Recap of Demoday #22

Ben jij thuis in de wereld van communicatie en event management? En gaat jouw hart sneller kloppen van duurzaamheid, stedelijke innovatie en netwerken?

Kom dan als junior Communicatie- en Programmamedewerker het team van Amsterdam Smart City versterken!

Wie zijn wij?

Amsterdam Smart City is een onafhankelijk innovatieplatform, dat innovatieve bedrijven, kennisinstellingen, maatschappelijke organisaties, overheden en proactieve bewoners samenbrengt en de stad van de toekomst vormgeeft. Amsterdam Smart City maakt als programma deel uit van Amsterdam Economic Board.

Samen met 29 partners werken wij aan een betere, duurzame en toekomstbestendige wereld. Daarnaast brengen we een internationale community samen van meer dan 9.000 innovatieprofessionals, studenten en geïnteresseerden. Zij ontmoeten elkaar rond verschillende thema’s en helpen elkaar verder. Door al deze partijen te verbinden, en met hen het gesprek te voeren over de grote uitdagingen in onze regio, komen we tot nieuwe verhalen en innovatieve oplossingen die bijdragen aan betere straten, buurten en steden. We richten ons met name op vier transitiethema’s: Mobiliteit, Digitaal, Energie en Circulair.

Hier staan wij voor
Iedereen is anders, en juist met verschillende mensen werken wij nog beter aan de metropool van morgen. We zijn nieuwsgierig naar jouw talenten, wat jou bijzonder maakt. We horen graag jouw ideeën en perspectieven. Dat helpt ons om samen nog meer impact te maken.

Wat ga je doen?

Je beheert onze online kanalen en je organiseert samen met het team evenementen. Met verslaglegging, enthousiasme en het maken van nieuwe connecties binnen ons netwerk versterk je ons regionale en internationale netwerk! Je werkt nauw samen met- en ondersteunt het hele Amsterdam Smart City team en de programmadirecteur. Dit zijn je taken:

• Beheer en schrijven van onze wekelijkse nieuwsbrief en LinkedIn content. Je neemt initiatieven om de interactie en het bereik te vergroten.

• Je houdt toezicht op de berichten op het online platform en je stimuleert leden om content te plaatsen

• Beheer info mailbox (inkomende verzoeken, vragen etc.)

• Ondersteuning inhoudelijke verslaglegging netwerkevenementen en werksessies, en het opmaken van presentaties

• Praktische ondersteuning bij evenementen (locaties, uitnodigingen, communicatie)

• Ondersteuning bij het organiseren van werksessies en het bouwen van coalities

Wie ben jij?

• Je hebt wo/hbo werk- en denkniveau, een opleiding in de richting van communicatie (of vergelijkbaar);

• Je hebt 1-2 jaar werkervaring en ervaring op het gebied van online communicatie/community en/of event management

• Je beheerst de Nederlandse en Engelse taal uitstekend in woord én geschrift

• Je hebt affiniteit met duurzaamheid, innovatie en stedelijke ontwikkelingen en je vindt het belangrijk om met je werk maatschappelijke impact te maken.

• Je beschikt over voldoende algemene kennis over bovenstaande en je kan hier helder over schrijven.

• Je bent proactief en nieuwsgierig

• Je bent sociaal, enthousiast en houdt van netwerken en verbinden.

Wat bieden wij?

Wij bieden je een fijne werkplek op het Marineterrein in Amsterdam, met een informele en collegiale sfeer. We zijn een klein team dat nauw met elkaar en onze partners samenwerkt.

Je wordt deel van een enorm divers en dynamisch netwerk van koplopers en pioniers in stedelijke innovatie van toonaangevende organisaties in de Metropool Amsterdam. Er is veel ruimte om te leren van collega’s en specialisten uit het netwerk en je te verdiepen in de thema’s die jou interesseren. Samen leren we door te doen!

Daarnaast bieden wij:

• Een functie voor 32 uur per week;

• Een half-jaar-contract met uitzicht op verlenging;

• Salarisindicatie €3.300 - €3.500 bruto per maand (o.b.v. 40 uur), aangevuld met vakantie- en eindejaarstoeslag.

Interesse gewekt?

Ben je enthousiast? Dan horen we graag van je! Stuur je CV en een korte motivatie uiterlijk 4 april per mail aan solliciteren@amecboard.com. De eerste gesprekken vinden plaats op 10 en 12 april. Vervolggesprekken zijn in de ochtend van 19 april. Een schrijfopdracht maakt deel uit van de procedure. Neem voor meer informatie over de functie contact op met Pelle Menke. Hopelijk spreken we elkaar snel!

