Collectie
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The good, the bad and the ugly
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Artikel
Conferentie Opening: The good, the bad and the ugly
Hier kunt u de opening bekijken van het wetenschappelijke congres 'Reinvent the City 2024', door prof. dr. Eveline van Leeuwen en Ger Baron. Van Leeuwen is wetenschappelijk directeur van het AMS Instituut en hoogleraar Stedelijke Economie aan Wageningen University & Research. Baron is Directeur Digitaal en Innovatie, ook wel Chief Technology Officer genoemd, van de gemeente Amsterdam.
'Rommeligheid is een goede zaak', zegt Baron, 'het geeft ruimte voor creativiteit en serendipiteit.' Van Leeuwen is het daarmee eens, maar stelt de vraag: 'Hoe ontwikkelen we methoden om de rommeligheid te benutten?' In de daaropvolgende dagen werpen wetenschappers, beleidsmakers, studenten en partners uit de industrie vanuit verschillende perspectieven licht op deze vraag. Uiteraard werd bij de opening van dag 1 'Het goede, het slechte en te lelijk' ook aan het publiek gevraagd wat zij als het goede en het slechte van steden beschouwen. Diversiteit, cultuur, gemeenschap, creativiteit en kansen werden het vaakst genoemd. En wat de slechte steden betreft, noemde het publiek vervuiling, segregatie, verkeer, duur en ongelijkheid. -
Artikel
Keynote: The good, bad, and ugly of climate mitigation and adaptation
'We onderschatten systematisch hoe snel de klimaatverandering ons kan treffen. En daardoor onderschatten we stelselmatig hoe snel we er iets aan kunnen doen.' Met deze verklaring opent dr. Paul Behrens, universitair hoofddocent aan de Universiteit Leiden, zijn keynote. Hier kunt u deze terugkijken.
Om snel te kunnen veranderen, moeten we de klimaatverandering begrijpelijk maken. Bij een complex probleem ontstaat er rommeligheid in de besluitvorming. Behrens ziet grote mogelijkheden in burgervergaderingen; 'laat hen de discussies leiden over hoe we de klimaatverandering willen aanpakken', en roept beleidsmakers op om te vertrouwen op de afwegingen van mensen. Ten slotte benadrukt Behrens dat het belangrijkste wat we kunnen doen, is communiceren over alles wat we doen. Zorg ervoor ervoor dat klimaatverandering over jou gaat.Opname gemaakt tijdens de Wetenschappelijke Conferentie Reinvent the City op 23 april 2024 in Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam.
Voertaal: Engels.
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Artikel
Keynote: The good, the brave, and the ugly - Transforming cities through participatory urban development
'Als je een stad voor meisjes ontwikkelt, werkt die voor iedereen.' Elin Anderdotter Fabre, manager van het Her City-initiatief bij het Global Public Space Program van UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Program), opent haar keynote met deze statement. In haar presentatie belicht ze het project, met behulp van een storrytelling-techniek. 'Laten we het hebben over de goede, de dappere, de slechte en de lelijke'. Via onderstaande link kunt u de presentatie terugkijken.
Voertaal: Engels
In elk verhaal is er een slechterik, die verantwoordelijk is voor alles wat fout gaat. Fabre zou deze persoon omschrijven als de solitaire stedenbouwkundige, die een sterke focus heeft op de technische aspecten van de stad. Maar in elk verhaal is er ook de held, of de dappere. Dat zou de samenwerkende en collectieve groep zijn. Fabre gelooft dat je steden kunt transformeren door middel van participatieve stedelijke ontwikkeling. Ze zijn een sleutel tot het plannen van een stad die voor iedereen werkt. Als we burgers die zelden worden gehoord de experts laten zijn, zullen onze steden en gemeenschappen inclusiever, gelijker en duurzamer worden. Vooral als we meisjes erbij betrekken, want 'zij plannen en ontwerpen met diversiteit en verschillende behoeften in gedachten', zegt ze.
Maar hoe kunnen we dat doen? Hoe vertalen en communiceren we stadsplanning die eenvoudig genoeg is voor de burger en specialistisch genoeg voor de onderzoeker of beleidsmaker om mee te werken? Her City is een initiatief dat instrumenten biedt om iedereen samen te brengen en oplossingen biedt voor elke SDG (Sustainable Development Goal). Het doel van Her City van UN-Habitat is om methoden en hulpmiddelen beschikbaar te maken voor stedelijke actoren en steden over de hele wereld. Steden ondersteunen bij het opschalen en mainstreamen van de deelname van meisjes aan planning als onderdeel van hun langetermijnstrategieën om duurzame steden en samenlevingen op te bouwen. Haar stad biedt de mogelijkheid om capaciteit op grotere schaal op te bouwen. Her City biedt gemeentelijke professionals, stedelijke actoren en lokale besluitvormers een solide stapsgewijze digitale toolbox om de mainstreaming van jeugd-, gender- en sociaal-economische perspectieven te begeleiden door meisjes en jonge vrouwen strategisch te betrekken bij stedelijke planning en ontwerp.
