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Five days of making the city better, together at WeMakeThe.City 2018

25 Jun The first edition of WeMakeThe.City is a fact. The 5-day festival included numerous programmes and activities about making the Amsterdam metropolitan region better: fairer, more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive. Read this brief journal of the festivities.

Next Generations Cities: ‘Who owns the city?’

25 Jun On Thursday the 21st of June, the exciting conference Next Generation Cities took place. During the conference the positive and negative effects of technology were debated. How do we make sure that technology makes cities better?

The Weekend of WeMakeThe.City

24 Jun 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.

Friday at WeMakeThe.City

22 Jun 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.

Thursday at WeMakeThe.City

20 Jun Everyday we present a preview of the day to come. Thursday is a day of connection, through citizens' initiatives, conferences and exhibitions.

Wednesday at WeMakeThe.City

19 Jun WeMakeThe.City finally starts! With on Wednesday, programmes which immediately affect the city and its region, by getting people together, engaging in conversation and creating things.

WeMakeThe.City: find your market

06 Jun 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.

Think, talk, watch and work the Smart City

31 May 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!

Sustainability in Fashion

28 May The fashion industry leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to sustainability. The multidisciplinary event We Make M-ODE shows the way forward from 20-24 June.

Volunteer for WeMakeThe.City

28 May Do you have some time, skills and would you like to be involved in your city’s future? 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!

Karen Vancluysen

14 May 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.

Aisha Bin Bishr

07 May Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr is the Director General of the Smart Dubai Office, overseeing Dubai’s smart transformation. She is a speaker at Setting the Urban Agenda of Tomorrow on Wednesday, June 20 and Next Generation Cities on Thursday, June 21.

Shishani Vranckx

07 May Shishani is a talented singer-songwriter with Namibian and Belgian roots, who grew up in the Netherlands. In her songs, she's bringing these worlds together. She's a speaker at Setting the Urban Agenda of Tomorrow on Wednesday, June 20.

Child Translators in the Spotlight

04 May Expo The social artists collective Moving Arts Project documented children that are translating for their parents and thus mediate between two worlds. The exhibition TransTaalKInderen (Trans Language Children), will open with a special meet-up on Friday, June 22.

Jan Rothuizen

04 May Urban talks Artist Jan Rothuizen is known for his unorthodox ‘maps’ of reality. He documents his surroundings in a very personal way, using both fictional and journalistic elements. The artist is a speaker at An Ode to Urbanisation on Friday, June 22.

Festive Pre-launch of WMTC on 26 April

23 Apr On April 26, the festive pre-launch of WeMakeThe.City will take place. Various initiators are being interviewed and together we look forward to the festival that makes cities better.

A Guided Tour through Van Eycks Orphanage

23 Apr Open house The former orphanage at the IJsbaanpad, designed by Aldo van Eyck, will be open for guided tours during the WeMakeThe.City weekend of 23 and 24 June.

Wasteless Wednesday Dinner

23 Apr Open house On Wednesday, June 20 you can join the Wasteless Wednesday Dinner - a delicious vegan/vegetarian meal made from food waste.

Fun- and Food-filled Day at Artists’ Nieuw en Meer

23 Apr Open house The artists’ community Nieuw en Meer will open its doors on Saturday, June 23. Expect exhibitions, workshops, music, edible flowers and books for free.

Urban Religion

23 Apr Urban talks How do people in the city perceive religion? And how did religion impact the city? These are the subjects of inspiring Urban Religion lectures in the Westerkerk on Thursday, June 22.

Pay Attention Please! – Framer Framed

23 Apr Routes The Turkish, Amsterdam-based Suat Ögut is an artist pushed by Framer Framed. His work will be shown during WeMakeThe.City, as part of the manifestation Pay AttentionPlease!, which will open on June 21.

Wanted: Volunteers

21 Apr We are looking for you! Are you committed, enthusiastic and not afraid to get your hands dirty? Are you a hero? Sign up as a volunteer for WeMakeThe.City!

Sound As a Citymaker

18 Apr Expo How does a good city sound? You can find out at the exhibition Sound as a Citymaker, at the Architecture Centre Amsterdam (Arcam) - the result of a research project on sound creating a better city.

Ethan Kent

17 Apr Ethan Kent works at PPS in New York, supporting placemaking organisations, projects, and leadership around the world. He will speak about his experiences at the conference Co-Creating the City on Thursday 21 June.