In the big tech-dominated era, data has been commercially exploited for so long that it is now hard to imagine that data sharing might also benefit the community. Yet that is what a collective of businesses, governments, social institutions and residents in Amsterdam aim to do. Sharing more data to better care for the city. On behalf of the Data Commons Collective, Lia Hsu (Strategic Advisor at Amsterdam Economic Board) asked the Amsterdam Smart City network for input and feedback on their Data Commons initiative on the last Demoday of 2023.

What is a (data) common?

Commons are natural resources that are accessible to everyone within a community. Water. Fertile soil. Clean air. Actually everything the earth has given us. We as humanity have increasingly begun to exploit these commons in our pursuit of power and profit maximisation. As a result, we risk exhausting them.

Data is a new, digital resource: a valuable commodity that can be used to improve products and services. Data can thus also be used for the common good. However there are two important differences between a common and a data common: data in commons never runs out, and data in commons is not tied to any geographical location or sociocultural groups.

Four principles for Data Commons

The Data Commons collective is currently working on different applied use cases to understand how data commons can help with concrete solutions to pressing societal problems in the areas of energy, green urban development, mobility, health and culture. Each data commons serves a different purpose and requires a different implementation, but there are four principles that are always the same:

1. The data common is used to serve a public or community purpose
2. The data common requires cooperation between different parties, such as individuals, companies or public institutions
3. The data common is managed according to principles that are acceptable to users and that define who may access the data commons under what conditions, in what ways they may be used, for what purpose, what is meant by data misuse
4. The data common is embedded to manage data quality, but also to monitor compliance with the principles and ensure that data misuse is also noticed and that an appropriate response (such as a reprimand, penalty or fine) follows.

The Data Commons Collective is now in the process of developing a framework, which provides a self-assessment tool to guide the formation of Data Commons initiatives by triggering consideration of relevant aspects for creating a data commons. It is a means of reflection, rather than prescription, to encourage sustainable and responsible data initiatives.

Energy Data Commons case and Value Workshop by Waag

After the introduction to the Data Commons Collective and Framework by Simone van der Burg (Waag) and Roos de Jong (Deloitte), the participants engaged in a value workshop led by Simone. The case we worked with: we’re dealing with a shortage of affordable and clean energy. Congestion issues are only expected to get worse, due to increased energy use by households en businesses. An energy Data Commons in neighbourhoods can have certain benefits. Such as preventing congestion issues, using clean energy sources more effectively, becoming self-sufficient as a neighbourhood and reducing costs. But under what circumstances would we want to share our energy data with our neighbours? What are the values that we find important when it comes to sharing our energy data?

Results: Which values are important when sharing our energy data?

In smaller groups, the participants discussed which values they found important for an energy data common using a value card deck from Waag. Some values that were mentioned were:

• Trustworthiness: It is important to trust one another when sharing our energy data. It helps when we assume that everyone that is part of the common has the right intentions.
• Fun: The energy Data Commons should be fun and positive! The participants discussed gamification and rewards as part of the common.
• Knowledge: One of the goals of sharing data with each other is to gain more knowledge about energy consumption and saving.
• Justice and solidarity: If everyone in the common feels safe and acknowledged, it will benefit the outcome. Everyone in the common should be treated equally.
• Inclusion and Community-feeling: It is important that people feel involved in the project. The Data Commons should improve our lives, make it more sustainable but also progress our social relations.

During this Demoday, we got to know the Data Commons collective and experienced which values we find important when sharing our data with others. Amsterdam Economic Board will remain involved in the Data Commons Collective in a coordinating role and work on use cases to understand how data commons can work for society.

Would you like to know more about the Data Commons Collective or do you have any input for them? Please feel free to reach out to me via sophie@amsterdamsmartcity.com or leave a comment below.

*This article makes use of the term Inclusive Prosperity as the English translation for the Dutch word; ‘Brede Welvaart’

In The Netherlands, the concept of Inclusive Prosperity* is on the rise. Policy makers are busy defining this concept, figuring out how to put this concept into practice and what it means for their decision-making process. Together with his colleagues at the Municipality of Amsterdam, Yurhan Kwee hosts sessions on decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity. With the input he gathers, he hopes to make the decisions needed for our Inclusive Prosperity ambitions more understandable and transparent, both for Amsterdam’s administrators and councillors as well as its citizens.

