On the 21st of June we kicked off a new phase of Amsterdam Smart City. Amsterdam Smart City is an open collective of citizens, businesses, knowledge institutions and public authorities that are convinced that the changes necessary for the city and region, can only be achieved through collaboration.
More partners than ever are pooling their networks, knowledge and skills. Who are they? We will present some of them one by one. First one to kick off: Johan Cruijff ArenA: ‘We need a good plan and a holistic, but also practical approach of what a Smart City should be like.’
What is your main reason to join the open collective Amsterdam Smart City?
Sustainability and innovation are main topics for us and are part of our strategy. We are very aware that innovation takes place with each other, especially in the new world we live in. The open collective of Amsterdam Smart City is a good way to shape and maintain partnerships.
What is your ambition for the city and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area?
We have the ambition to transform the Zuid-Oost Area and the Johan Cruijff ArenA into a Smart City where we create value for the city and the planet. Creating this public value is very important for us.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for the city and the region in the future?
The biggest challenge to succeed is to have involvement of all stakeholders that play an important role such as partners, inhabitants and the City of Amsterdam. All participating stakeholders should be committed to the vision and ambition and be part of the change. We need decisiveness, a good plan and an integral holistic but also a practical approach of what a Smart City should be like.
> We are a proud partner of Amsterdam Smart City because we believe it is important to innovate together to create a sustainable and livable city
How do you see the role of the residents and citizens in your plans?
We make the city for the citizens, not for the government. To do that properly, it is a must to involve citizens in the developments, invite them to join and to create shared ownership.
What do you hope to work on in the upcoming years?
This year we have or will realize milestones such as the ArenA battery and 5G-testing as part of our ArenA field lab. We will follow this up with projects regarding social inclusion, mobility and fan experience. A major milestone is the EK2020. In 2020 we aim to be the most innovative stadium and the first results of the smart city will be showed. I hope that in 1 to 5 years we will be the reference case of a smart and liveable city for the city, the Metropolitan area and the rest of the world.
> Let’s create better streets, neighbourhoods and cities!
