AMS Institute Impact Digest 2024-2025 by ams-institute

Impact Digest

Out of the Ivory Tower, Into the City was the theme of our 2024–2025 academic year and a lasting guiding principle since AMS Institute’s founding eleven years ago. Our mission lies not in academic isolation, but in the vibrant, complex life of cities.

AMS Institute is a unique collaboration between TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research, and MIT, and shaped by its partnership with the City of Amsterdam. We develop innovative solutions for urban challenges worldwide. Scientific rigor matters, but knowledge only truly gains value when connected to people and places. Our students, scientists, staff, entrepreneurs, partners— including policymakers, businesses and residents of Amsterdam—form our ecosystem: our greatest strength.

Over the past decade, AMS Institute has seen its ecosystem grow stronger: Living Labs in neighborhoods, student projects creating tangible impact, and circular startups securing sustainable funding through collaboration. As the institute evolves, we’re particularly excited to see how these tangible solutions will take shape and scale. Our research is deeply embedded in place, creating solutions you can see and feel. Translating science into real-world impact is never straightforward, but the results are increasingly clear and tangible. This magazine shares that impact and highlights how passionate people connect science, business, policy, and residents in meaningful ways: always learning, always adapting.

In this first edition of the AMS Institute Impact Digest, you’ll discover how startups improve the city’s waste management, how energy recovered from metro transport fuels our buses, how streets are redesigned circularly, how our students explore the farms of the future, and how we preserve the value of food waste in high-rise buildings. Just to name a few.

As you read this publication and explore the images throughout the magazine, we hope you feel the energy and vision of those who believe cities can become more resilient, regenerative, and just. As we continue stepping out of the ivory tower and into the heart of our cities, we invite you to join us and connect to deepen our impact.

One thing we know for sure: we can only get there together.

ZWANET VAN LUBEK

MANAGING DIRECTOR AMS INSTITUTE

EVELINE VAN LEEUWEN

SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR AMS INSTITUTE

CORE ACADEMIC PARTNERS

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Drs. Zwanet van Lubek ©Erik Smits

Prof.Dr.Ir. Eveline van Leeuwen ©Delphine Chevalier

Renovating Amsterdam’s Canals

Balancing Heritage and Innovation

The canals of Amsterdam are more than just waterways: they weave together the city's past and present in a way that makes it instantly recognisable around the world. They are integral to the city’s history, culture, and infrastructure. However, after centuries of standing strong, many quay walls now need renovation or replacement. And here lies the big challenge: how do you modernize iconic infrastructure while preserving historical significance?

Amsterdam’s 17th-century canal ring area was a revolutionary urban design that distinguished itself technically, culturally, and socially from other new cities of its time. At first, quays separated different ‘‘functions’’ of the city: living, working, and logistics all had their own place. Over time, these functions blended, and the canals became cultural symbols. In 2010, the Amsterdam Canal District earned UNESCO World Heritage status, cementing its place as a historic treasure.

Broader Urban Challenges

‘The idea that heritage must remain unchanged is a misconception. Amsterdam has always evolved: its buildings, facades, and streets have continuously adapted over time.’

The UNESCO listing means protecting the past while ensuring that these canals remain a vital part of the city’s future, bringing key responsibilities and challenges for renovation projects. So, how can we meet engineering and environmental demands while respecting the historic urban area? We need to shift the role of heritage from a constraint to an enabling factor, thereby encouraging innovation that respects history while addressing contemporary and future needs.

‘The idea that heritage must remain unchanged is a misconception. Amsterdam has always evolved: its buildings, facades, and streets have continuously adapted over time. The same applies to quay walls,’ says Mirna Ashraf Ali, a PhD researcher from TU Delft specializing in urban heritage conservation.

The ‘Multifunctional Quay Walls’ (MFK) project is a great example of bridging heritage and innovation. This growth fund project aims to link quay wall maintenance to broader urban themes and transitions such as climate adaptation, biodiversity, and the energy transition. It acknowledges the multiple layers of heritage—the overlapping historical, cultural, architectural and social influences—that have shaped the canal ring area over time, visible not only in the built environment but also in intangible practices and urban planning patterns. MFK brings together stakeholders from various fields— including policymakers, contractors, researchers, and residents—to develop integrated solutions for quay walls. This way, they can design quay walls that serve multiple functions. For example, quays can serve their original purpose while also being a place where energy can be stored, where greenery can grow, and where people can relax. The project follows a ‘Research Through Design’ methodology through which heritage can be incorporated into planning and design. This approach looks beyond technical factors, including aspects such as history, culture, and community needs, to shape better urban spaces.

The protected UNESCO heritage site. The whole area is a protected cityscape; the purple area is the core zone, and the grey area is the buffer zone.

©Gemeente Amsterdam,

Cor Harteloh

‘The renovation process of quays is an opportunity to rethink urban spaces.’

Innovating for the Future

‘The renovation process of quays is an opportunity to rethink urban spaces and explore and test new scenarios within their socio-cultural contexts’, Ashraf Ali explains. ‘For example, while limiting car access on quays may face resistance, it also creates the possibility of repurposing them for pedestrian use or enhancing biodiversity. Additionally, we are revisiting traditional building materials, such as the use of brick and natural stone, as well as structural elements like masonry walls, alongside essential maintenance and repair techniques, such as dredging. Beyond mobility and public space improvements, renovation also opens up opportunities for sustainable innovations, such as generating energy from water. Renovation shouldn’t mean just replication; if we’re improving Amsterdam’s infrastructure, we should ensure that it continues to evolve in a way that ensures its potential as a future heritage site as well.’

The Historical Importance of Trees

It’s easy to picture Amsterdam’s canals as purely brick, but they’ve always had a green heart. Trees and hidden gardens along the canals have long provided shade, fresh air and space for biodiversity since the 1600s. But renovations can sometimes mean uprooting these historic trees, which poses a new challenge.

‘During quay wall renovation, existing trees can’t always stay, as a lot of space is needed for the maintenance activities,’ explains Joris Voeten, working for MFK as a researcher in Nature-Based Solutions at Wageningen University & Research.

‘Fortunately, new quay wall renovation methods allow trees to remain where they are more often. If removal is necessary, some trees are temporarily replanted on a ‘‘tree campsite’’ and later returned, while others are replaced with young trees given more space to grow.’ ‘Of course, quay wall biodiversity is more than just trees’, Voeten clarifies. ‘Restoration projects introduce floating gardens, plant-friendly grout, and cavities for bats. These are all aligned with UNESCO guidelines. Below the water’s surface, mussels serve as a natural water filter. Fish are supported by features like fish stones—hollow stones where fish can rest or lay eggs. Every detail is designed with the future in mind, ensuring the canals support biodiversity above and below the waterline. All aligned with UNESCO guidelines.’

A Future City

The renovation of Amsterdam’s quay walls is an opportunity to redefine and work towards urban heritage resilience. By integrating heritage conservation, sustainability and innovation, the canals remain not just historical artefacts but become functional and futureproof urban spaces. In times of climate change and urgent urban transitions, such innovations are critical to ensure that Amsterdam remains resilient and adaptable, for generations to come. ■

KEY INSIGHTS

FUTURE-PROOFING THE PAST

How Amsterdam is thoughtfully transforming its iconic waterways

Heritage as Innovation Driver

UNESCO protection doesn't mean stagnation. Amsterdam's canals have always evolved, and today's renovations continue that tradition by treating heritage as an enabler, not a constraint.

Multifunctional Design Research

Research on quay walls aims to serve future multiple masters: storing energy, nurturing biodiversity, creating community spaces, and adapting to climate change while maintaining their historic character.

