Amsterdam Smart City Initiative

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The Amsterdam Smart City Initiative is a collaborative effort between the municipality of Amsterdam, businesses, research institutions, and citizens to develop and implement innovative solutions to urban challenges.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The Amsterdam Smart City Initiative aims to transform Amsterdam into a "smart city" by utilizing digital technologies to enhance urban governance and management. Its primary objectives include the development and implementation of innovative solutions to address urban challenges, focusing on sectors like energy, mobility, the circular economy, and digital connectivity. Another key objective is to foster sustainable development and economic growth. This is achieved by functioning as a project incubator that facilitates the testing and sharing of initiatives, contributing to job creation and enhancing the city's reputation and influence.

How does the program work?

The Amsterdam Smart City Initiative operates as a platform that connects various stakeholders involved in urban development, with the aim of transforming Amsterdam into a "smart city".  It brings together stakeholders to co-create and implement smart city projects that improve the quality of life for residents, enhance sustainability, and foster economic growth. Backed by the City of Amsterdam and major private partners, it receives funding from both public and private sources

The initiative focuses on several strategic areas including housing, mobility, public facilities, open data, and work. For housing, they aim to reduce CO2 emissions by installing smart meters for residents to measure and regulate energy consumption. To address mobility, the city is creating Smart work centers, which are coworking and teleworking spaces located throughout the city to reduce commuting and congestion. Public facilities are being transformed into sustainable areas with better regulation of heating/cooling systems and energy-efficient lighting.

One of the key aspects of the Amsterdam Smart City Initiative is the concept of "Living Labs." These are real-life test environments where companies, researchers, and citizens can experiment with new technologies and solutions. Living Labs enable the development and testing of innovative ideas in a collaborative and practical manner.

The initiative also promotes open data and digital infrastructure to enable the development of smart city solutions. By making data more accessible, it encourages the creation of applications and services that improve urban life, such as smart energy grids, efficient transportation systems, and intelligent waste management.

Furthermore, citizen participation and engagement are at the center of the Amsterdam Smart City Initiative. It encourages residents to actively participate in shaping their city by sharing ideas, providing feedback, and participating in co-creation sessions. By involving citizens, the initiative aims to create solutions that are truly tailored to the needs and aspirations of the community.

What is the overall cost?

There is no available information on the overall cost of the Amsterdam Smart City Initiative. However, the program was awarded €950,000 by the European Commission through the Europe’s Capital of Innovation award.

How was it implemented?

The initiative was launched in 2009 by a coalition of key organizations, including the City of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Economic Board, and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. The development initiative can be traced through several key milestones:

  • 2009-2010: The initiative was officially launched in 2009, with a focus on engaging stakeholders and building partnerships. During this period, key organizations such as the City of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Economic Board, and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences collaborated to define the goals and objectives of the initiative.
  • 2011-2012: The Amsterdam Smart City project gained momentum during this period. The first major milestone was the implementation of the Amsterdam Smart City Platform, a digital platform that serves as a central hub for sharing knowledge, ideas, and projects related to smart city development. It also acts as a collaboration platform for stakeholders to connect and work together.
  • 2013-2014: Amsterdam Smart City started to gain international recognition as a leading smart city initiative. In 2013, Amsterdam was named the European Capital of Innovation by the European Commission, partly due to the success of the Amsterdam Smart City Initiative. This recognition further boosted the momentum of the project and attracted global attention.
  • 2015-2016: The initiative continued to evolve and expand its focus. A key milestone during this period was the launch of the Amsterdam Smart City Academy, which offers educational programs and training for professionals, students, and entrepreneurs interested in smart city development. This initiative aimed to foster the growth of a skilled workforce and promote knowledge exchange.
  • 2017-present: The Amsterdam Smart City Initiative has continued to grow and diversify its projects and partnerships. It has expanded its focus to include areas such as energy transition, mobility, circular economy, and social inclusivity. The initiative has also actively collaborated with startups, corporations, and research institutions to develop and implement innovative solutions in various domains.
What impact has been measured?

The initiative has created an online platform called Amsterdam Smart City, acting as a centralized forum for communication and coordination of smart city ideas and projects. With nearly 4000 active members and 240 projects in development, the platform has become a hotbed for innovation and collaboration.

Additionally, the city has established the Internet of Things Living Lab, a real-life test environment that uses iBeacons and LoRaWan technology to collect and transmit data. This initiative is a significant part of Amsterdam's digital innovation strategy, contributing to the development of a whole ecosystem of intelligent solutions.

Several significant organizations and initiatives, such as the Amsterdam Smart City Alliance, the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, and the Amsterdam Economic Board, are driving the success of the initiative. They are actively contributing to ongoing projects and initiatives in areas such as smart mobility, smart living, and smart society.

However, there are no available impact assessments of the wider economic impact of the program.

What lessons can be learned?

The Amsterdam Smart City Initiative has offered several valuable lessons for other cities embarking on similar journeys. It has underscored the importance of integrating private-sector data to inform policy changes. By incorporating data from companies and organizations, the initiative has been able to develop solutions that are aligned with the city's needs and goals. This has increased the effectiveness of their strategies and improved the delivery of city services.

The initiative has also highlighted the need for a chief technology officer or a similar role in smart cities. This individual can lead the technological aspects of the project, ensuring they align with the broader objectives of the initiative. Having such a role can facilitate the planning and implementation phases, reducing potential issues and delays.

Notes + Additional Context

Open Data Platforms (excerpt from Nesta's ‘Idea Bank’ for Local Policymakers):

Some cities like Moscow have started the process of opening up their data by providing a complete and comprehensive repository of the different datasets they have collected. However, the real potential for startups arises from providing access to live data with an open API (an application programming interface, which makes it easier for programmers to interrogate the data). Cities like Amsterdam, London or New York have made such services available. Amsterdam went the extra mile with the Amsterdam Smart City initiative which, among other things, includes a platform to showcase the startups that have used their data sets. The London Data Store is another example of a comprehensive, and updated in real time, repository of more than 660 datasets with open APIs.

Many startups, such as Citymapper or Moovit, rose to prominence on the basis of this information and conquered global markets while providing city dwellers with valuable services. Others, like MaaS (Mobility as a Service), resulted from in-depth collaboration between the town hall and private mobility services.

Access to data (excerpt from Nesta's ‘Idea Bank’ for Local Policymakers):

Some policymakers believe that a digital strategy must entail major infrastructure projects, such as 5G development or deploying sensors across cities. However, in many cases, it is more productive first to focus on the handling of existing data. Data is a valuable competitive and economic asset and is essential for many startups as well as for civic innovation. Cities in particular are dramatically increasing amounts of data. Systematically collecting and opening up these datasets represents a great opportunity to enable the growth of a city, by encouraging startups to develop new services which address the city’s challenges

CURATED BY

Simona Bielli

Research Programme Coordinator – Digital Startups
Nesta
United Kingdom