News

The city of London has unveiled a business plan to become a circular economy. Hopefully Amsterdam and London can learn from each other?!

This is my first contribution to the theme Governance and Education as brand-new curator of ASC

Close your eyes and imagine a large industrial site at the end of the 19th century. 1000's of labourers are sitting behind sewing machines.
Still keep your eyes closed and imagine a lecture hall, you see again rows and rows of students who hurry to copy the words of the teacher.
The resemblance is clear. The difference too: The industrial site is history; the lecture hall is present time.

The problem is that universities failed to adapt their educational methods to the massive growth of the number of students. As a consequence, the small classrooms of the past made room for the lecture halls of the present. The ability to deliver quality is under pressure.

Quality in higher education is connected with the realization of two major learning outcomes:
• Ability to apply and to discuss scientific knowledge, together with an awareness of inherent philosophical and epistemological issues.
• Competences to analyse, critically reflect, and solve real live-problems, deploying scientific methods.

The majority of contemporary universities are realizing these outcomes only partially. As far as universities are aware they blame government because of insufficient funding. I do not expect any substantial change in this respect. Besides, universities better economize themselves first.

Universities must face reality and improve the quality of their education and deal with a growing and ever more differentiated student population, while funding will remain about equal.

This challenge can be solved only by become smart, which means that universities have to innovate, in particular by deploying ICT.

Universities can economize by flipping their classrooms radically and supporting their students in choosing appropriate open educational resources. At this time, online content covers any part of scientific knowledge. The best scientists are involved in their development and educational technologists have designed the best visual support. Delivering feedback at student's assignments are the only expenses left.

Digital sources are able to contribute significantly to the active acquisition of knowledge, the first of the two yardsticks for quality in higher education of higher education.
But what about the second one: The competence to analyse, reflect and solve real live-problems deploying scientific methods.
This objective definitely goes beyond the capabilities of open educational resources.

The one way to develop this competency is engaging students in independent work, like writing theses and doing projects, preferably in collaboration with institutions outside the university. Projects might be executed in small groups and students learn to deal with real problems and their owners.

Of course students need expert teachers' supervision. After having reduced their activities with respect to knowledge transfer significantly, teachers will have sufficient time to act as project supervisors and most will love it.

Well done Rotterdam! Thanks for the inspiration.
Traffic lights for cyclists with heat sensors!

Last two weeks we have made some further steps in collaboration between two beautiful countries with contributions of #amsterdamsmartcity and great help and support of the wonderful team of the @ConculateGeneralOfTheNetherlandiInSydney #NLinSydney

Dear startuper,

Don't miss the chance to collaborate with reputed entities! Take part in the IoT for Greener Cities Challenge.

We offer you the opportunity to boost your IoT solution with Young Global Leaders, Engie and their partners - NPL, Climate-KIC and EnergyVille - to reduce environmental footprint of houses, buildings and transport in our cities!

How to take part in this challenge? Just by sending a brief presentation of your IoT solution before March 22nd, 23:59pm on the platform of the challenge. You can use the template downloadable here.

What is at stake? An inclusion at Engie's incubator and up to 10.000€ worth of prizes.

If your solution reach the final you will have the opportunity to pitch your idea in front of experts a range of European companies and public stakeholders, including theEuropean Union and the World Economic Forum during the Engie Innovation Week.

Choose the category in which your solution enters and rock on!

Join us at the Games for Cities conference where leading ‘city-game’ design experts from around the world will gather to discuss the potential for games to facilitate more effective and inclusive city-making. The conference will be held in Rotterdam’s Het Nieuwe Instituut on April 20-21, and is open to the public. Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/games-for-cities-conference-tickets-31317310920. There will also be Doctoral Consortium for early career researchers wishing to present their ongoing research and receive feedback from industry experts. See more on the application procedure for this here: http://gamesforcities.com/challenges/doctoral-consortium/
More information on the event: https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/events/games-for-cities-international-conference

Getting insight in traffic amounts, participants, flows, speed end environmental effects. How to make your (inner)city more available for the right traffic- and crowd flows? this are the case studies we focus on with our ViSense services. Just take a look on: www.visense.eu or call: 06-29784291

Proven quality of data: Project Shared Spaces Amsterdam
The objective of the project: insight in the traffic participants, flow and count. The accuracy: 97%+

Result: means to redirect the traffic on visually validated information on specific:
- counts
- object detection
- traffic flows
- density

key value:
- accurate
- reliable
- 24/7
- stand alone possibilities

Azem Kariman
azem.kariman@visense.eu

De Kamer van Koophandel organiseert dit jaar voor de 12e keer de uitreiking van de MKB Innovatie Top 100. Deze lijst is de afgelopen jaren uitgegroeid tot een van de mooiste innovatie-etalages van Nederland.