Green Renaissance

Trees aren't architectural afterthoughts, they're vital heritage elements. Innovative "tree campsites" preserve mature specimens during construction, while floating gardens and fish stones create thriving ecosystems above and below the waterline.

Collaborative Vision

The Multifunctional Quay Walls project unites policymakers, researchers, contractors, and residents in reimagining urban infrastructure that honors the past while embracing tomorrow's challenges.

Living Legacy

True preservation means ensuring Amsterdam's canals remain vibrant, functional spaces for future generations, not museum pieces frozen in time.

©Boudewijn Boer

A GROWING CONCERN FOR SOCIETY

Originally

posted in newspaper Trouw Januari 2024Opinion piece by Thijs Turèl, Program Developer

Responsible Urban Digitalization at AMS Institute

Who is watching through the smart doorbell? We need more information about this concerning phenomenon, says Thijs Turèl from Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions in Dutch newspaper Trouw.

Last December, the number of burglaries peaked, as is the case every year around that time. This probably led to many smart doorbells under the Christmas tree. Currently, 1 in 8 Dutch households uses such a doorbell, marking a worrisome trend. This worry comes from its effects on our streets and neighborhoods, and because we are contributing to the creation of a surveillance infrastructure.

Smart doorbells combine a traditional doorbell with a security camera, linked to your smartphone. This allows you to see who was at your door up to six months ago, useful for visitors or when unwelcome individuals are roaming around your house.

Paradoxically, some users of these doorbells feel less safe. They observe everything happening around their house and discuss it anxiously in neighborhood WhatsApp groups. Their subjective sense of security decreases, while objectively it remains unchanged.

Nosy neighbor

Smart doorbells also affect neighbors: 17 percent of Amsterdam residents find them uncomfortable, according to the City’s research, and this number is growing. What if the relationship with your neighbors is not great? Are they constantly watching you?

Meanwhile, it's not just neighbors watching neighbors. Almost all smart doorbells are connected to companies like Amazon (Ring) and Google (Nest). Images from Dutch streets are thus sent to the servers of these tech giants on a massive scale.

Ring is known to store deleted videos, allow employees to view the footage, store doorbell activity, and collaborate with the U.S. government. It is likely that security services have access, as Ring already collaborated with two thousand police departments in the U.S. by the end of 2021.

This is uncomfortable enough as it is, let alone if Donald Trump returns to power. Or if it turns out that China is monitoring the doorbells of Chinese brands. In 2022, there was a major uproar over Chinese cameras in public spaces, leading many governments to remove them. However, the number of doorbell cameras is incomparably larger.

Facial recognition in smart doorbells adds to a massive surveillance infrastructure, allowing identification of who is where, when, and with whom. This infrastructure can be exploited for many undesirable purposes.

Is there no regulation in place? Yes, but it doesn't work. Smart doorbells fall under privacy legislation, but the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) must assess each case to determine if rules are violated.

And you can forget about that; with this large number of doorbells, there is not enough capacity. Even in the upcoming European AI law, smart doorbells are not prohibited.

Defense

Something needs to be done about this. First and foremost, the government should inform the broader public about the risks of these doorbells. Additionally, local authorities should investigate how citizens can defend themselves against the smart doorbells of their neighbors. Additional local regulations, for example.

Lastly, the design. Apparently, doorbells fulfill a need. But how do we ensure they do not violate the privacy of others? Can a type of smart doorbell be designed that is acceptable? How much intelligence should such a doorbell have? Should that data really go to Google and Amazon?

By collectively determining what we want, we can lobby manufacturers and demand adjustments in their products if they want to continue selling them to us.

And regarding the risk of burglary in December: invest in good locks and security, instead of inadvertently shifting the unintended side effects onto society by thoughtlessly opting for a smart doorbell. ■

Following Turèl’s opinion article, he coinitiated the Smart Doorbell Consortium with VNG, the City of Amsterdam, and RVO. The consortium promotes responsible use of smart doorbells by exploring citizen concerns and developing both regulatory and design solutions.

Interested in joining? Get in touch. More updates expected in late 2025.

WE ARE AT HOME HERE

“Amsterdam houses an amazing range and depth of food knowledge – and we urgently need this knowledge to create a different food future.”

DR. ANTONIA WEISS | RESEARCH FELLOW AMS INSTITUTE AND

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

WUR

This AMS Institute project celebrates the culinary wisdom and horticultural heritage that residents bring from around the world to Nieuw-West’s greenhouse gardens, the so-called Wereldgroentetuinen.

By uncovering valuable food knowledge and linking it to stories of migration, Research Fellow Antonia Weiss is changing how we think about urban food futures and recognizing migrants as the key changemakers they've always been.

Growing change Rooting community Feeding

Failing Forward

Three Perspectives on Turning Setbacks into Solutions

©Vincent Basler

In the realm of urban science and innovation, the most valuable discoveries often emerge from what doesn’t work (yet). At AMS Institute, failure isn’t a setback—it’s a catalyst for progress. The institute serves as a dynamic space for experimentation where scientists, the municipality, investors, businesses, and citizens can test ideas before scaling them across the Amsterdam metropolitan area (and beyond). Three experts at AMS Institute —a living lab developer, a startup founder, and a researcher— share their experiences on how embracing setbacks transforms the innovation process, creating solutions that truly address Amsterdam’s complex urban challenges.

‘Developing solutions requires rapid experimentation, failing, and learning fast.’

JUANITA DEVIS CLAVIJO | LIVING LAB DEVELOPER AMS INSTITUTE

The Value of Controlled Failure

“Today, cities face urgent, complex challenges that cannot be addressed through traditional approaches. These challenges require innovative solutions. You need to experiment, fail, and learn very fast,” explains Juanita Devis Clavijo, Urban Living Lab Developer at AMS Institute. “Controlled failure is a great way to collect lessons learned and best practices.”

Devis guides Living Lab projects that pilot potential solutions in real-world environments with real users. The approach is inherently iterative: identify challenges, co-create solutions with key stakeholders, implement, test, learn, and adjust. This controlled process allows failure to occur early and on a small scale. “Failing (testing) on a small scale has many benefits. It allows for identifying unintended negative effects, learning about ongoing governance, technical, legal or more in general feasibility challenges. Moreover, it ensures it is an effective solution for the specific challenge and end users are willing to adopt it. This is key if we think about solutions that should be upscaled across the city,” she says.

Gaps can surface at pilot projects in all manners: a material’s limitations, technology readiness, policy, business and financial models, or in the case of Amsterdam’s Atelier project, all of the above.

‘We thought they were going to love us because we would be helping them solve a major packaging waste issue.’

STEF TRAA | FOUNDER OF DROPPIE

Seeking to advance the green energy transition, the ATELIER project piloted Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) in Amsterdam and Bilbao. The goal was to explore how cities can produce, store and share energy locally. This allowed for the identification of opportunities and bottlenecks (failures). The project assumed batteries could easily store and sell surplus energy to the grid, but reality proved more complex.

“Grid congestion, capacity and energy market changes are some of the challenges we (the ATELIER team) encountered in this process,” Devis explains.

“We learned about energy communities and whether residents have the expertise and are eager to take an active role in it. Our goal is that these lessons will inform key actors on actions they can take to accelerate innovation toward our energy transition goals.”

Such insights breed new or different solutions. They are helping cities shape their sustainability strategies, agendas, and initiatives and avoid potentially costly mistakes by ensuring solutions are ready to scale under the right conditions and that citizens are willing to adopt them.

From Roadblocks to Breakthroughs

For Stef Traa, co-founder of Droppie—which incentivizes recycling through convenient collection points, better communication around recycling, and financial compensation—failure sets the stage. When Traa and co-founder Natascha Hermsen joined AMS Institute’s Startup Booster programme, they assumed major retailers would offer physical space to launch their fun and interactive recycling concept.