Ger Baron

17 Apr Ger Baron is the first Chief Technology Officer of Amsterdam; he’s responsible for innovation in the city. He will share his experiences at the conference Together - Strategies on How to Make the City of Tomorrow on Wednesday 20 June.

Christian Iaione

17 Apr Professor Christian Iaione works in Rome and has started several urban projects in which various urban stakeholders work together on the public space in the city. He will share his experiences at the conference Co-Creating the City on Thursday, June 21.

Gil Kelley

16 Apr Gil Kelley is an internationally recognised urban strategist and visionary, currently serving as the General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability for Vancouver. He is a speaker at the conference Up Close and Liveable on Friday, 22 June.

Everyone Healthy in the City

16 Apr Your environment influences your health. During this conference on 21 June, various aspects of this issue will be discussed, the key question being: how do we keep everyone healthy in the city?

SEEYOU@ART Presents: SEEYOU@ART Preview

16 Apr Saturday, 23June, is the day SEEYOU@ART will bring the passage at De Hallen - near Gallery ‘Beeldend gesproken’ to life with an exhibition of visual art, bodypainting, textile art, workshops and exciting art objects.

Adele Tan

09 May Adele Tan is Group Director of Strategic Planning, responsible for the long-term land use planning for Singapore, making it a great city to live, work and play. She is a speaker at the conference Up Close and Liveable on Friday, 22 June.

Kristiaan Borret

09 May Kristiaan Borret is an urban designer, former Government Architect in Antwerp and he teaches Architecture and Design at different Belgian universities. He is a speaker at the conference Up Close and Liveable on Friday, 22 June.

Toni L. Griffin

13 Apr Designer, planner, and researcher Toni Griffin works in New York and will speak, on June 20 and 21, about the 'just city': what is the impact of design and planning on the inclusiveness of cities and neighbourhoods?

New Tokyo Story

13 Apr New Tokyo Story is a symposium on Saturday 23 June, on the extraordinary urban development in Tokyo, where large-scale government funded transformations go hand in hand with small-scale bottom-up initiatives.

Eva Gladek

13 Apr Conference Industrial ecologist Eva Gladek, founder and CEO of Metabolic, uses systems thinking to tackle critical sustainability challenges. She is a speaker at the conference Setting the Urban Agenda of Tomorrow on Wednesday, June 20.

Visit A Lab, a Living City Lab

12 Apr Conference On 23 and 24 June, A Lab organises all kinds of activities; taste new types of lettuce, let music inspire you and visit a play in the former Shell lab!

WeMakeThe.City in North

12 Apr Noord is a city district with a rich history and many faces. On 23 and 24 June you can discover what is being done, build, made and celebrated here. Feel free to participate!

Karl-Filip Coenegrachts

11 Apr Karl-Filip Coenegrachts is a Smart City Innovation Accelerator and specialises in the use of ICT to improve the living and working environment. He will speak at the conference Co-Creating the City on June 21.

Levente Polyák

11 Apr Urban planner, researcher and policy advisor Levente Polyák is a specialist in bringing together urban revitalisation and community participation. He will speak about this subject at the conference Co-Creating the City on 21 June.

April 26: Festive Prelaunch WeMakeThe.City

11 Apr On 26 April there will be a festive prelaunch of WeMakeThe.City. We invite you to join us and our partners to have a sneak preview of the programme of the biggest city festival of Europe.

Sheila Foster

10 Apr Conference Professor Sheila Foster specialises in 'environmental justice': how do we ensure both environmental benefits and environmental taxes are distributed fairly in the city? She is a speaker at the conference Co-Creating the City on Thursday, June 21.

Gabriella Gómez-Mont

14 May Gabriella Gómez-Mont is the founder of Laboratorio para la Ciudad, the experimental arm and creative think tank of the Mexico City government, and a creative advisor to several cities, universities and companies.

Anni Sinnemäki

02 May Sinnemäki is deputy mayor of Helsinki, responsible for real estate and city planning. From 2017 onwards she is the deputy mayor for Urban Environment. She speaks at Co-Creating the City on 21 June.

You Make WeMakeThe.City: Join the Meetup on 18 April

31 Mar Wednesday 18 April, you can come along to an information evening at Pakhuis de Zwijger from 17:00 – 19:00. Everyone is welcome to join!