Over Elin Andersdotter FabreVoordat ze bij UN-Habitat kwam, werkte Elin als programmadirecteur voor duurzame steden bij de Zweedse onafhankelijke denktank voor Global Utmaning. Ze is actief geweest in belangenbehartiging voor het opzetten van de Agenda 2030, de Nieuwe Stedelijke Agenda en ander beleid voor duurzame stedelijke ontwikkeling. Elin heeft uitgebreide ervaring met een reeks ontwikkelingsvraagstukken - democratie, mensenrechten, gendergelijkheid en veiligheid - van de VN, overheidskantoren en het maatschappelijk middenveld. -
Artikel
City Panel: How to get the BEST out of cities?
In this panel, Jasper van Dijk (Public Economic Think Tank), Hannah Prins (climate activist), Sigrid Wertheim-Heck (Wageningen University) and keynote speakers Paul Behrens (Leiden University) and Elin Andersdotter Fabre (Her City, UN-Habidat) talked about what is needed to get the best out of our cities. The panel was moderated by Eveline van Leeuwen (Scientific Director AMS). Eveline asked the panelists to reflect on the keynotes, and on the good, the bad and the ugly of messy cities.
Overwhelmed but hopeful
To start off the City Panel, the panelists were asked to reflect on the two keynote speeches by Paul Behrens on climate mitigation & adaptation and Elin Andersdotter Fabre on participatory urban development. Both big topics that can be quite overwhelming. Although the keynotes presented some of our major challenges as cities, the panelist shared a feeling of positivity and hope for the future.
"I felt overwhelmed but also very grateful for all those people and cities working on innovation" - Hannah Prins
Shifting our perspective
When asked about the ugliness of cities, Sigrid Wertheim-Heck mentions indifference as a main issue: we focus so much on effiency that we've become indifferent towards our environment and the people around us. Hannah Prins questions if we shouldn't rethink what we find normal as a society: Why are we designing cities for cars, and not for people? Biking is becoming more dangerous, and our solution is: wear a helmet. Why aren’t we saying, cars should be banned from the roads?
Jasper van Dijk refers to the current debate on rent regulation and the housing crisis. He finds this debate is exemplary for many crises because it closely relates to many other issues: climate change, inequality and so on. Policy makers find it difficult to work together between policy areas and to integrate the long term perspective.
Diversity, Data and Dialogue
Eveline van Leeuwen asks the panelists: How can we get the best out of the messy cities?
Politicians, scientists and citizens can really help each other, but currently they often speak another language, or not every voice in included in the city planning. Sigrid Wertheim-Heck points out the misconception about qualitative research being mainly storytelling, and that quantitative research is the real science. One way to make is work between to policy makers and citizens is to really listen to each other. We should seek new ways of dialogue, be brave to really implement your findings and look for diversity in methods we use.
Jasper van Dijk emphasizes the importance of better communication and collaboration between scientists and policy makers. We need data and analysis of scientists to help telling the right story, and to find what are the effects of policy.
Paul Behrens: Technical and behavioural innovations are there, but it’s the networks that can make the change. What we need is deliberative decision making and making sure its including all the people living in the city. Understanding each other and really feeling why it is important. Some things are hard to measure: we need more diversity in data.
Elin Wertheim-Heck: If we have data about how various parts and neighbourhouds work, we can design better cities.