“We thought they were going to love us because we would be helping them solve a major packaging waste issue,” Traa recalls. But retailers wouldn’t allocate even one square meter of valuable store space to the recycling concept.

Yet two robust solutions emerged from this setback. First, lack of retailer participation validated a market for recycling post-consumer waste under one physical roof (Droppie accepts ‘statiegeld’, plastic packaging, textiles, electronics, and more). Second, it prompted rethinking their revenue stream. The growing online vintage clothing market’s need for parcel locations accepting all European shipping services would attract customers

who could bring recyclables along with their parcels.

“As soon as we got the keys to our first location, potential partners finally understood we were actually going to do this,” Traa says. “The EPRs [Extended Producer Responsibility organisations] joined because they saw this as an opportunity they didn’t want to miss.”

Their first location in Amsterdam West attracted 20,000 visitors in December 2024 alone. And more locations followed soon. “We are still learning every day. We have a data analyst and pilot manager conducting weekly experiments on communication and collected materials and we are regularly adding new recycling streams. And it’s just a start!”

Failure Accelerates Collective Progress

Titus Venverloo, who leads MIT’s Senseable City Lab at AMS Institute in Amsterdam, believes the scientific community can often better solve problems wherever the research breaks down, not just when it proves a theory correct.

His role is to connect the city’s challenges to his team of MIT researchers and, in turn, to understand Amsterdam’s priorities and nuances. The team is mapping Amsterdam’s tree diversity using laser-based data and satellite imagery to identify green infrastructure that is not in the city’s tree catalogue—about 80% of trees on private property.

‘If we spent more time describing where things fail and publishing that, we could solve problems faster together.’

TITUS VENVERLOO | AMS INSTITUTE

“If you do such research correctly, you shouldn’t know where you’re going to end up,” Venverloo explains.

“A non-significant result is just as reasonable a conclusion.”

The team is also developing “Sensing Garden,” using computer vision to monitor urban biodiversity by identifying insect species that visit specific plants, which will help to evaluate whether Amsterdam’s green policies benefit biodiversity.

The challenge, Venverloo notes, isn’t in research outcomes but in how scientists highlight their successes while downplaying limitations—a practice that actually hampers innovation in his view. That’s why in the journal article, his team described the intricacies of monitoring insect species that appear identical, or those that pollinate flowers or benefit apple orchards instead, not to mention how many hundreds of images are needed to train the AI model well enough.

“Researchers want to say, ‘My model is 90% accurate,’ but what I want to know is where it’s inaccurate. What does

that 10% look like? If we spent more time describing where things fail and publishing that, we could solve problems faster together.” This approach would avoid repeating theories already tried and clarify what problems still matter.

The Innovation Ecosystem

By testing recycling options in real environments, innovative energy solutions in actual neighborhoods, and biodiversity monitoring in Amsterdam’s green spaces, the institute generates insights no laboratory could provide.

“That’s the magic we do here at AMS Institute,” says Devis. “We’re learning from failures, creating important lessons and actions. When the municipality or the key actors in our ecosystem learn from these discoveries, they can set up mechanisms to implement those solutions on a larger scale.”

As Amsterdam develops its vision for the coming decades, this capacity for structured experimentation— to fail productively in a world of increasingly complex urban challenges—could become its most valuable resource. Through AMS Institute, the city has built an ecosystem that transforms every setback into fuel for the next breakthrough. The question isn’t whether the next pilot will succeed—it’s what invaluable lesson will emerge when it doesn’t go according to plan. ■

Stef Traa, Juanita Devis Clavijo and Titus Venverloo

©Vincent Basler

Pioneering Circular Chain Financing

Circular ventures worldwide struggle to scale under traditional venture capital models. What if the problem isn’t with circular startups, but with how we fund them? Amsterdam and AMS Institute have been experimenting with a different approach. Instead of investing in individual companies, the city is supporting entire value ecosystems—and the results are starting to speak for themselves.

Guy Vincent in a still from the Circular Value Chains mini-documentary

Bottom left: Primal Soles sources all its products from the Quercus Suber, the cork oak tree. By stripping the bark, it contributes positively to both the environment and the tree’s regenerative capabilities.

When Guy Vincent started running accelerator programs for circular startups with the City of Amsterdam, he discovered something fundamental was missing. “After running half a dozen accelerator programs, I learned three things,” reflects the Tech Trade Developer. “Collaboration is essential as circularity requires supply chain cooperation. Venture capital’s unicorn-seeking strategies are not well-suited to circular startups. And the focus needs to shift from circular startups to circular value chains to unlock value.”

This revelation sparked chain financing through Amsterdam Circular, a groundbreaking accelerator, initiated by the City of Amsterdam with AMS Institute in 2023. Vincent explains: “Amsterdam Circular is a circular chain accelerator (circulator) providing circular startup financing services. We offer a methodology that helps participants to form and fund value chains that unlock new value from circular revenue models, while helping the city to halve its raw material use by 2030.”

The Traditional Funding Trap

The problem is painfully familiar. Promising circular startups emerge with solutions the planet desperately needs, only to collapse under traditional funding expectations. Dutch startup Pieter Pot, despite attracting 50,000 customers and €12 million in funding, declared bankruptcy in 2023. US-based Smallhold, valued at $90 million, followed suit in 2024.

“Traditional financing is risky because it often focuses on just one business,” explains Elisa Achterberg, CEO and co-founder of CiSe Network and a mentor Vincent credits as instrumental to the program’s success. Chain

‘The concept centers on creating a Minimum Viable Ecosystem (MVE) rather than just a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).’

GUY VINCENT | PROGRAM LEAD, AMSTERDAM CIRCULAR AT AMS INSTITUTE

financing reduces that risk by spreading it across the entire supply chain, creating more security for investors.”

A Revolutionary Approach

Chain financing represents a radical departure from conventional funding. Instead of backing individual startups, it supports entire value ecosystems. Vincent describes it as “funding that grows with your supply chain, not despite it.”

The concept centers on creating a Minimum Viable Ecosystem (MVE) rather than just a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This is where Vincent’s partnership with Professor Murat Tarakci from the Rotterdam School of Management becomes crucial.

“The biggest hurdle in building an ecosystem approach is identifying and aligning partners,” explains Tarakci. “An ecosystem view casts a wider net, including complementors who help create, capture, and deliver value.”

©Dopamine

Real-World Success Stories

The third edition of the Accelerator Program showcases this approach in action. Take Grow It Away, which transforms hospitality food waste into compost through a network: Agriton provides fermentation bins, Oscar Circulair handles transportation, and the startup Compostandig equipment composts material before selling to farmers and clients like Soho House.

“Rather than writing pitch decks for financiers and investors, we found ourselves creating pitch decks to convince chain partners,” notes Achterberg, highlighting how fundamentally different this approach is.

The current cohort includes Primal Soles, creating circular footwear from cork; Alex in Wonderland, delivering plant-based meals in reusable jars via electric cargo bikes; and Droppie, revolutionizing consumer recycling systems.

Have you seen the Circular Value Chains minidocumentaries featuring some of our latest startup members? Scan the QR code and watch it straight away.

Ready to join the circular revolution? Be part of the change and visit ams-institute.org to learn more and apply.

Global Impact Potential

Vincent’s vision extends far beyond Amsterdam. “Existing financing options like debt and equity aren’t fully accessible to circular startups; a new form of financing is needed for chain collaboration,” he emphasizes.

