What Smart Cities can learn from London in 1854

Heb jij ideeën over en kennis van hoe je technologie zou kunnen inzetten als middel om het leven van kwetsbare of gemarginaliseerde doelgroepen in Amsterdam iets makkelijker te maken? Werk je bijvoorbeeld voor een tech bedrijf met ideeën over digitale oplossingen voor deze Amsterdammers? Bekijk dan de 'challenges' op de website van CommuniCity. CommuniCIty - Tweede Open Call
De winnende voorstellen krijgen een subsidie van 12.500 euro om hun oplossing te piloten. De deadline is 31 oktober.

In totaal zijn er door zeven Europese steden twintig challenges uitgeschreven. Maximaal 38 voorstellen zullen worden geselecteerd om een pilot uit te voeren.

De challenges in Amsterdam

1. Hoe kunnen ouders ondersteund worden in (seks)educatie en veiligheid?
2. Hoe maak je een lokaal betaalsysteem onder inwoners en lokale ondernemers in Amsterdam Nieuw-West toegankelijk en geaccepteerd?
3. Hoe stimuleer je meisjes in Nieuw-West om te sporten en bewegen?
4. Hoe betrek je bewoners bij een gemeenschapspaar- en krediet coöperatie die sociale initiatieven in de stad ondersteunt?
5. Hoe kunnen doven en slechthorenden worden betrokken bij het uitzenden van informatie over het openbaar vervoer?
6. Hoe pas je een bestaande technologische oplossing aan voor een specifieke groep?

Voor uitgebreide beschrijvingen van alle challenges en informatie over de beoordelingscriteria, voorwaarden en het aanmeldproces, ga naar CommuniCIty - Tweede Open Call

CommuniCIty wordt gefinancierd door de EU.

AMdEX is approaching the end of its first phase of development and is getting ready to support a select number of real life cases in their need to share data.

Please join us on Thursday, November 30th, from 14:00 to 18:00 uur at B.Amsterdam, when we reflect on the journey we’ve made and celebrate the many achievements.

Programme

You will get a hands on preview of AMdEX and have the opportunity to:

• Learn from Bellingcat how to use publicly available data to uncover and verify information on conflicts.
• Learn from KLM why and how competing aviation companies share data.
• Learn from Abykys how to build a business case for your data collaboration that benefits all participants.
• Learn from Dexes and Roseman Labs how AMdEX supports startups and SMEs

And much more to come.

The full programme will be announced soon. Sign up is free, registration is required.

More information

AMdEX is a collaborative innovation effort, bridging the public and private sectors, to establish trusted methods for utilizing sensitive data through the enforcement of digital policies. Find out more about AMdEX here.

This is the 12th episode of a series 25 building blocks to create better streets, neighbourhoods, and cities. This post deals with the question of how nature itself can help to deal with excessive rainfall and subsequently flooding of brooks and rivers, although these disasters are partially human-made.
Until now, flooding has mainly been combated with technical measures such as the construction of dykes and dams. There are many disadvantages associated with this approach and its effectiveness decreases. Nature-inclusive measures, on the other hand, are on the rise. The Netherlands is at the forefront of creating space for rivers to flood, where this is possible without too many problems.

Sponge areas

An important principle is to retain water before it ends up in rivers, canals, and sewers. The so-called sponge city approach can be incorporated into the fabric of new neighbourhoods and it creates sustainable, attractive places too. A combination of small and large parks, green roofs, wadis, but also private gardens will increase the water storage capacity and prevents the sewer system from becoming overloaded and flooding streets and houses. Steps are being taken in many places in the world; [China is leading the way](https://www\.dropbox\.com/s/47zxvl3kgbeeasa/Tale of two cities.pdf?dl=0) (photo top right). However, the intensity of the precipitation is increasing. In 2023, 75 cm of rain fell in Beijing in a few days. Under such conditions, local measures fall short. Instead, nature-inclusive measures must be applied throughout the river basin.

Retention basins

In new housing estates, water basins are constructed to collect a lot of water. Their stepped slopes make them pleasant places to stay in times of normal water level. The pictures on the left are from Freiburg (above) and Stockholm (below). The top center photo shows the construction of a retention basin in Lois Angeles.
Wadis
Wadis are artificial small-scale streams in a green bed with a high water-absorbing capacity. In the event of heavy rainfall, they collect, retain and discharge considerably more water than the sewer system (bottom center photo). Green strips, for example between sidewalks, cycle paths and roads also serve this purpose (photo bottom right: climate-adaptive streets in Arnhem).

Green roofs, roof gardens and soils

Green roofs look good, they absorb a lot of CO2 and retain water. The stone-covered urban environment is reducing the water-retaining capacity of the soil. Sufficiently large interspaces between paving stones, filled with crushed stone, ensure better permeability of streets and sidewalks. The same applies to half-open paving stones in parking lots.

Refrain from building in flood-prone areas

Up to the present day, flood-prone parts of cities are used for various purposes, often because the risk is underestimated or the pressure on space is very great. London's Housing and Climate Crises are on a Collision Course is the eloquent title of an article about the rapidly growing risk of flooding in London.
Hackney Wick is one of 32 growth centers set to help alleviate London's chronic housing shortage, which has already been repeatedly flooded by heavy rainfall. However, the construction of new homes continues. Measures to limit the flood damage at ground floor level include tiled walls and floors, water-inhibiting steel exterior doors, aluminum interior doors, kitchen appliances at chest height, closable sewers, and power supply at roof-level. Instead, floating neighbourhoods should be considered.

Follow the link below to find an overview of all articles.