Urban Fruit and Vegetables

I just came across two great initiatives which could be very useful on the way towards a more integrated urban farming strategy for Amsterdam Noord.

In terms of mapping potential (semi-)public green spaces in the city the idea behind the Urbana-Champaign Fruit Map, initiated by the people from La Casa Urbana, is interesting. This Google Maps community map presents publicly accesible fruit trees in the neighbourhood of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Everyone can add to the map and make use of the map for his or her everyday dose of free fresh and ripe fruit.

via The Pop Up City

Noord has a huge amount of unused or unmaintained ‘green’ structure, ranging from infrastructural residual space to plenty of messy, grown-over gardens in the old neighbourhoods. For an inventarisation of these spaces and their potential such a map could be very useful.

The second initiative is a public allotment garden on a small, unused plot in Amsterdam, Ijburg developed by Rudy Luijters for Het Blauwe Huis. The inhabitants of Blok 35  maintain the garden collectively and share the harvest, but also visitors  and people of the neighbourhood can use  the garden 24/7 if they want to. All of the plants in the garden are eatible.

via Het Blauwe Huis

This is a great example of how unused green space can be turned into a communal practice.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, International Practice, National Practice , Het Blauwe Huis, Mapping, Puplic Space, Urban Farming

Moving Movement

We haven’t been posting for a while right now,  and the same will be true for most of august. This is mainly due to our insatiable need for holiday. But also, after the well deserved holiday break, our office will be moving to this great new location in the Tolhuistuin (former Shell headquarters), right behind Amsterdam Central Station. We are very excited and looking forward to move into the Staalvilla, which is the former cooperate hospital of the Shell Foundation, together with exciting co-inhabitants like Archis, Golfstromen and many more.
But this whole holiday thing is not to say that our primary drifts are satisfied, even if we are not working, working. Just a few weeks ago Joost bought this huge good old German bus, which is right now located directly at the IJ in Amsterdam and turning slowly into a workplace-hangout-garden-apartment. Just a small bike ride north, I bought this allotment-garden-290 square meter-playground which hopefully is turning more and more into a small Freistaat during the summer.

We’ll keep you updated on the progress.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord , Staalvilla, Tolhuistuin

Final Presentations at Amsterdam City Hall

Last week the university minor program ‘Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropolis’ reached it’s ‘official’ tipping point at the Amsterdam City Hall. The students presented the results of their 16 weeks lasting full time research trajectory to the mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen and an elaborate jury of professional social engineers. The jury consisted of Linda Brasz (foreperson, chief secretary borough Amsterdam North), Franka Kanters (manager at private social housing cooperation Ymere), Jos Gadet (senior policy maker at the Department of Spatial Planning Amsterdam) and Bert de Reuver (member directory board IIS). The students seized the moment to put forward their case in front of this audience of influential ‘agents of change’.

Here are some impressions of the showdown:

Photo’s by Bert Elzerman.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, Social Engineering, Teaching , Amsterdam, Jan Rothuizen, Office for Social Engineering, Research

Intervention: De Kast van Noord: An exchange closet

by Koen Elzerman

Students Joeri Jörg and Koen Elzerman initiated a place where people can leave items (clothes, books, sleeping-bags and domestic products) which they do not need anymore, while other people still might be happy with it. In this manner people can contribute to the daily-struggle that people have to cope with their limited economic situation. Amsterdam North is a district with many socio-economic problems, and the exchange closet delivers a micro-economic service for those who need it.

Similar to this alternative form of recycling, the focus lies on informing people about homelessness and addiction as important societal issues. The city of Amsterdam wants to initiate new asylums spread over the city, but history has shown some bad examples of starting such an asylum. The NIMBY-effect (‘Not In My Backyard’) can ruin the relation between asylum and neighbourhood, while people rarely realise that the asylum fulfils an important part of the societal needs. Above that, the line between having a house and homelessness is not that big as people might think. It does not take very much to lose your house and become homeless, especially in Amsterdam North.

The crew exists of people who have lived on the street, have been addicted or have worked in prostitution. They concentrate on telling their personal stories to the visitors of the Mosveld market, the place where the closet is situated. Goal is to decrease the NIMBY-feelings which people have in relation to these marginalised groups of society.

The launch on Saturday 13^th of June showed that people respond very positive on this form of interaction. Most of them understood the importance of facilities for homeless and addicted people, and several people spoke out their enthusiasm about the project. One of the strengths of the closet is that it does not only serve the homeless and addicted people: it also benefits the local residents and the deprived neighbourhood around the Mosveld market.