Dus ben je een ondernemer uit het mkb en ben je met mooie innovaties bezig dan kan je je tot 15 april 2017 aanmelden via www.mkbinnovatietop100.nl.

Which 10 startups will be in the next Startupbootcamp SmartCity & Living accelerator program? 🎉 Watch the #sbcSelectionDays Live Facebook Stream announcement here on 22 March at 17.20 CET: http://buff.ly/2lSsDOp

WRITTEN BY ADAM STONES - COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR METABOLIC
https://www.metabolic.nl/in-the-news/how-the-dutch-government-can-realise-its-circular-ambitions/

Ahead of the Dutch national elections, the magazine De Ingenieur asked ten opinion formers what the next Government needs to do to help the Netherlands transition to greater renewable energy use and the circular economy. Metabolic’s CEO Eva Gladek was one of those asked to outline what needs to happen to realise a more sustainable future.

Metabolic outlined to De Ingenieur that whilst it is exiting that the Government has committed to realising a circular economy by 2050 (and reducing material use by half by 2030), the plans remain vague and require some strong leadership. She suggested five ways that will help get us there:

1. Make it clear what a circular economy should look like

2. Provide data on material flows

3. Do something about the demand for commodities

4. Develop new financing models

5. Create a market for circular products

You can read more on these five points in the full article, in Dutch.

Amsterdam's business district 'Zuidas' gets a big overhaul the next couple of years. Several Zuidas' stakeholders will discuss how to develop a vibrant and accessible Zuidas.

Amsterdam's business district 'Zuidas' gets a big overhaul the next couple of years. Several Zuidas' stakeholders will discuss how to develop a vibrant and accessible Zuidas. Check out the project of Zuidas in Transition.

How do we make Zuidas accessible and vibrant for and with her citizens and users?

Amsterdam Smart City, Impact Hub, TransportLab and Urban Connectors will bring stakeholders of Zuidas together on Friday March 31. Municipality of Amsterdam, startups and entrepreneurs of Impact Hub will adress the challenge of Zuidas in this Innovation Lab on Urban Mobility. From 11.30 - 4.30PM the lab will be closed for stakeholders only including 3 members of Amsterdam Smart City community. Read more about this lab.

'Recently, you’ve estimated that nearly one million people are in place to execute smart city activities in Europe. Could you comment upon this?' ASC team member Rogier Havelaar shares this view on the role of the mailman in the smart city.

Recently, you’ve estimated that nearly one million people are in place to execute smart city activities in Europe. Could you comment upon this?

I’ve just made a quick calculation. In the Netherlands, we roughly have one mailman for 350 households. Per household, we have an average of 2,5 people. The population of Europe is 743 million people. Using the estimations of the Netherlands, you come to 850.000 mailmen Europe. Because many areas in Europe are less dense populated then the Netherlands, I adjusted the estimation to ‘near one million’. However, the numbers are just an indication. My central point is that I see an incredible network of people who are every day in every street of Europe. Postal operators are very good organized in international networks. Im dreaming of a combination of near one million mailmen, their local presence, technology used and high organization ratio of the companies they work for is unique and very useful for smart city projects on a European scale.

The Smart City potential of postal networks can only be underestimated

The Smart City potential of postal networks can therefore only be underestimated: we could measure and compare cities as Athens, Rome, Barcelona, London, Berlin and Amsterdam on the same criteria and using the same measurement method within a few days. Postal vehicles can be used for air quality to pavement quality measurement projects.. And they can do so with relatively small investments because most of the required assets are already in place. Additional to the added value the postal networks have in their own markets, I believe that there is a multiplier effect when combining these networks on a European or worldwide scale. Companies as US Post and Japan Post are also investigation comparable opportunities.

