Smart City projects in Netherlands/Amsterdam

In 2018, the first paper on the Near Future in Cities of Things was published. Seven years later, we took the initiative to conduct exploratory research to reflect on the state of cities of things. Or, put differently: how should we assess the current state of urban robotics and physical AI?

​In this interactive event, Iskander Smit will present the learnings from the research, and a panel of four of the approximately 25 interviewed experts will share their perspectives to kick off a discussion led by moderator Monique van Dusseldorp.
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The central question is how the developments might impact and inspire the design of future cities, things, intelligent systems, and the interplay between these.

​The panelists

• ​<strong>Maria Luce Lupetti</strong>; Assistant Professor in Design at Politecnico di Torino. She is co-director of POEL – Possible Entanglements Lab, a research group dedicated to investigating how people and technologies co-shape one another, and how design can help envision desirable configurations. She was the leading author of the first paper on Cities of Things in 2018. Maria Luce will reflect on the changes in human entanglement with the artificial world, particularly in complex technologies such as AI and robotics.
• ​<strong>Sen Lin</strong>; Senior Product Designer and AI Design Consultant. Sen was among the first students graduating in the Delft Design Lab Cities of Things. Sen just returned from a 2-month stay in China and will share his impressions from urban robotics there.
• ​<strong>Tomasz Jaskiewicz</strong> is a professor of civic prototyping at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Tomasz is a founding partner in the creation of the Wijkbot platform for research through prototyping into urban robotics. He will share the learnings between experiments.
• ​<strong>Vera van der Burg</strong> is a designer, researcher, and Ph.D. candidate at TU Delft's Designing Intelligence Lab. Her research investigates how training AI models can become a reflective practice. With her research, she was awarded as Dutch Design Emerging Talent and FD Talent. She will reflect on the relations we build while applying (physical) AI.
• ​<strong>Iskander Smit</strong> is the founder of the Cities of Things, an expertise center for urban robotics and physical AI. Applying research through (speculative) design, connecting experts in knowledge events, and publishing via his weekly newsletter.

​Monique will involve other interviewed experts and participants in the event to reflect on the impact of urban robotics and physical AI on the practice of creative industries, design methods, and on relations between humans and AI.
​Before and after, there will be space to connect with other participants and explore the current Wijkbots.
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Schedule:
​15h00 - Doors open, mingle, explore Wijkbots
16h00 - Welcome and introduction to the results of the research by Iskander Smit
16h30 - Introductions of the positions by the panelists
17h00 - Interactive discussion with panel, participants
18h00 - Wrap up and drinks with bites
20h00 - End
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If you can only join part of the event, you are welcome to join later.
​Find more details about the program on the <strong>Cities of Things website</strong>.
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The event is powered by CLICKNL, and registration is free, including drinks.

Unmanned systems; Developments & challenges
<strong>Pieter Elands,</strong> Program Manager Unmanned Systems at TNO, is an experienced manager of people and complex research programs. Pieter will share insights into the latest developments and key challenges in the field of unmanned systems. With a strong background in Aerospace and Defence, responsibility for coordinating research on unmanned systems and extensive knowledge of how unmanned systems are deployed in today’s military operations, the talk will explore technological, organizational, and strategic challenges.

Sustainability at the F1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix
Dimitri Bonthuis is director Media & Sports Development at SportVibes and currently involved in major events like ABN AMRO Open and F1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. At the Dutch GP he is responsible for sustainability. This evening, Dimitri will talk about his experiences with sustainability at the Grand Prix, exploring how he approaches the topic, which innovations have been key, the challenges of driving sustainable initiatives, and how these efforts fit into a broader strategic vision.

21.00 Networking with coffee/tea

Join us for the workshop: Civic Sousveillance & Democratic Oversight of Sensor Technology.

In this interactive workshop, we explore democratic oversight of camera detection and other urban sensors: from citizen initiatives such as the On Camera pocket guide and smart city camera-spotting tours to current policies on data collection in public space.

With contributions by Tom van Arman & Mike de Kreek from the Human Values for Smarter Cities research project, Inge Janse & Arthur De Jaeger from Centre for BOLD Cities, and council member Elisabeth IJmker from GroenLinks-PvdA. Next to talks we will also go outside for a joint camera-spotting tour around Arcam.

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Arcam
Address: Prins Hendrikkade 600
Language: Dutch
Registration: free, but mandatory via the registration form which is here

More info on the Human Values for Smarter Cities research project is here