Over the past few days, an amazing number of people wandered the city to visit conferences, sessions, area meetups, and expositions. Inspiring keynote speakers sharpened our thinking and new alliances were forged between people that normally wouldn’t meet each other – all for the sake of a positive effect on the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region.
But
WeMakeThe.City still has a couple of days ahead. Besides in-depth programmes, reflecting critically on the current city, the weekend offers a broad programme of more relaxing activities. On Saturday and Sunday, more than 160 initiatives are opening their doors. Visit impact hubs, community centers, urban farms, roof gardens, food courts, and startups. The city and its surrounding region will transform into one big festival with urban talks, workshops, urban expeditions, parties , and expositions. We’ve made a selection from the rich array of activities, starting off by highlighting a few special expeditions.
On Saturday there will be several roof expeditions organised by rooftop festival ROEF. During these expeditions you can have a look at pioneering rooftop owners. They will also take you to locations showing spectacular additions to the roof landscape, by means of blow-ups. Curious? Come visit!
Jurre Rompa
Also, join the route in Amsterdam-West
organised by We Make
M-ODE. This route takes you to fashion shows, pop-up stores and numerous stores for shopping circular. You will discover that anyone who likes fashion – and sustainable shopping – will have a great time in West. You can join this
route all the days of the festivals. Find all checkpoints on our website. Bike innovation platform BYCS hosts two bike expeditions called ‘We Bike The City’. Here you will discover the future of biking in the city, and other subjects will be discussed as well. In the North/South line route, you will learn everything about the cultural and creative developments in the city. Also, take a look at the other bike route. These expeditions will take place on Saturday.
Vincent van Kleef
Vincent van Kleef
Vincent van Kleef
Done with being a nomad and in the mood for a seat? On Saturday and Sunday on multiple time slots, you can enjoy the theatre performance Missie zkt. Massa (in Dutch) in the Fruittuin van West (Gardens of West). This is an energetic, humourous and raw performance wherein the gap between ideals and reality takes in a central place. A performance permeated with adrenaline and idealism. Check out our programme pages for the exact times.
You can visit the exhibition Publieke Werken (Public Works) in Museum
het Schip. Architectural wave Amsterdamse School and the Gemeentelijke Dienst Publieke Werken (Municipal Service Public Works) are inseparably connected. Designs by the big architects of the Amsterdamse School are on display. Have a look at the beautiful pictures and drawings. On Saturday and Sunday, you will find out who
was involved in how the city of today looks like, and what preceded its creation.
The weekend also has a rich offer of interesting and beautiful exhibitions. Both on Saturday and Sunday you can check out ‘Close to Reality’ (about scale models of city architecture) and ‘Me and the Tourist’ (about the relationship of people from Amsterdam towards tourists). Visit the art installation of Ferrotopia created by Atelier van Lieshout, where you can join the programme ‘CryptoFood’. Here you get a taste of the future of food (not just as a figure of speech).
Of
course there is much more to do. Over the weekend, there will be more than 160 initiatives opening their doors. So make sure you’ll check out the programme pages check out how you will plan your weekend of WeMakeThe.City. To help you out, we made several routes, giving you an idea of all the activities that take place in your city district and city. Enjoy your weekend!
Friday is all about the developing city! On all kinds of levels and in every possible way, in- and outdoors and even beyond the city frontiers.
At the Urban Conference Making Places in Pakhuis de Zwijger experts, in theory, and practice, gather to talk about area development. The meeting will later that day lead to co-creation sessions, city expeditions, placemaking games and workshops in 18 area meetups. The latter will take visitors on a journey into the very capillaries of the city and its region, showing how Amsterdam and surroundings are developing. Most of them are in Dutch but the tour to Plein ’40-’45 will be partly in English.
If you want to stay outside, you can visit the Fruittuin inWest (Fruitgarden in West) to literally and figuratively reap the fruits of circular entrepreneurship and communal agriculture. Or you can watch sustainable technology at work at the Solar Boat Race.
Inclusion is key when developing a city – that’s the subject of the Urban Conference Ruimtevooreeninclusieve stad (Space for an inclusive city): anyone can join in at bottom-up movement Boost Transvaal.
And artists, the traditional flag bearers for developments, will show what inclusion (or the lack thereof) looks like in practice: at the Tolhuistuin the exhibition Transvaalkinderen will open, about children bridging gaps between cultures. And theatremakers and amateurs will reflect on Amsterdam in the performance ChangingPortraits.
You can find the whole programme on Friday, June 22, here.