Achterberg captures the program’s significance: “I’m amazed by the visionary and systemic approach the City of Amsterdam is taking to change the system for a circular economy! Radical comes from ‘radix’—roots— solving problems by the roots.”

As Vincent reflects on this journey, his message is clear: “The biggest test is remembering that money is only a means, not the end. Circular startups need more than funds; they need ecosystem partners who share their goal of making the world a better place.”

Amsterdam Circular isn’t just funding startups. It’s rewriting the playbook for sustainable innovation, and this is just the beginning. ■

Guy Vincent lecturing at the AMS StartUp Booster Program

Below: Elisa Achterberg, CEO and co-founder of CiSe Network and Professor Murat Tarakci from the Rotterdam School of Management

©Wiebrig Krakau

REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS UNDER ONE ROOF

What happens when you put climate scientists, urban planners, startup founders, and city officials in the same room? Walk into the AMS Institute building and you’ll witness something remarkable: a bustling ecosystem where theoretical knowledge meets practical application, where PhD students collaborate with civil servants, and where the city’s most pressing challenges become the catalyst for groundbreaking research. This dynamic ecosystem embodies the institute’s mission of connecting science with society, all with the goal of safeguarding and shaping a vibrant city. AMS Institute’s Scientific Director Eveline van Leeuwen explains how this collaborative approach is transforming urban innovation.

©Alex Schröder

Previous page: A glimpse of our main building.

Any first-time visitor entering the AMS Institute’s building senses that this is not your typical research institution. Glass-encased rooms host meetings among not just students, researchers, and Principal Investigators: Lead (associate) professors. Public utilities, civil servants, and programme developers convene with startup founders. The maker’s lab buzzes with activity. Living labs test solutions to the city’s pressing challenges.

This dynamic environment embodies Scientific Director Eveline van Leeuwen’s vision of what urban innovation should look like. “We come from all disciplines: engineering, urban studies and planning, IT, environmental sciences, geoscience, law, communication, computer science…all under one roof.”

Bringing together different types of knowledge is the Institute’s signature approach to transcending academic theory to environmental and societal change for residents in the real world.

Building Bridges Across Disciplines

“Climate challenges connect to social equity, green energy links to housing, mobility impacts health. Instead of trying to solve problems separately, we recognise how intertwined the issues are,” van Leeuwen explains.

“When different types of knowledge convene here-from academia, the municipality, and citizens-we identify the most effective points for change, and that has created some fascinating and unusual collaborations.”

Since becoming Scientific Director in 2020, van Leeuwen helped transform how AMS Institute facilitates these connections. “We established at that time a stronger Research Fellow community as well as regular Principal Investigator meetings that created more opportunities for collaboration,” she says.

Left: The opening of the scientific conference 2024 by Ger Baron, Chief Technology Officer, at the municipality of Amsterdam and Eveline van Leeuwen.

Right: Celebrating AMS Institute’s 10th anniversary.

Van Leeuwen is Scientific Director of AMS Institute and professor of Urban Economics at Wageningen University & Research.

©Delphine Chevalier

©Cynthia van Dijke

The NWA-ORC proposal for ACT! (Accelerating the Circular Transition) recently received

Communication and Scale

Van Leeuwen, who also serves as Professor and Chair of Urban Economics at Wageningen University & Research, still finds time to supervise student’s research amidst duties such as biweekly meetings with Amsterdam’s Chief Technology Officer and guiding large initiatives funded by the Dutch Research Council. She emphasizes making research and participation accessible, just like her agenda.

“For one, we communicate findings effectively to the public, something traditional institutions might struggle to do,” citing visually striking long-read articles on findings and actively contributing to the city’s Open Research portal by a devoted communications team as examples.

Another example is size. AMS Institute avoids the pitfalls of a bureaucratic ivory tower. “We’ve found our inner structure to be the optimal size-large enough to cultivate meaningful research and create successful strategies, but small enough that people still know each other and can easily connect.

That way, our building really can house all activities.”

€7.2 million in funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Over the next five years, more than 50 partners from science and society (a repair café, the high-tech industry, local NGOs, ministries) will envision a systemic transition to a less wasteful, circular society. Societal wellbeing will form the heart of simulation models that urgently seek to reduce the city’s contribution to climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource scarcity.

‘Climate challenges connect to social equity, green energy links to housing, mobility impacts health.’

Soon after Van Leeuwen’s arrival, the first Scientific Conference was held online. The first in-person conference in 2024 coincided with the Institute’s 10-year anniversary. It brought together the entire network for dynamic panel discussions and workshops, inviting governments and citizens from all over the world interested in how science and urban planning function side by side.

It showcased how information flows in both directions: scientists inform the Amsterdam municipality, the municipality poses relevant ideas and questions for scientists. This way of working spreads throughout the partner universities (TU Delft, WUR and MIT) and into other topics, creating new, exciting projects.

She recalled a moment of insufficient capacity for the Ideal(s) City project. Suddenly Wageningen master’s and PhD students started working on the data. Then the municipality picked up on its potential to more holistically solve pollution, discrimination, and unattainably high housing prices. “If you have a common goal, and people have the freedom to contribute to it, then things like this really can materialise.”

Shaping Tomorrow’s Cities

“We’re learning that it takes several years to build the kind of trust networks needed for effective collaboration,” van Leeuwen reflects. “You need room to make mistakes and learn from them, together with all partners. That’s why we create such a safe space for experimentation.”

This role as convenor is evident in the institute’s diverse portfolio, from theoretical research on ranking the urgency of Amsterdam’s quay walls in ways that saved the city millions of euros, to practical solutions for waste management. “Having both types of projects creates energy and momentum,” van Leeuwen explains. “Researchers can connect their theoretical work to real city challenges, while practical solutions can be enhanced by cutting-edge innovation.”

Looking ahead to the institute’s next 10 years, Eveline van Leeuwen and Managing Director Zwanet van Lubek are steering the institute’s future goals with “city shots”. These are thematic visions of the future that help to provide a framework for all the initiatives we undertake at the institute. Initiatives on a resilient, regenerative, and just city, but with particular attention to how these affect all people. Solutions should be rolled out “here and now” but with “elsewhere, later,” in mind: ensuring sustainable policy or intervention in the city should not be at the expense of places elsewhere.

This philosophy shapes how AMS Institute positions itself in Amsterdam’s landscape. “We’re the meeting point where universities and municipalities come down from their traditional positions, citizens step up with their practical knowledge, and real change happens in the middle.” ■

©Maarten

Nauw

REINVENTING THE CITY

What if the cities of tomorrow could solve today’s greatest challenges?

All keynote materials from our 2024 edition ‘Blueprint for Messy Cities’ are freely accessible at openresearch.amsterdam.

and Associate Professor at Leiden University, on environmental change.

Keynote speaker Paul Behrens, author

At our three-day Scientific Conference world-renowned speakers unlock the extraordinary potential within reach. Scientists, policymakers, students, and industry leaders gather to turn bold ideas into reality, and you’re invited to join us.

A new edition of the AMS Scientific Conference is coming in 2026. The theme: Connecting the Dots, Closing the Loops. Be part of the transformation.

©Cynthia van Dijke

Keeping the Soul, Leading the Change

Amsterdam faces one of Europe’s most complex urban challenges: achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 while maintaining its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city’s historic Center, with its iconic 17th-century canal ring and centuries-old buildings, was originally slated to be the last area to transition away from natural gas. However, research from TU Delft and AMS Institute reveals that these “high-hanging fruit” buildings don’t need to wait—they can actually lead the charge.

The City is now implementing its Sustainable Heritage Implementation Agenda, which relaxes previously restrictive policies around monuments and protected cityscapes.