"We can’t afford to redo things, that would be a waste of resources, so lets make it right from the beginning. Throughout the process, more thorough and inclusive." - Elin Wertheim-Heck
About the panelists
Jasper van Dijk
Jasper van Dijk is an economist with a mission to address societal and social challenges through better substantiated policies. He is also a co-founder of the Institute for Public Economics. Jasper obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Oxford and has worked at the OECD, the Boston Consulting Group, and the Ministry of Finance. As a scholar, consultant, and civil servant, he has ten years of experience researching and advising on societal issues.Hannah Prins
Hannah Prins (26) is a climate activist and author of 'je bent jong en je wil een toekomst' which translates to 'you're young and you want a future,' which she co-wrote with Jantijn Anema. 'In Amsterdam, demonstrations prevented a highway through the city in the 1970s; now we must take action again for green, quiet, and livable cities.'Sigrid Wertheim-Heck
Associate Professor (ius promovendi) Global Food System Sustainability at Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) with a focus on consumption in urban areas. Experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry. Skilled in Marketing Management, Sustainable Business, International Relations, Market Research, and Management. Strong operations professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) focused on sociology of consumption from Wageningen University.Paul Behrens
As an associate Professor environmental change at Leiden University and acclaimed author of the book 'The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science', Paul Behrehs' expertise in climate, energy, and food has garnered attention in scientific journals and media outlets. His insights offer hopeful perspectives on our path towards a sustainable future.Elin Andersdotter Fabre
Elin Andersdotter Fabre is managing the Her City initiative at UN-Habitat's (United Nations Human Settlements Program) Global Public Space Program. Before joining UN-Habitat, Elin worked as the Sustainable cities program director at the Swedish independent think tank for Global Utmaning. She has been active in advocacy work for setting up the 2030 Agenda, the New Urban Agenda and other sustainable urban development policies. Elin has extensive experience from a range of development issues - democracy, human rights, gender equality and security from the UN, government offices and civil society. -
Artikel
Light Electric Freight Vehicles
The issue: In the Netherlands, zero emission zones for logistics vehicles will be implemented for up to 40 cities from 2025. Do light electric freight vehicles (LEFV) have the potential to contribute to a no-emission last-mile-delivery solution in cities?
LEFVs appearing in Amsterdam over the last 5-6 years include electric cargo bikes, mopeds, tricycles, and small electric distribution vehicles. Deliveries cover not just parcels, but also fresh goods, construction materials and service-driven movements (e.g., plumbers). However, although city deliveries are expected to grow by 19%, businesses active in the sector believe that the market will remain small, with only around 3-4% of addresses that can be delivered to efficiently.
Then there are other factors to take into consideration, such as: theft and damage to the vehicles and injuries to drivers; leasing costs compared with traditional vans; special training needs for cargo bike users; and requirement from insurers for a driving license for small electric distribution vehicles.
From the delivery persons perspective, there is little incentive to change – by comparison, vans have temperature control, and are safe, dry and (relatively) spacious.
From the operators’ perspective, all the benefits from building up an efficient network of multiple delivery vehicles fed from a micro-hub depot may be lost due to the cost of the hubs’ square meters. Then the only way to reduce costs would be with the use of standardized containers, which in turn might impact on the efficiency of the network.
In conclusion, LEFVs will not meet the goal of no-emission city logistics for Amsterdam. Which means the search for sustainable, economically viable, and practical solutions continues.
“You must have a complete supply chain approach, because maybe the biggest impact, also from a cost perspective, will not be in the last mile, but in the first mile.”
“You see a lot of research also on.... bigger vehicles going into town, and using them as drone stations.”
If even Amsterdam, with 99% of addresses accessible for delivery vehicles, and a network of waterways as an alternative to road-based deliveries, cannot see a future in which LEFVs solve the no-emission city logistic challenge, what is the hope for other cities without these advantages? Research into alternative and combined solutions are more necessary than ever. Could the future be underground? A radical approach underway in Switzerland to get transport trucks off the road is to replace them with an underground network of self-driving pods. Exploratory drilling and geological measurements for the first stretch of tunnels began in 2023.
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Artikel
Futures of Digitalization
This workshop was held to aid the development of research yet to be published by van Driel and Turel of AMS Institute, which investigates alternative futures of our world regarding digitalization.
Today, a massive chunk of our daily lives are digital: governments operate under contracts with foreign big tech companies, huge data centers occupy the periphery of cities and use large amounts of energy, and much of Europe's hardware supply is highly reliant on monopolized sources - 60% is estimated to come from Taiwan alone.
With the ascent of AI in society, digital footprints are set to become even more significant. This will pose challenges environmentally, socially, and ethically. The workshop invited attendees to read two radical but plausible future pathways and devise an alternative scenario in small groups. There were key elements to consider:
- Are trade blocks bipolar (for example, only the US and China) or multipolar?
- Is the European IT sector nonexistent (when businesses sprout up, they are acquired by big tech) or existent (active companies such as Ericsson or Nokia)?
- Does hardware make its way to Europe (for example, via Taiwan), or is there no supply (for example, due to a trade disruption due to an environmental emergency in Taiwan)?
- Do big tech or local organizations build and maintain IT services in Europe? To the government, for example.
- Is the economic policy in Europe one of growth and capitalism or post-growth (thereby curbing the growth of data centers, for example)?
- Is the dominant value model in the IT sector for-profit and shareholder-driven or ecological and social?