Can you point out certain trends that are present in the Smart Cities reality?

In the beginning of my Smart City journey in the Netherlands which started in may 2015, I only saw large technology and connectivity companies on the playing field. Smart City was more about marketing IoT solutions then about creating sustainable cities. Despite some small successes which have been emphasized over and over (such as the smart bin case in Barcelona, which was mentioned at every smart city meeting in the world) and repeating the claim that ‘in 2020, 50 billion things will be connected to the internet” (I think I’ve heard this quote more than 50 billion times) there was not much to report. Companies were protecting their intellectual property and municipalities their budget.

This playing field opened up by governments requesting startups to come up with smart solutions (the city of Amsterdam, for example, opened a tender dedicated for startups), by disruptive startups as the things network and by many public-private cooperation’s with a main focus on learning instead of business.

For the near future, I see two big hurtles which have to be taken. Firstly, we as smart city professionals should focus on execution of ideas and scaling them up instead of a focus on the development of more ideas. We need to do and to act instead of brainstorming and discussing. This will lead to large scale projects within the domain of Smart cities. No longer twenty smart lights and twenty smart bins on a piece of five hundred meter smart roads, but a project of two hundred smart lights and two hundred smart bins on a piece of five kilometer smart road through the historic center, new build neighborhoods and industrial areas of the city. After these medium sized projects, there should be a business case for smart cities where commercial investors, governments, citizens and solution providers all play their role. Summarized: we need to go from idea and MVP phase to scale up projects and define the governance (financially and policy-wise) of the smart city.

What will be the next step towards Smart City initiatives? Are there certain aspects and sectors that will explode / arise?

I think the initiatives with a clear business case will be the smart city blockbusters. Connectivity (city wifi, 4G/5G, long range low band internet such as LoRa or NbIoT), Energy (peak reduction, smart lightning), Mobility (building materials, waste) will be the most visible and largest scale initiatives. However, I think you do not need the Smart City framework for this kind of innovations. The true Smart City initiatives are initiatives that take a multidisciplinary approach to smart city problems. For example, PostNL is involved in a multidisciplinary team of Philips Healthcare, ONVZ health insurance, Nutricia Danone and a local knowledge institute. In this project, we combine technology (the participants receive a sensor measuring all their movement) with nutrition, physiotherapy and social interventions (the PostNL mailmen will have a central role in the project). What I like about this kind of projects is that people play a significant role in it. Of course, we all think that a world of robotics and drones is cool. But I want to live in a city of people, with people.

And I think I’m not the only one who wants that. Therefore, I think that on the long run that only smart city projects aiming at people and the question how people want to live together will be successful. There is no scarcity in technology in the future. The real scarcity will be about real interaction between real humans who want to be seen and recognized as human and want to contribute to society.

How key is knowledge exchange and transfer to the success of Smart City initiatives?

Of course knowledge exchange is key to success. If you can’t share, you can’t multiply. A year ago, I was looking for good quality low cost outdoor air quality sensors, which we place into our letterboxes on the street. I was surprised about the number of NDAs I received related to the number of working sensors I’ve seen. I think it’s better to bundle development power and work together to a good solution. We waste a lot of time with protecting unproven ideas.

Have you got certain “Smart” plans in the pipeline?

Yes absolutely. Within PostNL we have defined four Smart City research areas:

- City Logistics: how can PostNL be the logistics service provider of the city of the future?
- Social domain: how can PostNL help elderly people to live longer in their own home independently and happy?
- Public Spaces: how can PostNL help to keep the streets clean, undamaged and nice?
- Requests of organizations: what specific services can we develop, e.g. taking water meters within houses?

We currently are scaling up these initiatives to medium sized pilots as I described above. In order to do so, we work together with Prime Vision, a daughter company of PostNL with experience in smart city projects worldwide. We develop in small steps but have a clear focus on execution.

The Australian Federal Government has announced a $50 million competitive Smart Cities and Suburbs Program to support projects that apply innovative technology-based solutions to urban challenges. The program encourages collaborative smart city projects that improve the liveability, productivity and sustainability of Australian cities, suburbs and towns.

Future Ready complements the program by supporting local governments and their communities to collaborate with industry to formulate smart city ideas and projects.

