Where it all ends, I can't fathom my friends

Today was the first full day of the conference, and we generally stayed within Amsterdam. We started at 6:30 with breakfast, and then we were off!

We did lots of nerdy things, starting with understanding Amsterdam’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan. Their five focuses:

1. Polycentric Development (basically, instead of just having one “city center” they want multiple city centers, with growth distributed throughout. Adding additional transit is a big part of this.)
2. Growth within Limits (basically, build up, not out, but also really focus on additional sustainability of older product, so they can add development without more utilization of energy)
3. Sustainable and Healthy Mobility (public space, easy transit access, more green avenues, and cars are “guests” on the streets)
4. Rigorous Greening (parks should become more sustainable, circular agriculture, space for sports and exercise)
5. Making the City Together (equal access and participation in the planning as well as long term usage)

“Everything of value is defenseless” was the mantra of the city planner we met with today. They used it to talk about the water, and the air, and children in particular.

Booking.Com

Then we visited Booking.com – their campus is at the tip of something called the Oosterdokseiland, which is one of the largest urban projects in Western Europe. The campus was built and is operated with a holistic approach – think air quality, daylight, prioritizing movement (they call it “nudging physical movement”), colors, etc. They wanted a work environment that was socially, physically, and mentally healthy for their employees. There is a ton of variety of space, to meet employees where they’re at mentally and physically. Their estimate is that employees come into the office for about 40% of their time.

They achieved a BREEAM Excellent design certificate, which is not a program we have in the US, because we prefer low standards.

(for the record, for any of you not quiet as excited as I am to book things on my own directly, their focus is travel booking, and definitely a website you could use in place of Orbitz or Kayak, etc.)

FUNENPARK

Then we headed over to tour this project – it is a former industrial site, and now has 550 apartments. It’s a little bit off kilter – they’ve thrown out the rules on traditional sidewalks, for example, and instead have this cool free-form of limestones, which psychologically is meant to reduce mental barriers, and have nature and the built environment connect with each other, instead of just existing next to each other.

It’s technically a master planned community but each building within the community was designed by a different architect so nothing feels homogeneous.

I couldn’t get a picture of it from the ground, so am including this photo. The squares on the roof are actually cut outs- creating enclosed private patios on the 3rd floor.

Green Mile

Not the one you die on with Tom Hanks, but you’d still die here. This street was one that would kill you – it was one of the most polluted and unhealthy streets in the city. Now, there is a movement afoot to green this mile, creating a livable neighborhood for humans, plants and animals. To date they’ve built boulevards for walking, and have planted more than 75,000 plant bulbs.

The movement involved leadership for those already on this section, including the Dutch National Bank. They renovated their space, tearing down an old office tower and replacing it with an urban park, they’ve removed security guards from the main entrances and opened them to the public (in part because they moved their gold out to a more rural area that’s harder to reach – I had lots of “my precious” thoughts), and in May will be adding “vaults” to the park that are specifically for the unhoused population, to have a safe place to store their possessions while they work to get back to traditional housing.

Canals!

It was a long day of thinking and learning, so after 12 hours we headed to the canals, and went on a boat tour. I was exhausted (my little introverted heart couldn’t take too much more of this group stuff) but I was able to have a few deeper conversations, as well as reconnect with some of the friends I had made in Berlin.