This policy shift creates unprecedented opportunities for historic building owners to retrofit their properties while preserving the architectural integrity that makes Amsterdam one of the world’s most treasured cities. The High-Hanging Fruit research project shows that careful renovation of historic buildings could reduce Amsterdam’s total building-related CO₂ emissions by 8% without altering most external facades, proving that heritage preservation and climate action can work together.

©Vincent Basler

DR. MAÉVA DANG:

“Amsterdam was at the forefront of innovative planning 400 years ago, showing enormous foresight in privileging residents’ well-being. Today, we’re reviving that pioneering spirit, transforming our historic center into a comfortable, affordable space while disconnecting from natural gas and respecting our rich heritage. World heritage can evolve to meet the demands of our time.”

Who’s Who

‘Amsterdam’s historic heart doesn’t need to wait for the energy transition; it can lead it.’

DR. MAÉVA DANG | LEAD RESEARCHER, HIGH HANGING FRUIT

Reaching the High-Hanging Fruit

“When talking about energy transition, one mostly refers to large-scale repetitive housing types such as rowhouses, tenement flats, and gallery flats, the seemingly low-hanging fruit,” explains Andy van den Dobbelsteen, Professor at TU Delft and AMS Institute

Principal Investigator. “Monuments and other old buildings may be more complicated, referred to as the high-hanging fruit, but the improvement potential often is much greater.”

The four-year research project, “Reaching the HighHanging Fruit,” explored retrofitting strategies that could dramatically reduce the historic center’s energy demand. The results are striking: if all historic buildings in Amsterdam’s Centrum were carefully retrofitted, the city could cut 8% of total CO2 emissions from all buildings citywide.

A Renaissance of Sustainable Innovation

The findings reveal varying potential across neighborhoods. Retrofitting buildings in the seventeenthcentury canal ring—a UNESCO World Heritage Site— proves especially impactful, contributing nearly a quarter of the total potential reduction in space heating within the city center.

Andy van den Dobbelsteen

Professor at TU Delft and AMS Institute

Principal Investigator

Leading the “Reaching the High-Hanging Fruit” research project, he argues that historic buildings offer greater improvement potential than modern housing.

Maéva Dang

Research Engineer - Prototyping Team, AMS Institute, Lead researcher, High Hanging Fruit

Her research draws parallels between Amsterdam’s 17th-century urban planning innovations and today’s sustainability challenges, showing how the historic center can lead in climate action.

Annette ten Doeschate

Advisor and Project Leader, Sustainable Heritage, City of Amsterdam

She translates scientific research into practical guidance for monument owners, proving that historic buildings can be future-proofed without compromising their values.

Paul Voskuilen

Program Developer Urban Energy

He oversees the collaborative approach that combines technical solutions with citizen involvement and municipal partnership.

Nienke van Renssen

District Councilor, Amsterdam City Center

She has committed to prioritizing building retrofits as the district’s main focus for the next five years.

MAÉVA DANG | RESEARCH FELLOW, LEAD RESEARCHER, HIGH HANGING FRUIT

‘Going back to the 17th century, quality of life was deeply integrated within urban planning.’

Research Fellow Maéva Dang draws powerful historical parallels: “Going back to the 17th century, quality of life was deeply integrated within urban planning. Amsterdam was at the forefront of innovative planning and showed enormous foresight in privileging its residents’ well-being. Today, contemporary needs of disconnecting from natural gas and optimizing resident well-being must be addressed while respecting the area’s rich history.” Her research demonstrates that Amsterdam’s center can once again showcase the city’s pioneering spirit, this time in sustainable heritage preservation.

Historic Properties Can Be Future-Proofed

The research identifies key retrofitting measures that preserve architectural authenticity while achieving significant energy savings:

• Interior wall insulation (maximum 5 cm to avoid condensation)

• Vacuum glass installation (with HR++ alternatives for cost-effectiveness)

• Ground floor and roof insulation

• Gap sealing combined with effective ventilation

For non-residential buildings, which account for 54% of the Center’s heating demand, heat recovery ventilation can reduce heating needs by 30-50%. Hospitality venues must also transition to electric cooking.

“Monuments and other historic buildings can also be future-proofed without compromising their values,” confirms Annette ten Doeschate, Advisor and Project Leader Sustainable Heritage at the City of Amsterdam. “Scientific research provides new insights to make these properties sustainably future-proof. We include the advice in our communication to owners and users of monumental buildings.”

Active Citizen Involvement

The research’s parametric approach enables quick identification of impactful measures, allowing property owners to explore step-by-step retrofitting plans. Citizens can evaluate which improvements offer the most significant value, while city officials can simulate policy impacts across neighborhoods. Results show retrofitting only non-protected buildings achieves a 4% reduction in space heating demand. Including ‘order 2’ and ‘order 3’ heritage buildings increases this to 23%. Expanding efforts to all center buildings could achieve a 59% decrease in space heating demand and 90 kilotons of CO2 reduction yearly.

“What makes the ‘High Hanging Fruit’ research so special is its flexibility, collaboration, and the focus on learning from society,” notes Paul Voskuilen, Program Developer Urban Energy at AMS Institute. “There is continuous collaboration with the Municipality of Amsterdam, and technical solutions are combined with active citizen involvement.”

Embracing Innovative Retrofitting

Amsterdam Center’s complexity demands nuanced solutions. “There isn’t a single solution that can address all the challenges,” acknowledges Nienke van Renssen, District Councilor of Amsterdam Center. “However, we’ve agreed to begin with retrofitting existing buildings, which is something we can act on immediately. This will be our main focus over the next five years.”

The message is clear: Amsterdam’s historic heart doesn’t need to wait for the energy transition; it can lead it. By embracing innovative retrofitting approaches that respect heritage values while meeting contemporary climate demands, the city center can demonstrate that preservation and progress aren’t opposing forces.

The research proves that with careful planning and innovative technology, Amsterdam’s most treasured buildings can become models of sustainable living while maintaining their timeless character. ■

Retrofitting in full swing

©Vincent Basler

‘BIN’ THERE, DONE THAT

A New Approach to Food Waste

As cities struggle with food waste collection, experimental, hands-on research at AMS Institute is investigating a radical rethink, considering grinders, microbes, and a new plumbing system. What if the stuff we scrape off our plates could power our future bio-based economy?

Above: Yannick Schrik, PhD candidate at Wageningen University & Research, and Willie van den Broek, Program Developer

Metropolitan Food Systems at AMS Institute are working on the Kitchen Sink Grinder Lab.

©Vincent Basler

In the battle against climate change, food waste has long been recognized as a problem, but not as a potential solution. If not managed correctly, uncontrolled food waste decomposition can lead to methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 25 times stronger than CO2. Therefore, Yannick Schrik, PhD researcher for Wageningen University & Research on ‘Optimizing urban food waste valorization for biobased economy’, asks a provocative question: What if the stuff we scrape off our plates could power our future bio-based economy?

Besides his PhD work, Yannick is involved in the Horizon project BIN2BEAN and the Project Proefopstelling met Voedselrestenvermalers (PVV, or: ‘Kitchen Sink Grinder Lab’). Both projects focus on developing new valorization strategies for urban food waste. “Food waste is not just waste,” Schrik says. “It’s a container of valuable elements. The challenge is to recover them in the best possible way.

In Europe, cities must source separate and valorize 65% of recyclables by 2035, including food waste.

Traditional collection in apartments and both old and new construction high-rises yields poor quantity and quality due to underground bin hassles and citizen anonymity. Kitchen sink grinders are envisioned to ease separation and collection, increasing the quantity and quality of the collected food waste.”

