11. Amsterdam Time Machine

"Suppose you are an Amsterdammer and you want to know what your neighborhood used to look like. You can do that with the Amsterdam Time Machine. This will be a website where you can use your street name and house number to see all kinds of historical information about your house or street and at the same time you can also find out what's going on in your neighborhood this week or next month. The Amsterdam Time Machine connects you to your immediate surroundings. Look up your address in the Time Machine and you can then travel back in time.

Using historical photos, building plans or other digital material stored at the City Archives, the municipality or a museum. With the Time Machine, the University of Amsterdam investigates how historical knowledge can help you feel more involved in your home or living environment. With the Time Machine, we offer a portal to knowledge, a source of information about past and present, and ultimately also a platform to share stories and to contribute, as an Amsterdammer, to social, relevant issues that play a role in your city. Think of a topic like water in the city and sustainability and quaysides.

We would love to work with you on this ambition. So do you have historical or current data? Share it with us via open standards and come visit us on the balcony. Thank you."

This presentation was part of the research carousel during the program "How do you know what you know?" on January 14, 2025 at Paradiso, Amsterdam.

See more...

... of the Amsterdam Time Machine in this collection.

Close-ups in this video are with explicit permission of the individuals involved. If you are still recognizable in the video and do not want this, please email us at openresearch@amsterdam.nl and we will resolve it.