The duo plan to publish their research in the future, sketching scenarios for the future based on the above points.
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Artikel
Innovations in Urban Logistics
Could crowdshipping contribute to reducing the number of deliveries in urban locations?
Crowdshipping applies the concept and technology of crowdsourcing to the personalized delivery of goods, and takes multiple forms. For example: individuals sign up to a crowdshipping platform and deliver goods from a drop shipment hub for a fee. This option seems to be of most interest for people on low incomes, those in-between jobs, and seniors; they are looking to augment their incomes. Other examples include: when a buyer takes their in-store-bought purchase home, they also deliver goods ordered online to addresses on their way home; a person drops off deliveries on the route of their daily commute; an overseas air traveler takes a package with them on their flight and hands it off to a receiving person at the airport.
For crowdshipping to succeed, there are three key issues to be addressed: trust in the system; compensation for the delivery person; and the business model.
From the demand perspective, trust is the biggest factor in acceptability of the service: the reputation of the delivery person is a big variable; and the risk/trust balance becomes more significant as the value of the goods increases. Another factor is the price; it has to be competitive to traditional delivery services.
On the supply side, the question remains: how sustainable crowdshipping is as a business? Higher compensation for the delivery person leads to more trips being made. But passing on this cost to the buyer risks making crowdshipping less attractive compared to traditional shipping. And it is not yet known whether dynamic pricing, i.e. charging a higher price for peak or unsociable times, could form part of the business model.
Further research will help to understand these three issues better: and how crowdshipping, along with other delivery options, such as autonomous vehicles, and traditional delivery models, could be integrated to make home deliveries more efficient and sustainable.
“Even a small detour puts off commuters from taking on deliveries, unless additionally compensated.”
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Artikel
Energy and food production
There are plenty of arguments for developing food systems inside and near cities, instead of the vast fields and greenhouses that supply our food today. Populations in cities keep growing. There are food shortages in parts of the world (and shortages of people working in agriculture). We should eat less methane-producing meat and more fresh produce to save our health and the planet. Then there is the unpredictable; pandemics, conflict, transport disruptions can all enganger the supply of clean, safe, quantities of food.
Enter vertical farming: a closed system that controls light, temperature, humidity, produces more yield. While they use significantly less water and CO2 than greenhouses, vertical farms consume five times more energy. So the business case may not yet be ripe, but Qianxixi Min is investigating how vertical farming can yield a lot of food with far less energy in unique, integrated systems.
The research systematically compares three distinct — and more local — vertical farm types, varying in size, design, control levels, functionalities, and proximity to consumers: small farms inside personal kitchens and residences, medium ones serving the neighbourhood (perhaps on roofs, in schools, empty office buildings, or basements), and larger ones within the greenbelt that reduce transport costs.
The study meticulously evaluates their energy consumption, environmental impact, and crop production efficiency, with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of the sustainability performance across different vertical farm scenarios. For example, results from her study at Wageningen University reveals how, compared to 41kg/m2 in a greenhouse, lettuce yields increase by 2-3 times to 80-120 kg/m2 when grown in a vertical farm. Growing lettuce in an open field requires 250 litres/kg, versus 20 litres in a greenhouse and 1 litre in a vertical farm. Transport is another big incentive: greens grown in more local vertical farms travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres less to reach the dinner table.
Min’s ongoing research will examine working urban farms and seek ways to reduce emissions, expand materials reuse, and explore how green energy in a city can extend to their vertical farms as well. Even that head of lettuce is being tested for how much dark storage and light treatment it needs for optimal shelf life and vitamin C content.
The ability to produce more plants in smaller spaces, all year round, and with no pesticides means tea no longer has to be grown in the mountains. It means desert cities with no soil can produce their own food. Or densely populated cities like Singapore with limited arable land can have a green thumb.
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Artikel
Energy and food production
The city of Amsterdam has an ambitious goal when it comes to a cleaner environment: a 95% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. That includes the phasing out of natural gas by 2040, disconnecting even its oldest 17th-century buildings from gas boilers and switching to renewable energy sources such as biogas or hydrogen and using sustainable hybrid heating solutions such as heat pumps. Doing so in Amsterdam’s city centre is an incredible challenge, with precious little outdoor space for new systems, amid densely-packed housing — many of which are listed monuments that cannot be altered. Many are also poorly insulated and ventilated.
Maéva Dang’s research uncovered beneficial retrofitting scenarios that balance the impending renewable energy transition with conservation of Amsterdam’s UNESCO World Heritage buildings. The results produced a novel biometric model that helps all homeowners and businesses involved make informed decisions at a neighbourhood level, so nobody has to embark on the path to green energy alone.
