Join the Amsterdam City Challenge!

Amsterdam urban challenges

Living, working and doing business in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (AMA) is more appealing than ever before. As one of the leading economic centers in Europe, Amsterdam offers a great quality of life which continues to attract new residents.

As the city becomes more densely populated, city authorities face the growing challenge of ensuring that citizens have affordable and sustainable energy and mobility options. To ensure we keep Amsterdam as a clean and healthy city, and to achieve our carbon emission goals by 2030, we want to encourage accelerated innovation and support the development of new, smart technologies. Amsterdam City Challenge will allow us to do this in a joint effort with citizens.

The city challenges you will be tackling:

Mobility

  • How can we organize the supply of fresh food and beverages in the city, in a more efficient manner?
  • How can we improve management of the mobility flows to major tourist attractions more effectively, such as the Zandvoort beach on sunny days?
  • How can we increase the safety of cyclists with respect to congestion on the bike paths and roads (i.e. electric bikes, cargo bikes, and regular bikes)?

Mobility challenges

How can we organize the logistics in the area in a more efficient manner?

Mobility challenges

How can we stimulate less cars in city centers?

For energy transition, which is a process that will involve not only technological but also social innovation and new business models, challenges are:

  • Taking the Haparandadam as a point of inspiration, how can we install solar power in unusual places?
  • How can we make data centers greener?

Alderman Marieke van Doorninck on how to use the heat created by data centers

Energy challenges

How can we make the energy transition inclusive for all groups of society?

Energy challenges

Bringing together new perspectives on the energy transition

Innovate the city in 24-hours

The Municipality of Amsterdam, with the leadership of the Chief Technology Officer, Metropolitan region Amsterdam and the Climate Neutral program, has teamed up with EIT Climate-KIC and AMS Institute to work together on designing urban solutions for the City’s urban challenges. This unique initiative is also supported by the WeMakeThe.City festival and Amsterdam Smart City.

During the 24 hours, the participants will be guided by experts from the energy and mobility sectors. At the end of the event, a panel of experts from different backgrounds will select the winning teams and award each team with in-kind prizes. One such prize is the opportunity to pitch your idea for a large audience at numerous WeMakeThe.City festival stages.

How to participate in the Amsterdam Sustainable City Challenge?

Do you have innovative ideas on how to tackle these issues and would you like to develop these ideas further? You are welcome to join the 24-hour contest! The contest will start Sunday June 16 12:00h and will conclude June 17 12:00h.

Or are you eager to see what people come up with in 24 hours? Please join the final two hours of the Challenge on Monday around 10 o'clock. During these hours all teams will present their ideas and a jury will select the winning teams. This is open for anyone, but registration is mandatory because there is limited seating.

Register here to join the Amsterdam Sustainable City Challenge.

Amsterdam Sustainable City Challenge

Jointly work on the Amsterdam City Challenges

Amsterdam Sustainable City Challenge

Brainstorms & Ideation

Amsterdam Sustainable City Challenge

Generate solutions in 24 hours

For more information on this joint initiative