Shift to Waste Valorization

Under the European Green Deal, cities must help citizens separate food waste more effectively. However, in dense cities like Amsterdam, traditional collection methods—bins, trucks, and centralized sorting—hit logistical walls in high-rise buildings and narrow streets.

Enter food waste grinders. Common in American homes since the 1950s, these devices are banned in the Netherlands because wastewater treatment plants can’t handle the extra organic load.

Gear up!

The Kitchen Sink Grinder Lab is getting the job done.

‘By transitioning from management to valorization point of view, we can try to minimize the costs and maximize societal benefits.’

European rules also mandate sewage sludge incineration to prevent agricultural contamination from pharmaceuticals and heavy metals.

But Schrik is flipping the model. Instead of sending food waste down the drain, he is developing a parallel plumbing system for high-rise buildings that deviates ground waste to decentralized collection tanks from sewage. It’s food waste valorization reimagined, with infrastructure designed for value retention from the start.

“The terminology shift from waste management to waste valorization matters because it reflects the conceptual shift from seeing food waste as a disposal problem to seeing it as a resource optimization opportunity,” Schrik explains.

Food Waste as Feedstock

Inside AMS Institute’s experimental lab, a miniaturized high-rise plumbing system simulates kitchen sink grinder-based collection. The goal is to understand what happens to food compounds—nutrients, carbon, and minerals—once they’re ground up, pumped, and processed.

High-quality, uncontaminated food streams open doors to innovative applications: microbial proteins that mimic meat and cheese, bioplastics replacing fossil-based materials, and soil improvers for agriculture. “Success for me is to develop context-specific combinations of separation, collection, and processing options, tailored to the needs and wants of a city. To match

food waste with the best valorization strategy,” Schrik says.

The Bin2Bean project develops universally applicable methods to valorize food waste as a soil improver in urban areas. Cities across Europe are actively engaged in this mission, each contributing unique approaches— Amsterdam outsources to commercial entities, Hamburg leverages municipal companies, and Egaleo pioneers community-driven infrastructure. Beyond our core partners, municipalities worldwide are closely following our progress, recognizing the global potential of locally adapted solutions.

Currently, the strategic challenge is simple: anaerobic digestion for energyneedy regions, composting for mineraldeficient areas. But future decisions will be more complex. Do you produce biobased platform chemicals or single-cell protein? “What’s interesting about food waste is that it has a negative financial value but is potentially a huge burden to society,” Schrik notes. “By transitioning from management to valorization point of view, we can try to minimize the costs and maximize societal benefits.”

The Cost of Circularity

As cities worldwide aim to cut emissions and embrace circularity, they’re running headfirst into an inconvenient truth: greener doesn’t always mean cheaper. While the environmental case for valorizing food waste is strong, the financial roadmap remains unclear. Who pays for the infrastructure? Who profits from the outputs? And can policy keep up with innovation?

These unanswered questions keep food waste stuck in a holding pattern, bursting with potential but locked away from practical application.

Researchers like Schrik and his colleagues are breaking down these barriers, transforming waste streams into valuable resources and turning circular economy theory into profitable practice. ■

Plant-based food waste valorization in progress.

©Alex Schröder

CARBON CUT

Amsterdam’s 30,000-Home Carbon Cut

Could we save emissions just like that, without waiting for new technology or drastic policy changes? Calculations based on data from active pilots in Amsterdam reveal that this isn’t wishful thinking; it’s achievable reality considering AMS Institute’s four circular strategies.

Circular economy approaches aim to reduce material use, eliminate waste, and regenerate the environment. Given that more than half of all global emissions are tied to how we extract and process materials, a local circular economy in Amsterdam could bring significant environmental and social benefits.

Amsterdam has ambitious targets: reducing non-renewable raw material use by 50%, emissions output by 60% by 2030, and becoming fully circular by 2050.

“At this point, we don’t need another report; we need action,” says Joppe van Driel, Program Developer Circularity in Urban Regions. “At AMS Institute, we mobilize scientists to solve real-world problems through circular pilots. We build coalitions, learn how to work together, and scale up regenerative solutions. Whether it’s road construction, new builds, or managing data centers, we show how things can be done differently.”

©Maarten

Nauw

Joppe van Driel, Program Developer Circularity in Urban Regions and Research & Innovation Teamlead at AMS Institute

©Alex Schröder

CARBON CUT

The State of Our Circular Innovation

Solar Panels New initiatives are underway to boost the reuse of solar panels. These include secondhand storage hubs, targeted subsidies, and integration with social housing to combat energy poverty. A dedicated living lab is testing repairable panels and smart product passports aimed at extending lifespans through predictive maintenance.

Data & Electronics A workplace-focused living lab is piloting methods to extend the life of IT hardware and repair electronics, tackling e-waste at the office level.

Roads The “De Nieuwe Straat” living lab combines real-world experiments: biobased asphalt, reused paving, waterborne transport, zero-emission construction, and soil-driven lifetime extension strategies.

Biobased Materials Demo projects showcase circular, biobased façades that cut carbon while boosting energy performance. Research continues on next-generation materials for future-proof buildings.

AMS Institute’s research has identified four key circular approaches for Amsterdam:

1. Extend the life of solar panels.

2. Reduce excess material and energy use in data centers.

3. Use circular materials in road construction.

4. Use biobased materials in new buildings.

Scaling these solutions across the city could reduce carbon emissions to the extent of making 28,000 to 35,000 homes completely zeroemission. Importantly, these solutions are ready for implementation and do not require new technology or system changes. Pilots have already begun across the city. AMS Institute uses Amsterdam as a ‘Living Lab,’ conducting pilots in public spaces alongside partners, including universities and local stakeholders. These pilots serve as a testing ground, providing valuable insights for scaling circular solutions city-wide.

1. Extending the Life Of Solar Panels

The number of installed solar panels in Amsterdam is expected to grow from 710,000 in 2023 to 3.25 million by 2040. However, most panels are replaced after only 5 to 12 years, even though they have a 25-year lifespan. This leads to significant waste and undermines the environmental benefits of solar energy. Researchers from TU Delft and Leiden University estimate that using panels for their whole lifespan could reduce carbon emissions equivalent to the energy use of 2,400 to 5,200 households annually. This is a simple yet effective way to maximize the impact of existing solar technology. “It’s crazy that we’re throwing away perfectly functional solar panels. We should be reusing them, not discarding them,” says Sietse de Vilder, Project Manager and Living Lab Coordinator at AMS Institute and the municipality.

Straat is paving the way the circular way: with high reuse rate technology.

2. Reduce Material and Energy Use in Data Centers

Data centers, packed with energyintensive servers, account for significant carbon emissions. With the rise of AI and digitalization, the demand for data storage continues to grow. Research shows that Amsterdam could reduce its server capacity by 25% without sacrificing performance. Scaling this reduction across the region could cut emissions equivalent to the energy use of 8,200 to 12,000 households.

“We often forget that our digital lives have a huge physical footprint,” Van Driel adds. “By reducing consumption in data centers, we can make a big impact.”

Left: Second-life solar panels find new purpose on urban rooftops.

Middle: Designing tomorrow’s solar reuse ecosystem at the Recycling Service Center Amsterdam.

Right:

Nieuwe

©Coen Dijkstra

©Nuon

3. Circular Road Construction

Road construction accounts for two-thirds of all emissions in the infrastructure sector. Circular paving methods, such as cement-less concrete and low-temperature asphalt, can cut these emissions by half. Pilots show that these methods could achieve carbon savings comparable to removing one or two city neighborhoods from natural gas. These sustainable materials are already available, and the technology for high reuse rates is in place. Scaling this approach could significantly reduce the environmental impact of infrastructure projects.