Bos en Lommerplein will be WOW-ed in a spectacular fashion

18 May Special WOW Amsterdam will transform the Bos en Lommerplein in Amsterdam-West on Sunday, June 24: the market square will become a futuristic, sustainable fashion spectacle. With workshops and all kinds of activities for all ages, aiming to create awareness for the urgent need for making the fashion industry sustainable. So, bring your clothing and some (plastic) … Continue reading Bos en Lommerplein will be WOW-ed in a spectacular fashion

Kate Raworth

27 Mar Conference Kate Raworth is a groundbreaking economist and opens the festival on Wednesday, June 20, with a keynote about her work on the ‘doughnut economy’, an economic model balancing between essential human needs and planetary boundaries.

Co-Creating the City

27 Mar Conference During this conference on 21 June, we will have a dialogue with practitioners and city representatives to exchange experiences with a variety of approaches; ranging from co-creation to participatory governance and decision-making.

Charles Landry

04 Jun Charles Landry is a speaker at the conference Co-Creating the City on Thursday, June 21. He is an international authority on the use of imagination and creativity in urban change, and inventor of the concept of The Creative City.

Martijn de Waal

26 Mar Urban talks Martijn de Waal is a writer and researcher focussing on the relation between digital media and urban culture, with a specific interest in public space.

Amsterdam City Archives Show How the City Was Made

26 Mar Open house At the City Archives you can discover how the city was made. You can also visit the treasuries of the archive for free!

Art on the Streets in the New West District

26 Mar Expedition Discover the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam, one of the first recognised street art museums in the world. Let local guides tell you the stories behind each work of art, and experience the alternative Amsterdam.

Pay Attention Please!

23 Mar Routes Wander around the Zuidas, be surprised in New West, get acquainted with the many faces of North, explore the East, roam the wharf of NDSM, and check out the Red Light District from a different point of view.

Hopp, Get On the Roof!

23 Mar Routes Hopp is reopening its doors at the Eerste Ringdijk! It is more than just an inspiring green roof; it is the place to be for a special beer.

Co-creation with The Beach

23 Mar Workshop In Osdorp you can join workshops at The Beach on 23 and 24 June. How can you shape your neighbourhood? How can you improve it, together with others?

Get Lost at the Zuidas

23 Mar Routes GET LOST will be opened on June 22: young artists connect themselves to the Zuidas by designing a reality check in public space.

Waternet is Committing to Climate Adaptation in the Metropolitan Region

23 Mar Waternet is a programme partner to WeMakeThe.City and will focus on getting climate adaptation included on the agenda, during a conference on June 21.

HvA Examins and Educates the City

23 Mar A large group of students of programme partner HvA will visit neighbourhoods and boroughs in the city and its region on Wednesday, June 20 with a WeMakeThe.City survey, posing the key question: What kind of city do we want to live, reside and work in?

Together – Strategies on How to Make the City of Tomorrow

23 Mar The keynote speakers' programme on Wednesday morning, June 20: 09.30 - 12.30 at the NDSM: How the world’s urban challenges are effectively approached in collaboration.

We Charge The City

21 Mar Conference Do you want to know the future of energy, behaviorism and the smart livable city? Would you like to find out how you can connect with the frontrunners as a creative professional, scientist or policy maker? Join us at CHARGE on June 21!

Adventures in a Beer Bottle

21 Mar Routes Go on an adventure with Oedipus on June 23 and 24: discover the diversity of beer in the city!

Modelling Agency ARCAM

21 Mar Architecture on the catwalk! Admire maquettes made by several architectural offices front row during WeMakeThe.City.

Day of Architecture at the Zuidas

21 Mar Special WeMakeThe.City takes place during the Month of Architecture. On Sunday 24 June Arcam organises a programme with tours featuring the impressive architecture at the Zuidas.

Rabobank Wants a Robust Food System in the region

21 Mar Rabobank is a main partner of WeMakeThe.City and the conference on ‘Food in the City and its Region’. Important issues around food need to be addressed in the next few years and we will make a start on June 21!

The City of Amsterdam as a Founding Partner

21 Mar The first three editions (2018-2020) of WeMakeThe.City will be subsidised by the City of Amsterdam. Apart from co-initiating the festival, Amsterdam is also programme and media partner.

ABN AMRO Pushes Circular Economy

20 Mar ABNAMRO is one WeMakeThe.City’s main partners, contributing with its circular pavilion CIRCL. From Thursday 21 until Sunday 24 June all kinds of activities will take place at this Zuidas festival centre, for professionals, students, entrepreneurs and locals.