Using parametric design and bottom-up energy modelling based on the New Stepped Strategy, the research estimates that 70% of natural gas reduction could be achieved when upgrading the buildings. Home and business owners could make a quick scan of their buildings to understand the potential for renewable energy. Precise retrofitting scenarios uncover whether existing courtyards could house new ground systems, if proximity to canals means owners can make use of aquathermia, or whether to create a system with nearby supermarkets generating heat, for example.
“Typically, such modelling works on a project by project basis, but not an entire district. That is the reason for our research. You don't want to leave people behind. If you have a building block or a street with 20 addresses and 16 of them agreed to a strategy, you still have four remaining that are using the gas system. That's a suboptimal solution in the end,” explained Paul Voskuilen, Program Developer Urban Energy at AMS Institute.
With this open-source model, citizen groups can examine the characteristics of their neighbourhood, understand their heat reduction potential, and integrate that with collective problem solving for carbon neutrality, with grids that connect adjacent buildings. Individual seasonal storage systems, for example, could be integrated to serve others and remedy logistical issues. This technology was designed to make a meaningful contribution to Amsterdam’s policy on a gas-free future with sustainable heating and cooling.
“We think there’s even an opportunity to combine the installation of green heating systems with the renewal of Amsterdam’s 200km of quay walls in need of reconstruction,” added Dang.
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Artikel
Circularity in sport and health care and with an urban-rural balance
What do hospitals, sports facilities, and rainwater have in common? They each play a role in powering an exciting future that makes the switch from natural gas to electricity, where rainwater is used in times of drought, and healthcare is safer for patients but also has a lighter carbon footprint and creates less waste. The Institute 4 a Circular Society — an alliance between four institutes, three universities, and one university medical centre — are tackling serious issues with bold research that glues together how we optimise energy, water, and food systems for a circular society.
In a most inspiring whirlwind of audience participation, the alliance’s scientific director, Huub Rijnaarts, Professor of Environment and Water Technology at Wageningen University & Research, along with members of his team of researchers, lead a lively World Cafe style workshop in which everyone attending designed short term and long-term transition pathways to make circular hospitals, circular sport facilities, and circular water grids. Zooming in on Amsterdam, the city’s goal for 2030 is to have all municipal properties operate climate neutral and natural gas free. By 2050, properties should also be circular in terms of material reuse. Their broad collaboration researches how to integrate urban and rural societies to make the goal a reality.
Tim Zonjee explained how Amsterdam’s 47 sports parks, five swimming pools, 35 sports halls, and many gymnasiums require energy to heat pools and light the sports fields. The workshop delved into how to generate enough electricity to do that, since the city’s congested network cables are too small to cover such demand. His Circular Sports table came up with ideas like using batteries to power floodlights, charged by spectators’ electric vehicles and heat retained in the pitches themselves.
Jorn de Vos explained how the city’s urban water cycle is more unpredictable than ever, with heavy rainfall one year and too little rain the next, endangering the drinking water supply. His Urban Green vision would use any overall precipitation surplus for a seasonal water demand supply that mitigates our precipitation deficits — instead of simply streaming into the sewer system. His Circular Water table discussed introducing drought-resistant urban vegetation requiring less water, along with rainwater harvesting systems providing greywater for flushing toilets or washing at home, as well as water for keeping parks green—instead of using precious drinking water.
Pim de Jager highlighted hospitals as a mini society that operates on an outdated linear system of disposable medical equipment with a gigantic CO2 footprint, not to mention flushed medicine that does not break down in water and therefore taints sewage with dangerous amounts of harmful compounds that have been shown to mutate wildlife and threaten wastewater treatment. Ideas at his Circular Hospital table revolved around treating the effluent sooner with nature based solutions and creating different hospital protocols that maintain hygiene without so much disposable equipment.
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Artikel
Circular Craft Centers
The issue: With close to 100 circular craft centers in the Netherlands, they play a key role in the country's inclusive and circular waste management systems. But, there is no framework for monitoring and evaluating the environmental and social performance of circular waste management systems.
Circular craft centers (CCCs) are multifaceted hubs that incorporate a thrift store for item exchange, actively collaborate with recycling centers, provide dedicated spaces for item repair, conduct educational activities promoting sustainability awareness, and offer (social) employment opportunities. With close to 100 such centers now in the Netherlands, they provide a rich resource from which to develop methodologies to assess and monitor their sustainability performance from an environmental and social perspective.
