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

The first edition of WeMakeThe. City is a fact. The 5-day festival included numerous programmes and activities about working together to make the Amsterdam metropolitan region better: fairer, more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive. The past days were eventful. Energies and conversations were ignited during a wide range of conferences, urban talks, exhibitions, open houses that showed how much we can accomplish when we collaborate. 

This photo report gives you an impression of the more than 250 special programmes that took place last week. See below a selection of programmes that show the diverse valuable initiatives that work together to make this city. Join us on a journey through the universe of WeMakeThe.City 2018.

Co-creatie event: Regio Amsterdam 2025 – 2050
The Wednesday at WeMakeThe.City started at Pakhuis de Zwijger with a co-creation session of the Amsterdam region 2025-2050. Citizens and inhabitants came together to design the future of the metropolitan region. What is valuable and what do we want to keep? What do we want to add, build and give attention to? The results were as creative, as they were diverse.

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Living Lab North Tour
The Living Lab North Tour took visitors on a tour to see the latest developments in Amsterdam-Noord, starting at Ferrotopia at NDSM-wharf, the tour went to MX3D, Circular Buiksloterham and De Ceuvel, ending at the A’DAM Tower at Overhoeks.

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We Make M-ODE x Bas Kosters Studio
Bas Kosters Studio created a whole new fashion line from plastic waste in just three days. The results were presented in a fashion show on the terrain of the Westergasfabriek.

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Opening Night: Setting the Urban Agenda of Tomorrow
WeMakeThe. City celebrates urban life and everything beautiful that makes the city a better place. The Opening Night on Wednesday 20 June, was opened by a warm welcome of festival director Egbert Fransen and city council member Udo Kock. Afterward, Kate Raworth, Toni L. Griffin, Francesca Bria, Gabriella Gómez-Mont, Aisha Bin Bishr, Marleen Stikker, Marjan Minnesma, Nicole Maarsen, Eva Gladek, Arna Mackic, Flor Avelino and Orville Breeveld gave their answers to the central questions of the first edition of WeMakeThe.City: In what kind of city do we want to live in five, ten or fifteen years? How do we collectively make the city more inclusive, sustainable, affordable, safe and prosperous?

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Speakers Event
On Thursday night we hosted a special event in het Stedelijk Museum where all the local, national and international speakers, experts, entrepreneurs and partners could reflect on what they’ve seen, heard and learned.  

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Amsterdam Innovation Tour
Amsterdam Smart City and the City of Amsterdam launched the new, innovative mobile app Innovation Tour Amsterdam and took us on a tour see the results. The app guides you past all of the innovative developments taking place in the city, sharing interesting facts.

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Pay Attention Please!
On Friday the art manifestation Pay Attention Please! celebrated the launch of the Get Lost Art Route with a speech by the recently elected alderman Touria Meliani. For this project, eleven leading art institutes in Amsterdam joined forces to show the richness of the city’s public space.

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Wasteland – Kadir van Lohuizen
On Friday Night we opened the remarkable art installation Wasteland made by Kadir van Lohuizen. The artist captured the waste stream of five metropolitan areas including his hometown Amsterdam. The results are now to be seen on the pier next to Eye in Amsterdam-Noord. The exhibition will be on view until September.

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Close to Reality
The exhibition Close to Reality shows 50 scaled models of the different districts. From regional scale to actual buildings. And from concepts to final designs of urban spaces and architecture. The exhibition at Zuiderkerk shows the tremendous efforts required in arriving at a final design and creates an opportunity for the audience to imagine and discuss the challenges of (current and future) city planning.

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We Feed The City
On Saturday and Sunday, the food festival We Feed the City took over the yard of KIT (the Royal Tropical Institute). You could pass by to taste delicious and sustainably produced delights from local tastemakers.

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CryptoFood Dinner at Ferrotopia
The architectural art installation, Ferrotopia by Joep van Lieshout hosted a 2-day performative food spectacle. Joep van Lieshout and chef Derk Jan Woolrink experimented with the food of the future.

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Fruittuin van West
The Fruittuin van West is the green oasis of WeMakeThe.City. They hosted daily events for all ages, where you could learn more about bees, gardening and seed bombs. You could pick flowers and taste fresh fruits and vegetables. In the evening, you could visit the outdoor theater play Missie zkt Massa about the disconnect between ideals and reality.

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WOW Fashion Inside Out
On Sunday, WOW transformed Bos en Lommerplein into one big, futuristic fashion spectacle. Visitors could stop by to upcycle old clothes and fabrics into tote bags. Additionally, you could participate in workshops with big fashion talents.

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Smart & Electronic Mobility Expo
On Gustav Mahlerplein on the Zuidas, visitors could take a good look at the transportation of the future. The Solar Car by NUON and TU Delft – since five years the uncontested winner of the solar race – was only one of the many technological innovations on view. Other impressive vehicles included the electric Jaguar oldtimer and the tiny house on wheels.

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WeMakeThe.City together
The images above only show the tip of the iceberg. During the festival, the inventiveness and collective power of the people living in the city was underlined by the positive spirit of the participating initiatives, companies, partners, entrepreneurs and citizens. A big thank you to everyone who participated, showed up and helped us think of a better future for our cities. See you next year!

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