What does Amsterdam Local Government do to achieve Data-Driven City Management?
Since 2009, Amsterdam has taken to become a smart city innovator. The city not only sees the opportunity with data for facing complex management but also realizes it must bring a diverse group of private sector stakeholders into smart city development.
Platform connecting government and stakeholders: The City of Amsterdam built up “Amsterdam Smart City” (ASC) initiative, encompassing projects across eight categories: smart mobility, smart living, smart society, smart areas, smart economy, big and open data, infrastructure, and living labs. ASC platform involves more than 70 partners and produces more than 80 pilot projects — including local companies, housing corporations, and residents. For example, the city has begun using GPS data from an Amsterdam-based navigation software and technology provider to help manage traffic flow in real time.
CTO balancing government and companies: ASC has its CTO with a vision for technology and cities to assure the city not being a bunny on the highway while big technology trucks were bearing down on it. Ger Baron took the first Amsterdam CTO. “Every company that comes here and tells us how it works. They’re wrong because they don’t have a clue how a city works,” he says. “There’s a big difference between how people think it works and how it works.” Amsterdam’s government was pushing back to make sure corporate interests didn’t overwhelm civic ones.
City providing tax policies for pilot demonstration: The city designated free ztax zone to incentivize companies to pilot new technologies. Also, it offers reduced-tax to encourage citizens joining in the reform. For instance, citizens who join in waste recycling pilot program could benefit waste-related tax reduction.
Encouraging Technology Institutes to serve the city: In April 2013, the City of Amsterdam held a design contest to create an international technology institute. The winning entry was a collaboration of Delft University of Technology, Wageningen University, and MIT. With a $50 million initial investment, the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) is now a key player in Amsterdam’s smart city efforts.
From ASC, I find the city plays a softer role in the process to make full use of existing resources, including companies and institutions, rather than try to solve everything by itself. To concentrate sparse capital and technology power in every corner of society into smart city management is really smart!
Reference:
http://www.unep.org/energy/portals/50177/DES_District_Energy_Report_full_02_d.pdf
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/six-lessons-from-amsterdams-smart-city-initiative/