The first step in the research was to get to know the CCCs in the Netherlands; what they do, and who they work with. By tracking both physical and social flows, CCCs were shown to connect to many different parts of the circular economy, both in terms of goods (repair, reuse and recycle enterprises) and social (the local area, schools and community centers) exchanges. For instance, volunteers and people employed in the CCCs lived both locally and more distantly and ranged in age, stimulating social cohesion across the municipality.
The next step was to determine what data to collect on the waste handled. For instance, many CCCs make no attempt, or have no standardized way, to classify the different waste they receive. This data is critical to identifying the best assessment and monitoring indicators to employ. So, together with participating CCCs, a questionnaire is being developed to categorize the incoming waste. Once this is agreed and in place, data collection can begin and insight into the best indicators can be gained.
The anticipated findings aim to offer valuable insights into the dynamics of circular craft centers, guiding the development of practical tools for monitoring and evaluating their performance. Ultimately, this will facilitate more informed decision-making processes in the pursuit of sustainability, circularity, and inclusivity within waste management systems.
“Circular craft centers lack the human resources to sort the tons of waste they receive – there are no funds for employees, and volunteer numbers vary and are unpredictable. Some Centers can't even find the funds to start up.”
“Indicators of social impact are not as extensive as those for physical or scientific impacts, and are mostly qualitative, so it is difficult to put a value on it.”
With 62% of container waste currently exported, CCCs have the potential to reduce the phenomenon of “waste colonialism”, particularly if these Centers could be connected to circular businesses throughout Europe.
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Artikel
BIMZEC
Logistics of construction is a major contributor to urban emissions. Due to the floor plan and heavier structural characteristics, high rise buildings will experience more difficulty meeting emission reduction targets.
Reducing transport distances, volume and weight being transported, and using more locally and regionally sourced materials, have all been proposed as possible solutions. Knowing the amount of high-rise construction planned in Amsterdam for the next 10 years, this study modelled six different logistic scenarios, individually and in combination, to determine their effect on emissions: location of local construction hubs; transportation type; fuel type; use of bio-based building materials; modular construction; and circularity.
The resulting view was mixed and complex. For example: water transport lowers CO2 but increases N2O and PM10; circularity lowers emissions but has a higher impact locally; the use of bio-based materials increased emissions unless they were both sourced locally and were part of a circular system; using zero-emission transportation made no improvement to the overall picture unless operating locally in all situations.
In the next modelling stage, urban effects will be studied, including safety, damage to roads, and the development of local hubs. More private stakeholders will be involved, and more Living Labs will be set up.
The solution? “If you could get to a money value for the CO2 saved, you could put a costing across the entire project....it would give a sense of the [monetary] impact of the different types of scenarios.”
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Artikel
A Spatial Analysis of South Holland for Informed Spatial Planning
To meet the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, the Netherlands needs new and interconnected circular and sustainable infrastructure in its cities. But, a critical gap exists in understanding the relationships between energy infrastructure and built environment characteristics, hindering effective spatial policy formulation.
Building city infrastructure that meets circular and sustainability targets will require new, or new use of, space. Spatial planning, therefore, is a necessary part of decision-making when investing in the built environment of the future.
This project focused on the relationship between energy infrastructure and spatial policy. It developed a machine-learning algorithm to make sense of data comprising three components: energy use, such as peaks in demand, and efficiency of use by the consumer; the built environment, such as building density, age, and space above and below ground; and the social environment, for instance, demographics and income levels.
The analytical tool revealed relationships between all three factors, across urban, semi-urban and rural settings in South Holland. When shared with experts in energy infrastructure planning, the validity and value of the analysis was confirmed.
“The inclusion of the social environment data was found especially helpful, as it had rarely been considered before.”
The solution: The research produced an analytical tool to support evidence-based decisions on investments in the built environment. More research will enable the tool to be tested and developed further, for example, by including data on district heating, industrial usage, and renewable energy streams.
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Artikel
Workshop: Living nature in the city: How to experience Biophilia via Urban Living Labs
Amidst contemporary city challenges, such as climate change, indoor lifestyles, and social isolation, the critical role of nature is often underestimated. While most efforts focus on technology, growing interest in Biophilia reveals that urban livability relies on our inherent connection to nature.
Despite evidence from various disciplines, Biophilia remains an emerging research field, especially in its application to the built environment through Biophilic Design and Urbanism. In this workshop an immersive experience with key insights into Biophilia was provided. By promoting Urban Living Labs, the researchers aimed to raise awareness about Biophilia and its multiple benefits for humans, society, and the environment. Below you can read the report of the workshop.***
The workshop started with a short tour on the Marineterrein. This territory around AMS institute works as a living lab for spatial experiments and research. Currently, it hosts an experiment of how citizens perceive 'wild green'. Often, such a way of urban green landscaping and maintenance might be seen as neglected or not taken proper care of. Certain design interventions can signal citizens that the territory is 'meant to be this way for instance by including art installations or street furniture that can be 'rearranged according to users' wishes.