4. Biobased Materials In New Builds

The construction industry is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions. Biobased materials like timber and straw offer a low-carbon alternative to conventional building materials such as concrete and steel. They also store carbon for as long as they remain in the building.

Using biobased materials to construct 7,500 new homes annually in Amsterdam could save up to 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. These materials are a key part of the city’s Green Deal Timber Construction, which aims to make 20% of all new homes biobased by 2025.

The Circular Future Starts Now

The math is straightforward: Amsterdam’s circular economy transition isn’t just environmentally necessary—it’s economically viable and technologically ready. Four strategies, countless pilots, and a measurable impact equivalent to transforming entire neighborhoods. The question isn’t whether Amsterdam can become circular by 2050, but how quickly these proven solutions can scale. And with more and more partners joining the charge, that future might arrive sooner than anyone expects. ■

How will Amsterdam become a fully circular economy by 2050?

New Scientist paid a visit to Amsterdam in partnership with researchers from the AMS Institute. Together, they explored the institute’s tangible solutions being piloted throughout the city—and what they can teach us about circularity. Watch the 15-minute mini-documentary here:

Amsterdam on Going Car-Free

Amsterdam aspires to become a low-car city, shifting towards walking, biking, public transport, and shared mobility as alternatives for private car ownership. The benefits are clear: less air pollution, congestion, noise, and visual clutter. Yet despite the Netherlands’ reputation as a cycling paradise, 42% of all trips are still made by car.

As Amsterdam pursues its “Agenda Autoluw” (Lower Car Agenda), a critical question emerges: What do residents actually think about these changes? This Delft University of Technology and AMS Institute research investigated exactly that, surveying 400 Amsterdammers about 28 different low-car interventions. The findings reveal a city divided, but perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

Surprising Support for Change

The headline ‘What Amsterdam thinks about going carfree’ might challenge assumptions about resistance to car restrictions. The research reveals which low-car measures Amsterdammers love, and which spark debate. Of 28 proposed measures, 16 have majority support among residents. Amsterdammers are, overall, surprisingly positive about reducing car dependency.

“The diversity in answers suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach to promoting low-car environments might not be effective,” explains lead author Anastasia Roukouni.

The research categorized residents into three groups:

39% are supporters of low-car policy, 35% have mixed attitudes, and 27% are skeptics. This nuanced picture suggests that blanket opposition to car restrictions is far from universal.

The Great Divide: What Splits Opinion

While overall support exists, specific measures ignite passionate debate. The study measured how strongly divided opinions are on particular interventions. A perfect polarization score of 300 would mean half the respondents strongly support a measure while the other half vehemently opposes it. The most polarizing measures reveal deep tensions about fairness and access. Restrictions based on vehicle weight top the list, reducing parking spaces and park-andride fees, and limiting residents’ access to their cars. These aren’t just policy preferences—they touch on fundamental questions about who gets to move through the city and how.

Beyond the Numbers: What This Means

The research team compiled established measures like congestion charging, and pioneering approaches such as gamification through Tradeable Mobility Credits. This comprehensive scope reveals that Amsterdam’s path to becoming car-low isn’t just about restricting access; it’s about

reimagining urban mobility entirely. What emerges is a portrait of a city ready for change but demanding thoughtful implementation. The 16 measures with majority support suggest significant policies can move forward with relatively little controversy. However, the polarization around specific interventions signals where careful navigation is essential.

A Roadmap for Cities Worldwide

For Amsterdam and other cities pursuing similar transformations, the research offers concrete guidance: Enhanced communication strategies are crucial. Transparent communication about objectives and expected benefits— livability, health, and safety impacts—must precede implementation. Targeted campaigns should address different demographic groups’ concerns using varied channels and approaches.

Incremental implementation emerges as key to success. Gradual rollouts allow residents and policymakers to experience impacts firsthand, building confidence through incremental steps rather than radical overnight changes. Stakeholder engagement requires a deeper exploration of whether resistance stems from finding undesirable or unattainable scenarios, enabling policy adaptation

* ‘Polarization’ here means that there are strong opinions both in favor and against a policy measure. A measure with 50% of residents fully in support ánd 50% absolutely against, would get a perfect polarization score of 300. A measure that everyone would feel the same about (either neutral, in favor or against), would get a polarization score of 0.

Low-car policy measures ranked by their ‘polarization’ index*

Residents’ net support or opposition for low-car measures*

24h public transport services

Free public transport for all

Shuttle buses from companies to P+R

Reduced public transport fee for certain groups

Cycling superhighways

Creation of multiple centers

Daily fee for non-residents

Increasing shared vehicles

Reduction of parking spaces and P+R fees

Mobility hubs

Limiting access to residents’ cars

Green city tax

Mobility credits

Car sharing for all, residents discount

Congestion charging

Flat daily parking fee

Increasing parking fee

Completely car free city center

Car free weekends and rotating streets

Parking fee at work

Access for certain groups at specific times

License plate control

* Net support or opposition calculated by subtracting the percentages of negative responses from those of positive responses, not including the neutral responses.

The research, ‘Mind the Gap: A comparative study of low-car policy acceptance’ by Delft University of Technology researchers Anastasia Roukouni and Oded Cats, is available here

accordingly. The study also recommends before-after analyses to track how public perception evolves as measures take effect, providing crucial feedback for policy refinement.

The Path Forward

This research reveals Amsterdam at a crossroads. The city has substantial public backing for its low-car ambitions, but success depends on acknowledging the genuine concerns behind polarized responses. The goal isn’t to eliminate all cars but to create a city where sustainable mobility options are so attractive and accessible that car dependence becomes unnecessary rather than forbidden.

By adopting nuanced approaches that recognize support and skepticism, Amsterdam can foster greater acceptance while accommodating residents’ legitimate concerns—the result: smoother implementation of transformative measures that enhance urban livability and sustainability.

Cities worldwide watching Amsterdam’s journey can see that the path to car-low futures requires working directly with public opinion through thoughtful engagement, rather than trying to bypass it. ■

AMSTERDAM INNOVATION DAY 2025

Keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops dove deeper in everything about urban innovation and entrepeneurship. A matchmaking lunch connected investors with founders who caught their attention. By afternoon, the Marineterrein had transformed into a buzzing marketplace of ideas. The energy was infectious— conversations sparked everywhere, and you could feel new partnerships forming in real time.

Want to experience the energy yourself?

Scan the QR code to watch the aftermovie and see the day unfold.

Nearly

3,000 entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and interested visitors attended the first edition

A Cooler, Greener, and Healthier city by design

Amsterdam faces rising temperatures and pollution as climate change intensifies — by 2085, the city expects 40 summer days above 25°C compared to fewer than 10 in 1950. Our bodies function optimally at 18°C. Any warmer, and we become more easily sick, stressed, and moody. Combining technology and nature-based solutions, our research fosters healthier, more resilient urban environments in multiple ways. See a selection of these projects featured throughout this spread.

IS YOUR HOME TOO HOT TO SLEEP IN?

WUR Scientists monitored 100 Amsterdam homes during heat waves. 75% exceeded WHO’s recommended 24°C nighttime temperature, driving new building standards and awareness raising of indoor heat (and how to prevent) is a key focus here.

WHAT CAN EMPTY LOTS DO FOR YOU?

Researcher Sitong Luo (WUR) transforms Amsterdam’s forgotten spaces into living laboratories. Her experimental sites create biodiversity hotspots and community spaces with natural air purification.

Get the full story on how these innovations can transform your neighborhood. Scan the QR code.

WHERE’S THE BEST SHADE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

TU Delft researcher Lukas Beuster’s ‘Slim Shady’ project maps exactly where you can find urban heat relief. His work helps Amsterdam design comfortable, walkable public spaces with strategic shade.

