On June 20th, our network gathered for the 24th edition of our Demoday. This time, the Demoday took place in the Jakoba Mulderhuis, the home of the Faculty of Technology of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. This building is highly innovative and future-proof in both design and facilities. For example, it can be easily transformed in the future and does not use any fossil fuels. In many ways, it was a perfect location for this inspiring day.
In this article, we’ll give you a quick overview of the Knowledge Session, Work Sessions and Pitches. Interested in learning more? Read the full reports by our team members Pelle, Sophie, Jessie and Jill (linked below).
About our Demodays
The Demodays are one of the tools we use to stimulate innovation and encourage connection between our partners and community. The purpose of the Demodays is to present the progress of various innovation projects, ask for help, share dilemmas and involve more partners to take these projects to the next level. More information about the Demodays can be found here.
Knowledge Session: Social Innovation
Dave van Loon and Marieke Doorninck from Kennisland shared insights on social innovation, emphasizing its transformative potential. Marieke stated, “Those who are closest to the issue know the most about it,” highlighting the importance of collaboration. Kennisland co-creates solutions with those involved to address complex societal challenges, aiming for inclusive and sustainable outcomes through new strategies and collective efforts. Read Jill’s full report here.
Worksessions
Energy | Floating Neighbourhoods
Can we better utilize our water spaces? The Netherlands is renowned for its water management innovations, like the Delta Works and the reclamation of Flevoland. However, with increasing pressure on available land, we need to continue innovating. Our goals include generating sustainable energy, advancing agriculture, and building 100,000 homes per year. Bianca Bodewes and Sije Kloppenburg from the City of Amsterdam led an interactive workshop where they discussed their research on a floating district with 1,500 units and the various dilemmas they are facing. Read Jessie’s full report here.
Mobility | Mobility Radar
Yuki Tol and Joaquim Moody, trend watchers specializing in Smart Mobility at the Municipality of Amsterdam's Innovation Department, guided us through an engaging workshop on the Mobility Radar for future public transport. In this first edition, the Amsterdam Smart Mobility program explores the city's mobility challenges. Will issues such as staffing and funding shortages, the energy transition, and increasing demand for accessible transport options continue to shape Amsterdam's future public transport system? Read Pelle’s full report here.
Circular | New economic thinking. New Economic Doing.
Together with a collective of organisations, the Amsterdam Economic Board has launched the living lab project ‘New Economic Thinking, New Economic Acting, at the Marineterrein in Amsterdam, to test new economic theories in practice. Through various socio-economic experiments, they explore what it would mean to shift the focus from quantitative to qualitative growth. During this Demoday session, Laetitia Stuijt and Erik Lückers from Amsterdam Economic Board asked the Amsterdam Smart City network for input on how to implement True Pricing in practice at the Marineterrein. Read Sophie’s full report here.
Pitches
Before the work sessions began, we enjoyed some inspiring pitches. Below are the topics presented, with links to their dedicated project pages.
Byewaste: Giving a second chance to your pre-loved items – Bywaste offers an innovative and convenient solution for cleaner homes and a healthier planet. They collect unwanted items from citizens' homes at no cost, giving each item a second life through their network of sustainable partners. Learn more about their initiative here.
2Ping: Social Local Pay – What if the economy was no longer about growth, but about balance and equity? 2Ping champions the local economy by introducing and developing a local currency for Amsterdam-Zuidoost. With this experiment, they want to show that the current economy is in need of renewal and how things can be done differently. Read more here.
HvA: Interdisciplinary graduation project – Since February, four students from the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) from different fields of study have been working together in an interdisciplinary graduation project. An initiative that grew out of the longstanding collaboration between the HvA and Amsterdam Smart City. Together with the Province of North Holland, we commissioned a graduation project on the theme of Mobility Justice. Read more here.
De Stadspergola – The City Pergola in the courtyard of the HvA Amstelcampus is an innovative prototype of sustainable street furniture. What can a pergola, besides providing shade, mean for the city? The initiative invites broad collaboration between education, research, and practice. Read more here.
Our next Demoday will take place in October. Do you have an inspiring story or project you want to pitch to the Amsterdam Smart City network? Let us know via Sophie sophie@amsterdamsmartcity.com (Digital), Pelle pelle@amsterdamsmartcity.com (Mobility) or Noor noor@amsterdamsmartcity.com (Energy & Circular)