After this introduction the group went inside to dive deeper into the fenomonon of biophilia. Origins of the concept of biophelia can be found 300 BC by Aristotle. Through the ages the concept evaluated. The researches use the definition by E.O. Wilson (1984):
'Biophilia is our innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike forms to affiliate with them emotionally.'
The researches also adress the related concepts of biophilic urbanism and biophilic cities. The first is understood as 'a creative mix of green urban design with a commitment to outdoor life and the protection of restoration of green infrastructure from the bioregional to the neighborhood level' (Beatley, 2009). And when do we speak of biophilic cities? When 'Cities that put nature first in it's design, planning and management, they recognize the essential need for daily human contact with nature as well as the many enivronmental and economic values provided by nature' (Beatley, 2009).
After the presentation the participants splitted into two groups. The first group reflected on real-life biophilia experience, using the '5 Ws & H' framework. They reflected on different dimensions of biophilia; (1) Physical Health, (2) Psychological Wellbeing, (3) Social and (4) Environmental. For each dimension they described the experience and the related benefits they gained. Afterwards they plotted the experiences on the map of Amsterdam. When the group was done, the researchers noticed a biase; all the experiences described by the participants were positively framed.
In the second group, te participants had an assignment to work with a map of that territory. To facilitate the process, six design patterns were made out to participants. Next, participants could draw on maps their vision of the implementation of suggested design patterns into the territory. After the quick co-creation session, participants discussed with the workshop organisers their vision of improving the living lab territory.
Pictures were taken during the Workshop Living nature in the city: How to experience Biophilia via Urban Living Labs | AMS Institute Scientific Conference Reinfent the City (23/04/2024)
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Artikel
Workshop: Beyond the Blueprint: Redefining Creativity in Urban Planning
Dingen anders doen lijkt bovenaan de planningsagenda te staan. Er heerst een heersende overtuiging dat het aanpakken van de complexiteit van stedelijke problemen nieuwe, creatieve manieren vereist om met de problemen om te gaan en erover na te denken. Kaders voor innovatiemanagement, design thinking, co-creatie, digitale tweelingen en living labs beloofden allemaal nieuwe processen en oplossingen. Maar weten we wat creatief is in stadsplanning? Hoe evalueren we het?
In deze hybride paneldiscussie brengen we wetenschappers met een breed scala aan achtergronden (strategisch ontwerp, sociaal-cognitieve psychologie, kunst, digitale planning en beslissingswetenschap), met tegengestelde opvattingen over creativiteit, samen om enkele van de paradoxen te bespreken die inherent zijn aan het streven naar stadsplanning. van creatieve oplossingen. De discussie wordt gemodereerd door Dr. Moozhan Shakeri. Hier kunt u het verslag van deze sessie lezen.Tijdens de sessie werd vooral aandacht besteed aan noties van creativiteit die verder gaan dan die welke zijn afgeleid van de kaders van de creatieve economie, de voorwaarden van onze collectieve intelligentie en oordelen over creatieve uitkomsten.
Prof. Andrew Hudson-Smith zet de toon en zegt dat planners niet gewend zijn om anderen erbij te betrekken. In wezen gaat stadsplanning over recht. Het is een risico-instelling. Kijkend naar de nieuwe mogelijkheden met AI, vraagt hij zich af: 'Is stadsplanning dood?' Hij ziet de dingen langzaam bewegen.
Dr. Leah Lovett, van het Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College of London, is opgeleid als wever. Een ambacht dat sterk verbonden is met steden. Ze zegt dat stadsplanning langzaam nieuwe dingen aanpast. Als reactie op creativiteit en nieuwe technologieën ziet zij steeds meer interdisciplinaire groepen ontstaan; met architecten, stedenbouwkundigen, ingenieurs etc. Maar, zegt ze: 'Het is belangrijk dat je niet wordt geframed als een kunstproject.' Wat ze aan het project toevoegt, is het kritische creatieve denken, waarbij ze alternatieve lenzen meebrengt.
‘Om creatief te zijn, moet je risico’s omarmen. In een collectief proces ontstaat het idee dat we een gedeelde visie nodig hebben. Terwijl kunst een heel individueel proces is. Kunst kan een ruimte openen om ervaring en kennis met elkaar te verbinden.'