Last year, Amsterdam was awarded
'European Capital of Innovation' by the European Commission. According to the judges, Amsterdam is a frontrunner in smart, social and creative solutions for a liveable city. The prize money is now available for initiatives in the field of 'the Healthy City' or 'the City of Talent'. Till 14 April, you can apply for 5.000-20.000 euros.

Last year, Amsterdam was awarded 'European Capital of Innovation' by the European Commission. According to the judges, Amsterdam is a frontrunner in smart, social and creative solutions for a liveable city. Now the prize money of 600.000 euros is available for initiatives in the field of 'the Healthy City' or 'the City of Talent'. Till 14 April, you can apply for 5.000-20.000 euros.​

The trajectory supports city makers, active citizens and social entrepreneurs with initiatives that keep the city liveable. Maak je Stad! calls on the people from Amsterdam to share their initiatives and companies and apply for the program! The 30 till 50 most innovative and significant initiatives will join the trajectory, including financial support.

Strengthen innovation together

The challenges of our city require the creativity and brainpower from all Amsterdam people. How do we stay healthy? And how do we make sure that young and old people expand their talents? And how can everyone benefit? Local initiatives with answers deserve an impulse and support.

Maak je Stad! is looking for initiatives with potential. These people will take a part in a 6 month trajectory: with each other and with the help of experts they can develop their initiative. There are 600.000 euros available for financial support.

Want to know more or apply for the program? Check maakjestad.amsterdam!

Maak je Stad! (Make your city) is initiated by Gemeente Amsterdam, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Kennisland en Waag Society, and is supported by Amsterdam Economic Board, Amsterdam Smart City and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions.

Investing in insulation, PV panels or new windows. If you’re living in an apartment, these decisions have to be made by the association of owners of your apartment building. This process can be quite challenging. Students from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences researched decision making process in those associations and came up with some interesting solutions. A key factor is to keep all owners up to date between formal meetings. So why not use Whatsapp to do so?

Read more in the flyer (in Dutch)

Dutch Smart Cities Startup Bootcamp - May 1 - 6 2017 in New York City

Dutch startups in smart cities, technology and creative industries interested in exploring or entering the US market and attending the first Smart Cities NYC’17 conference and expo: Join the Dutch Smart Cities Startup Bootcamp in May 2017!
The Dutch Smart Cities Startup Bootcamp is an intensive program to introduce Dutch startups to the startup ecosystem and smart cities, technology and creative industries in NYC. This bootcamp is organized by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York and B. New York.

The bootcamp coincides with the Smart Cities NYC ’17 conference. The overall goal of participating in this conference is to create visibility and position ‘Dutch Smart City Solutions’, with a focus on the areas clean energy, resiliency and urban planning, transportation & mobility, creative industries, smart data and citizen involvement. Creating opportunities to strengthen the promotion and branding of Dutch innovative solutions and business development opportunities for Dutch companies in NYC.

There are only two spots left, so sign up ASAP!
More information and a link to the application form via:http://b-buildingbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/B_NY_onepager.pdf

Innoveren in de gemeente? Te veel keuze uit inspirerende events? Zelf modereer ik het “Oracle Innovatie Impact Seminar: De gemeente van de toekomst” op 29 maart. Haarlem spreekt over Data en Innovaties in de Rotterdamse RDM Makerspace. We raken ook de thema’s IoT en Journey Mapping. Kijk op https://eventreg.oracle.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=0x431225c707&source=WWSA170127P00058:OW:ES:LV

De Amsterdamse Zoncoalitie heeft grote plannen. Er liggen 250.000 zonnepanelen klaar die bedrijven in Amsterdam met subsidie kunnen aanschaffen. Bedrijven met daken groter dan 500 vierkante meter komen in aanmerking voor de subsidie. De Zoncoalitie benadert ondernemers ook zelf. Dat gebeurde onder meer met het Marnixbad. Dat begint binnenkort met de gesubsidieerde plaatsing van zonnepanelen.

Doelstelling: een miljoen
De Zoncoalitie heeft uiteindelijk een miljoen panelen in de stad als doelstelling. Mocht die doelstelling behaald worden, dan zal - op z'n vroegst in 2019 - 30 procent van alle huishoudens in Amsterdam draaien op zonne-energie.

De subsidies van de overheid zijn tot half maart beschikbaar.