Inclusive Prosperity

Inclusive Prosperity is about more than just money. It involves everything that people consider valuable, such as health, the quality of education, the environment, a safe living environment, and equal opportunities for everyone. It's about the quality of life in the present, and the extent to which this affects the prosperity of future generations or those of people elsewhere in the world.

According to the definition, used by the Municipality, there are 8 themes to consider:

1. Subjective Well-being

Subjective well-being refers to the evaluation people make of their lives. Consider the question, "How satisfied are you with life in general?"

2. Health

The theme of Health encompasses physical illnesses and conditions, as well as mental health, living with limitations, perceived health, and self-regulation and resilience.

3. Consumption and Income

The theme of Consumption and Income refers to how income provides people with the freedom and opportunities to consume, including purchasing services and goods, maintaining a financial buffer, and shaping one's lifestyle.

4. Education and Training

Thinking about the theme of Education and Training involves the transfer of knowledge and skills, socialization, and considering the education or training experiences of individuals.

5. Spatial Quality and Cohesion

Regarding the theme of Spatial Cohesion and Quality, consider the following: a qualitatively well-designed space is a crucial precondition for the perceived broad prosperity. This includes spatial design on a functional level and with a focus on the future.

6. Economic Capital

Depending on the case, consider how it relates to:

• Human capital: the combination of competencies, knowledge, and skills;
• Physical capital: material possessions, such as machinery, buildings, and infrastructure;
• Knowledge capital: intangible assets, such as research and development, data, and patents;
• Financial capital: the financial resources of households and the government (purchasing power).

7. Natural Capital

Natural Capital refers to the stock of natural resources. Consider items such as (drinking) water, food, minerals, wind-sun-water energy, biodiversity, etc. Assess whether they are sufficiently available, in shortage, or if there is damage to these resources.

8. Social Capital

The concept of Social Capital often refers to the benefits of social networks, such as access to information and resources. This involves connections within and between groups. Positive effects can lead to trust, while negative effects can lead to loneliness.

Experimenting (with Mobility related policies) in public space

The case we used during this session is the use of experiments in public space, altering mobility or travel infrastructure. The months leading up to this afternoon, Amsterdam had put different experiments into practice (e.g. de ‘knip’ and de ‘paaltjesproef’) resulting in heated discussions, about both the success and desirability of using this method.

In a more objective manner, we used the Broad Prosperity principles to argue why its either desirable or undesirable to put such methods into practice.

Results

The group agreed that these Amsterdam experiments, concerned with creating calmer, more liveable urban areas, score well within themes like; Health (less air & noise pollution), Nature (more space for green and biodiversity), Social capital (more space and opportunity to meet and interact), Spacial quality (less dangerous and more moving space) and education (experimenting, learning by doing, viewing urban planning as experimenting and an ongoing learning process). However, as this year’s backlash on the experiments showed, there are some negative aspects to consider. Examples of domains in which we found some negative aspects, were; Economy (decreased speed and efficiency), Consumption & Income (local shop- and restaurant-owners need to be flexible and could be victims of changing infrastructure) and Subjective Well-being (citizens feel used, disadvantaged, and there is ambiguity about the purpose).

We found it difficult to arrive at a common answer because advantages and disadvantages exist on each theme separately. However, there was a common notion that the success of this method is rooted in clear and transparent communication on the effects and goals of such experiment. Frustration should be minimized and the opposing arguments should be taken seriously. Furthermore, we discussed the difference between a ‘real’ experiment in which every outcome is a success, and a trial, which is used to test a policy that’s envisioned for future years. The one who initiates the experiment should have this very clear for itself.

While one of the strengths of this method is the need to value these different domains in a more equal and objective manner, it proved to be difficult in practice. We all had the tendency to give some aspects more weight than others. While we were supposed to set up an advice and practice with decision-making along the principles of Inclusive Prosperity, it turned out to be challenging to let go of our prior experience, prejudices and opinions on this subject. We weren’t sure whether this is always a negative thing, but it’s one of the considerations Yurhan took home in the Municipality’s exploration of this approach.

Together, we experienced the challenge of working together with a new concept and approach. It should be an ongoing practice and discussion, a collective effort. Sessions like these serve that purpose perfectly.

Feel free to get in touch with me if you want to know more about the municipality’s and Amsterdam Economic Board’s efforts on the topic of Inclusive Prosperity.