‘Take good care of our city and each other’ was the mayor’s call to action for his beloved citizens. During WeMakeThe.City this call will be answered in various ways. You can have a coffee, lunch and a chat with newcomers from the adjacent asylum seekers center at 5 Coffee Connect or taste beautiful Middle Eastern dishes at restaurant A Beautiful Mess – in the former Bijlmer prison, also prepared by newcomers.
Organisation de
Regenboog, takes you on a tour through the Westerpark, showing three locations where they work on making the city more social. And you can make new friends at the Social Summer Market, where societal
organisations present themselves and you can join all kinds of activities.
At night, at Pakhuis de Zwijger, urban loneliness will be addressed during the urban conference ‘Design Solutions to Urban Loneliness’ (English only). A
diverse mix of people will discuss how architecture can stimulate the connection between people on all levels.
The best way to meet people is going out, for instance to an exhibition. Below, you’ll find a list of all exhibitions you can visit on Thursday.
Tomorrow,
WeMakeThe.
City will finally start! Up and until Sunday there will be numerous inspiring programmes reflecting on how we can make Metropolitan Region Amsterdam a better place. The good thing is, that these programmes immediately have a positive effect on the city and the region. People from all city districts and the regional cities will get together, engage
in conversation with each other, and will create great things.
Wednesday will be about important questions like: ‘How do we make a new city in these challenging times?’ and ‘How can we involve everybody?’. To answer these questions, different conferences are
organised. Professionals from all over the world share their insights, knowledge, and expertise. And there will be plenty of other fun activities and inspiring sessions.
In the morning you can join the English-spoken tour through Amsterdam-Noord (North): the Living Lab North Tour. A little less than five years ago, many considered the north of Amsterdam a remote and forgotten part of the city located on the other side of the IJ river. Today, Amsterdam-Noord is a thriving hub of creativity, experimentation, and urban innovation. Join the expedition starting at Ferrotopia on the NDSM-wharf, the tour takes you along MX3D, Circular Buiksloterham, and De Ceuvel, finishing at the A’DAM Tower at Overhoeks.
Fashion and challenges Also taking place during WeMakeThe.
City, is the multidisciplinary fashion event ‘We Make M-ODE’, connecting Amsterdam and its citizens through innovative and sustainable visions on fashion. It consists of various events: from Wednesday up and until Friday, Dutch designer Bas Kosters will create, on the spot, a new collection from Amsterdam clothing waste – he will show the results at the sustainable fashion show ‘Waste to Want’ on Saturday. Check the website for more ‘We Make M-ODE’ fashion programmes.
In the afternoon it is all about collaboration during the conference ‘Together’ in Pakhuis de Zwijger. Cities are facing tough challenges such as the growing population, the downside of tourism and climate change. The history of Amsterdam has been a fertile soil for collaboration – now widely known as The Amsterdam Approach – which proves to be essential when addressing the urban issues of today and tomorrow.
Celebrating the city WeMakeThe.
City is celebrating urban life and the beautiful things which are making the city better. During the Opening Night, Kate Raworth, Toni Griffin, Francesca Bria, Gabriella Gómez-Mont, Aisha Bin Bishr, and others will try and find answers to the key questions of the festival: What kind of city do we want to live in – in five, ten or fifteen years: How do we make our city more inclusive, sustainable, affordable, safe and wealthy? Together with you and many others, we will search for the best answers.
Of course, there is plenty more to do. The exhibition ‘Modellenbureau’ (Modelling Agency) at ARCAM showcases several models made by architectural agencies on an eight-meter-long autoCADwalk. You can pick greens and fruit at garden Lokale Bloemetjes (Local Flowers) in the Tuinen van West (Gardens in West) or admire pictures taken in Amsterdam Noord by photographer Rufus de Vries – the exhibition ‘Buurtbanden’ (‘Neighbourhood ties’) exposes the physical appearances of the area as well as the bonds between locals.
A day for celebrating the city! Check WeMakeThe.City for the whole programme.
Tae-Hyung Kim works for the Metropolitan Government since 2015 as a Director-general of the Urban Space Improvement Bureau. Here he focusses on planning and managing key urban projects of the Seoul metropolitan government, such as Seoullo, Sewon Sky walkways and Reaching Out Community Service Center.
Organic cheese, innovations, local vegetables, dancing with refugees, knitted ties, music and theatre – you can find it all at the (free) markets at WeMakeThe.City.