WHAT’S REALLY IN THE AIR YOU BREATHE?

Thanks to the MIT Senseable City Lab researchers Amsterdam’s trams and buses now track air quality, noise, and temperature in real-time. This data helps officials make evidence-based decisions protecting your health block by block.

Health Related Urban Challenges

CAN BUILDINGS REDUCE AIRCRAFT NOISE?

TU Delft Research Fellow at AMS Institute, Martijn Lugten, used 120 containers to test building designs that scatter aircraft noise. These innovative facades reduce noise and naturally cool your neighborhood.

WHY IS YOUR STREET SCORCHING WHILE OTHERS STAY COOL?

Researcher Gert-Jan Steeneveld (WUR) cycles Amsterdam with weather stations, mapping neighborhood heat differences. Just 10% more greenery can cool your street by 0.6°C.

WHICH TREES ACTUALLY COOL YOU DOWN?

TU Delft and WUR research on 69 Dutch tree species shows urban trees dropped radiant temperature—the temperature you actually feel based on heat radiation from surrounding surfaces—by up to 42°C. Linden, birch, and plane trees are your best allies against summer heat.

HOW MUCH PLASTIC FLOWS PAST YOUR WINDOW?

1.9 million pieces of plastic flow through Amsterdam’s waters annually—3.67 items per minute. Plastic waste releases toxic chemicals as it breaks down. New collection systems are being tested to catch waste before it reaches open waters.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND, FOR REAL–MUD AND ALL

Students from MSc MADE don’t just study sustainability, they live it. At Boerderij Eyckenstein, a pioneering farm, they tackled a crucial question: How can consumers become true partners in building resilient food systems?

Their research revealed something profound: when people feel genuine ownership over a farm’s mission and receive clear, honest communication about its challenges, they transform from customers into champions of sustainable agriculture.

Metropolitan Analysis Design and Engineering (MSc MADE) is a joint degree from TU Delft and Wageningen University & Research, at the heart of AMS Institute’s educational activities.

It’s a 2-year interdisciplinary master’s program that tackles complex urban sustainability challenges in Amsterdam— launchpad for an average of 60 MSc MADE graduates, 21st-century urban engineers, per year.

‘The strongest connections between consumers and farms grow from trust and shared purpose. That’s where real agricultural transformation begins.’

LENNIC VAN NORD | MSC MADE STUDENT

Urban Living Lab Way of Working Handbook

The City as Your Laboratory

Amsterdam isn’t just our home, it’s our testing ground. Our recently launched Urban Living Lab Handbook gives insight into our methodology for transforming urban environments into innovation laboratories, where theoretical solutions meet real-world complexity. But the handbook offers more than a theoretical model for testing; it is also a practical guide.

At AMS Institute, we develop a deep understanding of the city to design solutions for its challenges and integrate them into Amsterdam. The handbook captures this philosophy in practice, showing how to navigate the delicate dance between innovation and integration, ensuring that new solutions don’t just work in theory, they thrive in the urban wild.

How We Work:

Sustainability by Design

At AMS Institute, we take decisive action on sustainability across five key areas that matter most to our organization:

Smart Travel Moving beyond the flight-or-train debate to make sustainable travel comfortable and practical. Think first-class rail journeys where travel time counts as work time, ensuring just and equitable travel policies for all team members.

Conscious Procurement Implementing the circular “R-ladder” approach (reduce, reuse, repair, recycle) across all purchases, from office supplies to tech equipment. Part of our commitment to regenerative practices is to give back more than

The Urban Living Lab Way of Working Handbook

Developing an internal code of conduct that asks the critical question: “Do we really need AI for this?” When we do, we choose the most sustainable and ethical models available.

Thoughtful Catering Balancing environmental impact with cultural considerations, for example, quality vegetarian options that bring people together without compromise.

Zero-Waste Operations Partnering with innovative waste management solutions and eliminating unnecessary packaging, one plastic tea bag at a time, building resilient systems that adapt and improve over time.

We’re not just talking sustainability; every two years we’re refining our sustainability reporting to track real progress. In a world demanding sustainable solutions, change starts with the choices we make in our day-to-day lives.

The Playbook A Decade of Urban Innovation, Decoded

In 2024, AMS Institute celebrated its 10th birthday. The AMS Institute Playbook provides an overview of a decade of research, experiments, and implementation, based on seven building blocks. This isn’t your typical manual; it’s our guide to metropolitan transformation, distilling ten years of urban innovation into actionable insights.

Every urban intervention follows patterns. The Playbook reveals those patterns, offering a resource for anyone interested in building urban innovation ecosystems. It’s our love letter to future urban innovators, packed with the hard-won wisdom of a decade spent reimagining metropolitan life. ■

Discover The Playbook now

Former Managing Director at AMS Institute Kenneth Heijns hands over a copy of The Playbook to District Chairman Amelie Strens.

Our love letter to future urban innovators—The Playbook—finds its way to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema.

IT’S NOT REALLY ABOUT WASTE, IT’S ABOUT US

The Living Lab

Amsterdam’s waste challenge dominates headlines too often. The frustration is real and growing. But what if this isn’t really about garbage trucks and collection schedules?

Students from AMS Institute’s MSc MADE master’s program spent six months researching Amsterdam’s red light district, De Wallen, in collaboration with the municipality of Amsterdam. They spoke with a wide range of stakeholders, from policymakers to street cleaners. They organized neighborhood meetings and interviewed local entrepreneurs.

The Real Insight

When waste isn’t visible, it doesn’t feel like a problem. Once it’s in a container, it’s out of sight, out of mind. The mess on the street confronts us with how much we actually throw away. Our existing systems are overloaded.

‘Once it’s in a container, it’s out of sight, out of mind.’

Working Toward Solutions

The Municipality of Amsterdam is working hard on solutions and actively experimenting with new approaches. This research provides valuable support for these efforts, offering tools like an interactive system map that reveals the complex web of actors, relationships, and bottlenecks in urban waste management. ■

Underground Meets Overground

It’s Urban Alchemy

TU Delft DC & Storage, GVB Amsterdam, and AMS Institute successfully researched the connection of new electric bus-chargers to an already existing and underutilized energy infrastructure: the metro grid of the Noord-Zuidlijn in Amsterdam. All of this was conducted by dr. Ibrahim Diab. The outcome: metros can charge electric buses through an energy-sharing system that captures the energy of the braking metro. GVB Amsterdam is working hard to implement groundbreaking energy technologies in the near future.

‘Amsterdam isn’t just our home. It’s our laboratory, our inspiration, and our partner in reimagining what cities can become.’

ZWANET VAN LUBEK | MANAGING DIRECTOR AMS INSTITUTE

Our mission at AMS Institute is to accelerate the development of sciencebased solutions to make cities resilient, regenerative and just. Our work challenges the status quo and redefines what was once thought impossible.

We orchestrate innovation for urban transformation by providing a collaborative space where cities and leading tech universities learn and experiment together. We act as a springboard for the next generation of urban innovators. Immersed in Amsterdam as our realworld lab we research, design and share metropolitan solutions for cities around the globe.

AMS Institute is a unique transdisciplinary urban innovation ecosystem, rooted in its founding institutes TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research, and MIT, and shaped by its partnership with the City of Amsterdam. As a thought leader, accelerator, and learning community, we develop groundbreaking scientific insights, imaginative solutions, and impactful technologies. We research critical and interconnected challenges in mobility, energy, circularity, digitalization, food and climate adaptation to accelerate the development of tangible metropolitan solutions.

ISSUE #1 September 2025

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