sized cities across Europe, helping them to benefit from innovations that are often developed in larger urban areas.
On Tuesday, my colleague Chris and I organised a session on zero-emission city logistics. We brought together representatives from Oslo, Helsinki, Stockholm, Munich, and EIT Urban Mobility, as well as the Dutch municipalities of Haarlemmermeer and Amsterdam.
The session built on connections we made during other events on Sunday and Monday, bringing together an international group of stakeholders interested in this topic. During the discussion, we compared how different cities are approaching zero-emission zones and identified shared challenges, particularly in policymaking and working with logistics companies and local entrepreneurs.
It was interesting to see how this topic lends itself so well to international comparison and exchange. For instance, while Amsterdam will be one of the first to implement a strict ZE zone in the city centre, other cities are already ahead in areas like charging infrastructure and the transition to cargo bikes. The group was eager to keep the discussion going, and we’re already planning a follow-up online meeting to continue learning from one another.
Finally, a few other topics worth mentioning: I joined an international session hosted by the City of Amsterdam about future-proof sports fields. It was inspiring to reflect on the value and potential of sports fields for neighbourhoods, as well as their use as testing grounds for sustainable innovations. For me, the session reinforced how important these spaces are for local communities in cities, and sparked a new personal interest in this subject.
I also really enjoyed both our own international changemakers’ dinner and another international dinner hosted by Drees & Sommer (thanks for the invitation!). Bringing together an international network — whether as individuals or in small groups — and mixing them at the table sparked meaningful conversations that felt different from those during the formal congress sessions or workshops.
Lastly, it’s great to see more Superblocks and bicycles in the city every year! Go Barcelona!
This free of charge training will be given in Dutch!
Protect your ideas and strengthen your competitive advantage with the basic Intellectual Property Rights training.
What will you learn during the training?
- Introduction to different IP rights: get a clear understanding of the IP rights that protect you.
- Real-life examples of collaboration and ownership: Learn how IP rights work in collaborations.
- Freedom to operate: discover how to preserve room to innovate without legal risks.
- The value of technical details in patent publications: Understand how these details give you an advantage in the market.
When: Monday, 9 December 2024 15.30 - 18.00
Location: Ondernemersplein Almere (cityhal Almere), Stadhuisplein 1, 1315HR Almere
In Buiksloterham ontwikkelt ATELIER een wijk die meer energie opwekt dan zij verbruikt en worden slimme energietoepassingen in de praktijk gebracht.
Wat komt er allemaal kijken bij het opzetten van een energiegemeenschap, welke mogelijkheden en structuren er nodig zijn voor het actief delen van energie, hoe kunnen batterijen ingezet kunnen worden om netcongestie tegen te gaan, en hoe kan het concept data commons bijdragen aan een duurzame wijkontwikkeling?
In deze bijeenkomst blikken we terug op onze gezamenlijke resultaten en bespreken we de toekomstplannen in samenwerking met het kennisnetwerk Amsterdam InChange.
De dag wordt geopend door de Amsterdamse wethouder Dirk de Jager en georganiseerd door TNO in samenwerking met de Hogeschool van Amsterdam, AMS Institute, Waag Futurelab en gemeente Amsterdam.
Ben jij actief in het veld? Dan ben je van harte welkom en horen we graag jouw reflectie tijdens de kennissessies die zich richten op lokale energiesystemen, energiegemeenschappen, financiering en data delen.
Meld je voor 13 november aan!
Wanneer: 21 november 2024
Waar: Tolhuistuin, IJpromenade 2, Amsterdam
Ga naar de aanmeldpagina voor meer informatie over het programma en de sessies.
Het Amsterdam Innovatie Atelier is onderdeel van het Smart City EU-project ATELIER
EnergyElephant would love to help London with this ambitious goal.