You can visit these markets during the weekend, throughout the city – the B Good Marketplace and Social Summer Market take place on Thursday, June 21.
Rob van Kranenburg (1964) is the Founder of IoT Council and renowned moderator and speaker on IoT and smart cities. He works as Ecosystem Manager for the EU projects Tagitsmart and Next Generation Internet.
Rob van Kranenburg is part of the Trust Framework break-out session, in the second round of the break-out sessions (14:15-15:15h) of the day conference Next Generation Cities on
Thursday June 21.
Annet van Otterloo is a project manager for Freehouse (Rotterdam) and a representative for the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperative, a cooperative on the scale of the neighbourhood. The coop creates opportunities through the provision of skill-based labour, training, services, and products to enhance the self-organising ability while trying not to waste talent and human capital.
Annet van Otterloo has a background in (social) history and has a broad experience in (art) projects in public space.
You can’t create a smart city on your own. That’s why you can visit several events at WeMakeThe.City, to talk and think about, look at and work on the city of the future. Free access to all activities with your Festival Pass!
Thursday 21 June, is the kick-off of Amsterdam Smart City | The New Chapter, at
QFactory. Together with all stakeholders, it celebrates a decade of Amsterdam Smart City, which was founded to gather all knowledge, skills and networks in order to make fundamental changes to the city.
What smart actually looks like, you can find out the very same day at the Smart and Electronic Mobility Expo. At the Gustav Mahler
Plein you can watch new, innovative ways of transport, like the supersonic solar car by the award-winning Nuon Solar Team. The expo is open until Sunday 24 June.
On
Friday June 22, there are even more demonstrations of clever innovation at the Smart Neighbourhood Workshop in Building E27 of Makerversity. There are solutions for the growth, safety and sustainability of transport in the city. And if you dare, you can test drive already existing vehicles of the future.
On Saturday 23 June, you can help think about the role of citizens in the development of smart cities. The interactive Smart City Workshop (Dutch only!) at the NEMO City Lab lets you answer questions such as: What makes you happy in the city? and: How do you feel about public values like privacy, autonomy and justice?
And starting from Thursday, you can get on top of things every day, on the roof of Building 002 at the former navy area. The short Smart Roof Expedition will teach you how to transform a bituminous roof into a green, self-sustaining oasis, which contributes to a better city climate.
The fashion industry leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to sustainability. The multidisciplinary event We Make
M-ODE, organised by Stichting
M-ODE, offers an insight into the possibilities – through fashion shows and other fashionable activities. You can visit them during WeMakeThe.City for inspiration on how to make and enjoy innovative and sustainable fashion.
WOW Fashion Inside Out Over the weekend, you can visit a dazzling, futuristic and sustainable fashion spectacle on the Bos en Lommerplein, offering a fashion show, workshops, and other fashion-related activities.
Designer Pop-Up Shop And in VondelCS a Pop-Up Shop will open its doors, with sustainable designer labels, an exhibition, a masterclass, a documentary on Frank Govers and a show
customising the legendary designer’s most iconic looks with textile waste from Kings Day.
On the grounds of Westergasfabriek, several contemporary fashion designers will present their new collection over the course of four days. Bas Koster will create clothes on the spot, from a huge pile of textile waste. Sophie Roumans and the duo Yasmina Ajbilou and Lynn Kate Rosdorff are also into recycling, as are LEBL + Lhana Marlet. Judith van Vliet x Amber Ambrose Aurèle create sustainable fashion bordering on art, with a great eye for detail, just like fashion colleague Merel van Glabbeek.
Overview events on the grounds of Westergas:
20 – 23 June Machinegebouw (Westergasfabriek)
Bas Kosters &Team – The making of a new collection by Bas Kosters Studio, using a huge pile of textile waste collected in Amsterdam. – Pop Up Atelier (open daily & free of charge).
Do you have some time, skills and would you like to be involved in your city’s future? Click here to volunteer for WeMakeThe.City, the largest city festival in the world. In and around Amsterdam from 20 to 24 June. Make it happen, make your city!
Vancluysen is the Secretary-General at Polis, a network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport.
She was working as the network’s Research Director for eight years before being appointed as Executive Director in 2014. Prior to that, she was a senior research coordinator at the organisation. Before joining the network she was Network Manager at ACCESS-EUROCITIES for a New Mobility Culture and project manager at Langzaam Verkeer, a Belgian center for mobility management. Since 1998, she has been involved in urban transport networking and policy activities and many EU transport and urban mobility projects as a partner, work package leader, and project coordinator.