Pictures by Bert Elzerman.

Publications in the media (NoordNieuws (2), De Echo and Het Parool), widespread enthusiasm by project partners, the city district of  Amsterdam North and housing corporation Ymere, social partners and the local residents form the basis of a long term continuation of the project.

After the successful launch of the closet, both students are now in discussion with several social partners, in order to ensure the sustainability of the intervention. The students will be related to the project until these negotiations result in a societal coalition which can maintain the exchange closet as a social facility, embedded in the neighbourhood.

You can also view the final presentation of the ‘Addicted to the City’ case at the Amsterdam City Hall last week.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, National Practice, Press, Social Engineering, Teaching , Amsterdam, Intervention, Office for Social Engineering, Public Space, Research, Social Action

Intervention: The Floating Market

How can old and new communities be connected through a new form of social architecture?

The 4 students of the Overhoeks/Van der Pek case researched the possibilities of improving social ties between two neighbourhoods in Amsterdam:  Overhoeks and Van der Pek. The former is being developed at the moment, the latter is and ‘old, traditional neighbourhood in town.  What’s special is that the two are situated literally in each others shadow. According to the students, improving social ties implies “encountering each other on a regular bases in a natural and informal way”. To empower this process, the students developed the concept of the ‘Floating Market’. Their pilot was situated on the Johan van Hasseltkanaal, which wasn’t more than a physical barrier between the two neighbourhoods before their intervention. The ‘Floating Market’ transformed this barrier into a place where people can meet. The concept is based on the floating gardens developed by ‘Provo’ Robert Jasper Grootveld. The gardens consist of 1,00 x 1,00 x 0,50 foam blocks,  each of them having a floating capacity of 500 kilograms. Tied together, these foam blocks form an incredibly stable floating surface.

Based on a purely economic relation the market could function as a shared icon for the two neighbourhoods and also as a positive impulse for the wider area as well.

Here are some impressions of this very sucesful day:

Pictures by Roland Pupupin.

You can also view the final presentation of the Overhoeks/vd Pek Team at the Amsterdam City Hall last week.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, Social Engineering, Teaching , Amsterdam, Intervention, Office for Social Engineering, Public Space, Research

Intervention: Making the invisible, visible: The Secret of North

by Flora Lysen

Is there a way to involve neighborhood residents with a developing city park?

The 4 students of the ‘Green Team’ of the minor ‘Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropolis’ researched the development of the new ‘Noorderpark’, an urban park that is now being developed into one of the largest city parks of Amsterdam. Compared to other parks in the city, the Noorderpark is lagging behind in the number and diversity of its park visitors. Can the Noorderpark become as widely and highly appreciated as the popular Westerpark or the Vondelpark?

The Green Team observed a remarkable ‘invisibility’ of the Noorderpark within the adjacent neighborhoods and the borough of Amsterdam Noord. Together they created an elaborate ‘visibility’ campaign with green ‘welcome in my backyard’ posters on the windows of empty social housing, with guerilla sign posting all over the neighborhood and, together with the people of ‘Streetprov Amsterdam’, they organized a performance and a video about the ‘secret of North’: the beautiful Noorderpark.

The guys from Streetprov also made an edit of the ‘Tour de IJ’:

more about “Streetprov! – Videos“, posted with vodpod

You can also view the final presentation the Green Team gave at the Amsterdam City Hall last week.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, National Practice, Social Engineering, Teaching, Uncategorized , Amsterdam, Geheim van Noord, Intervention, Office for Social Engineering, Public Space, Streetprov

Yes, we can, intervene!

In the fourth section of Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropolis all came down to the ‘can do’ mentality of the students. In this section the participants were asked to sketch different future scenario’s on their case and to identify the necessary ingredients and drivers which ultimately make their interventions autarc and  sustainable.

