'City-zen Roadshow' Amersfoort - REPORT

Abstract

The City-zen Roadshow travels with a team of internationally recognized experts, in the field of energy planning and design to help develop a sustainable agenda for cities and their neighbourhoods. The overall aim of the Roadshow team is to work closely with people from the hosting city, whether they be city leaders, energy planners, local architect, professionals, academics, students and citizens. The Roadshow normally spends 5 days in each hosting city (in Amersfoort they were a compressed 3 days) to deliver energy and urban design fun-shops in which all local stakeholders are welcome and encouraged to join and to take ownership of the final outcomes, outcomes that will allow the cities resources, both people and energy, to be directed effectively, by highlighting the energy challenges and potentials to be found in their neighbourhoods, and to finally present a sustainable ‘City Vision’.

The following report will describe the activities and outcomes of the City-zen Amersfoort Roadshow that took place in the Netherlands from the 16th to the 18th of October 2019.

The Amersfoort Roadshow would not have been possible without the invitation, passion and commitment of Jo Pieters and Iepe Leeman, the leads of the ‘Samen op weg naar Verduurzaming Binnen de Veste’ project team. Jo and Iepe learnt of the Roadshow and invited it into their city, neighbourhood, workplaces and homes in Amersfoort Binnen de Veste. Equally, a special mention must also go to the Gemeente Amersfoort. In particularly, the working partnership of Hanneke Dekkers (Projectmanager duurzaamheid) and Esther Stadhouders whose organisational skills, patience and perseverance are to be commended, and are of a great asset to the city in which they serve. From the outset with SWAT Studio preparations that began in the months prior to its start in September 2019, their help was key to success and the Roadshows collaborations with the many stakeholders of Amersfoort. The Roadshow is unique in that cities are not officially signed up to the project in any way. Instead cities voluntarily contribute to the project by dedicating time, energy, knowledge, and in many financial support to help bring all the local citizen networks together. This is why the final message of appreciation goes here to Astrid Janssen, Alderman for Sustainability, Spatial Planning and the Environment at the Gemeente Amersfoort. Astrid’s continued personal and high-level support throughout the SWAT and Roadshow set the benchmark in terms of active participation, understanding and diplomacy for this and future sustainability initiatives that value stakeholder collaborations.