Dr. Johannes Flacke, van het Design and Interactive Space for Co-Creation lab-Universiteit Twente, runt een lab waar digitale technologieën worden ontwikkeld. Deze tools zijn gemaakt om mensen een stem te geven, rond de tafel te brengen en het moment van interactie en uitwisseling van ideeën te laten plaatsvinden. Het doel van de dingen die ze ontwikkelen is om de communicatie tussen verschillende soorten expertises te vergemakkelijken, waar de creativiteit een rol speelt.
'Het belangrijkste bezit is vertrouwen. Impact is wanneer mensen elkaars perspectieven beter begrijpen.'
Dr. Bahador Bahrami, van het Crowd Cognition Lab - Ludwig Maximilian Universiteit van München, spreekt over collectieve intelligentie en vraagt zich af: 'Wat krijgen we goed en fout met betrekking tot collectieve intelligentie?'. Een van de belangrijkste aspecten is dat we altijd het nut van collectieve intelligentie inzien. We gaan ervan uit dat beslissingen op basis van collectieve intelligentie betere beslissingen zijn. Maar wat bereikt collectieve intelligentie? Want samen dingen doen is kostbaar en kost veel moeite. 'We merkten dat de inspanning zelf, dingen samen doen, de stress minder maakt.'
'Het belangrijkste domein waarin collectieve intelligentie het meest succesvol is, is het delen van verantwoordelijkheid. Vooral voor de stadsplanning en het nemen van beslissingen voor de toekomst over wat goed lijkt.'Zijn onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat collectieve intelligentie kan worden gebruikt als instrument om de beslisser te beschermen. Dit is het belangrijkste en nuttigste systeemvoordeel voor collectieve verantwoordelijkheid, en wordt in de mainstream over het hoofd gezien. Collectieve intelligentie garandeert de uitkomst van wat er met u zal gebeuren na een bepaald project. Dat is de intelligentie die op de lange termijn nuttig zal zijn. Natuurlijk is de invloed in het collectief niet altijd positief; vooroordelen beïnvloeden. Het oorspronkelijke idee is dat collectieven slagen als ze individualiteit hebben en onafhankelijke ervaringen combineren. Onafhankelijk van meningen is de sleutel.
Prof. Oliver Alexy, van de School of Management – Technische Universiteit van München, wordt door de moderator gevraagd: 'Hoe ziet u de rol van het collectieve werken in de stadsplanning?' Alexy antwoordt: ‘We streven naar nauwkeurige voorspellingen: weet nu wat morgen goed is. Maar dat kunnen we niet. We weten drie dingen:
'Ten eerste weten we pas wat we willen, als we het krijgen. We weten pas wat we willen als we zien wat mogelijk is. Ten tweede: welke structuur je ook opbouwt, zorg dat je een proces opzet dat relatief efficiënt is. En ten derde zal wie je in de kamer hebt, bepalen waar het proces naartoe gaat. De agenda bepalen, een bepaald persoon mogen uitnodigen voor een bijeenkomst is een vorm van macht.'
ij stelt dat het nooit om een collectief gaat, maar altijd om een visie van bovenaf. Het is een organisatie die er richting aan geeft. Dat is systemisch ontwerp; vanuit machts- en performatief perspectief. 'Bij het adopteren van designdenken in stadsplanning ontbreken de strategische beslissingen', zegt Alexy. We doen co-creatieprocessen omdat het leuk voelt. Als je erbij betrokken bent, voelt iedereen zich beter, er is een gevoel van rechtvaardigheid. De perceptie van eerlijkheid is ook belangrijk voor het gevoel dat we de beste beslissingen hebben genomen. De kans op steun voor de beslissing neemt toe, maar de kans op een gecoördineerde uitkomst neemt af.
Wie moet dus de leiding hebben over het ontwerpconcept? De klant of de ontwerper? Je moet de gebruiker beperkte beslissingsruimte geven. En planning heeft het inzicht achteraf niet opgelost.
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Collectie
The Old & New City (Diversity & Inclusion)
In the session 'The Old & New City', part of day 1 of the AMS Scientific conference 'Reinventing the City - Blueprints for messy cities', three research papers were presented. Presentations by:
1) 'Citizen Voices in Climate Action: The role of interface design in digital engagement' by Juliana Goncalves and Geertje Slingerland (TU Delft)
2) 'Tourism and Urban Diversity in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Sassi di Matera and Amsterdam' by Diana Della Pietra (MOST Architecture)
3) 'Mosaic governance and environmental governance: Can civil society contribute to inclusive transformations?' by Arjen Buijs (Wageningen University)
13:30 - 15:00 | April 23, 2024 | Vollaerszaal, Pension Homeland, Marineterrein