Here are some of  the scenario’s for intervention sketched during the the presentation last week:

The students of the Overhoeks/van der Pek case presented their plans for a floating market on a canal which is at the moment nothing more than a physical barrier between the two neighbourhoods they are researching. The intention is to transform this physical barrier on the basis of an economic relationship into a place were people can meet and participate.

case Overhoeks/ van der Pek

case Overhoeks /van der Pek

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The students from the  ‘Addicted to the City’ case presented their plans for what they called a ’street closet’. The intention is to set up a ‘barter closet’ on a central location in Amsterdam Noord. The closet will ideally be run by (homeless) people from the neighbourhood. Through a small barter exchange system (you can take something, whenyou bring something) were people, on the one hand, can come for fundamental necessities such as clothing and food, and on the other hand get information about living on the street and the people it concerns, the group intends to bridge the gap between the homeless people and the surrounding neighbourhood through information and facilitation.

case 'Addicted to the City'

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‘Doing Green’ is the third case of the program. The students research focuses on how to bring about participation for the newly developed Noorderpark in the neighbouring districts. From neighbourhood meetings to interviews and existing practices this ‘wishtree’ was one of the research results.

case 'Doing Green'

Their intervention focuses around the idea of a huge picnictable in the park. The table will most probably be build in cooperation with the local community.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, National Practice, Social Engineering, Teaching

Provocation, Information, Facilitation!

After another month of hard work and research, the students presented the results of the third section of Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropole. The section was called ’strategies for intervention’ and our students did come up with a whole spectrum of innovative strategies for tackling the wicked problems they are dealing with.

Here are some of the results presented:

Project ‘Overhoeks/ Van der Pek’:

Integration reversed: The idea is to set up an integration program for middle class newcomers to the recently developed Overhoeks district. The program is focusing on history, habits and people of Amsterdam Noord and the neighbouring district Van der Pek . The course will be set up and taught in cooperation with the local community. Through this, important information can be distributed through informal channels and exchange between newcomers and the local community is facilitated.

case ‘Overhoeks/ vd Pek’

Floating Market: The idea is to transform the physical barrier (water, channel) between the two neighboorhoods into a place where people meet. On the basis of an economic-recreational  impuls people are brought together and exchange is again being facilitated.

Project ‘Addicted to the City’:

The students presented an incredible detailed analyses of the complex arena and the relationships they have been investigating.  To remind you: Their task is to facilitate the implementation of a shelter for homeless and addict people in Amsterdam Noord. For the first time all key players on the issue, addicts, homeless, politicians, housing cooperations, police, neighboorhoods, local media…you name it, have been brought into the picture and tested if their attitudes on the issue and their intiatives are bulletproof for the tasks to come. What they found was a severe lack of communication between the different players, after all. Their strategy towards intervention is consisting of a kind neighboorhood contract based on information and communication.

via foodgrainbank

Project ‘Doing Green’:

On the basis of the results presented from the first two sections the projectgroup developed a multi-level scenario for their intervention to come. One scenario is centered around the concept of the ‘Table of Noord’. The idea is to place a gigantic table in the park where people can come together and events can take place. Another scenario is creating attention through ‘orchestrated provocation’. Blokking bike routes to get people in the park, announcing the cutting of trees to get people involved out of resistance or breaking through the nearby dam to ‘increase visibility’. The last scenario is based on strategic information concerning parts of the new and the old park at the same time through different kinds of media. For example, they proposed setting up a webcam where people from their homes can at any time see what’s going on in the park.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, Teaching

going local: mental mapping

Last week the students presented their results from the ‘going local’ section of the interdisciplinary minor ‘Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropole’. After having aquired a global insight in the practice of social engineering in the first section, it was now time to get to know their own research field from the inside out. They were asked to develop a local perspectieve on the case, build up their own network of relevant actors, shareholders and dissidents and ‘go local’ for real. In the proces of mapping their subjective findings they were during three weeks guided and assisted by Jan Rothuizen.

Here are some of the results presented @ Febolab:

case 'addicted to the city'

social facilities map: the map shows the dispersion of the existing social facilities across Amsterdam. note: the students are investigating the possibilities for the northern area of town.

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case 'doing green'

‘green vinger map‘: the map is capturing differences in visibility of the park from the surrounding neighborhoods. from a grassroots perspective the students mapped different perceptions and usages of the area, as well as the different functions the park has for the people who live there.

other aspects during this territorial investigation have been alternative forms of recreation, litter, sports and dog excrements.

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case 'overhoeks vd pek'

picture map: the map intends to capture as many open observations of the two neighboring districts as possible. The students came up with a extensive overview of users and usage. Further more they concluded with some interesting observations:

- ‘recreational segregation’: if people have free time, they won’t spend it together

- ‘the concrete neighborhood’ vs. ‘green city at the sea’

In the next section of the program the students are developing different strategies towards a concret intervention at the end of the program.

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Maakbaarheid in de Grote Stad, Teaching , Jan Rothuizen, Mental Mapping

Impressies uit het Febolab

Filed under: Amsterdam Noord, Uncategorized