Five years ago, I submitted to Amsterdam for an appointment.
When I arrived, I discovered the city that is alive,
I fell in love,
First in the city, and later in my friend.
(Laughter)
I remember how impressed you were
The number of people riding bicycles
How wonderful it was to blend
As if each of them was connected to everyone else.
Then, I was an intern
The Environmental Research Group in Freiburg,
Which is known as one of the world’s most environmentally friendly cities.
There, people often talk about
Riding bikes as a way to protect the planet.
So, when I arrived here and saw these bikes,
I imagined that I had come to the city of environmentalists,
They are tirelessly living a low carbon lifestyle.
Surprisingly, since my first conversations with local residents,
I learned that the Dutch are not exactly green.
They ride their bikes
Because it is simply the most appropriate means,
Faster and cheaper to navigate.
She became fascinated by what I had touched
With this city, friendly to people and the environment.
I wanted to learn more.
Therefore, a few years later,
I joined the Master of Urban Planning Program at the University of Amsterdam.
During my research not long ago, I knew that
Amsterdam city is divided because of bad cars and planning,
Like most cities around the world these days.
That is why I will tell you tonight
How Amsterdam managed to rebuild itself as a city of communication.
I would like to thank Thomas Schaefer, who is here among the audience
For a graphic illustration of the topics I will talk about
You will see tonight some of his wonderful pictures.
These days, there is a lot of talk about connected cities
Where governments and companies are racing to build
Smart City of Extraordinary Efficiency.
Smart City Idea is to support digital communication
To help solve urban development problems such as congestion and pollution.
One of the most common examples is the auto-controlled theme
Which, by communicating with each other through intelligent logarithmic data,
You will be able to continue the movement without the need to stop at the signals,
And thus avoid congestion,
As you can see in this video prepared by MIT.
This is one of the perceptions of a connected city.
It is costly, complex,
Quite frankly, no one really knows if it will work.
As you see in this perception
There is no space for people to walk, cycle or spend time in public places.
But there is another way to create a connected city.
Working with international delegations, they came to Amsterdam to learn
How they can make their cities smarter and more environmentally friendly,
I often see them
How this flowing flux is a real reality here in Amsterdam.
This has not been achieved by connecting cars, but through people’s communication.
Here you can see this rich communication
Which experts predict is difficult, if not impossible,
Achieved through self-driving cars.
It turns out that the reality of interaction
Through eye contact and through giving the right way,
Has built trust and cohesion between the community and society in cities.
Which would not have been possible had we all lived in metal boxes.
Amsterdam is emerging as the leader of smart cities
Because its style, and with precision, is the use of modern technologies
To improve the current architectural communication
Not to replace it.
This may sound obvious,
However, it was not long when Amsterdam took a different approach
To think about the kind of city you want for the future.
You see here this perception of modernity
Which Amsterdam borrowed from the Americans in the 1960s and 1970s.
While this particular perception
For redesigned Suriname and Oberstom
It has never been implemented,
However, other streets and squares have already been used for interaction between people and markets,
They were converted to highways and parking lots
And cut off communities,
When Amsterdam took the car-centric approach
Numbers
Of traffic accidents have increased, as have death tolls,
This is why the people of Amsterdam revolted
They demanded a return to the good city for living.
You can see here one of the most influential groups,
Stop child murder campaign,
Which called for safe streets for children
So they can walk, cycle and play in their neighborhoods.
It took more than a decade of campaigns and demonstrations
In the end, the people of Amsterdam were the fruit of their activity,
Because the balance of power within the government has begun to shift since the 1980s
From individuals inside the car to individuals outside the car,
For example, by visualizing a road network for bicycles.
Here you see the result of four decades of growing transformation
From the city trying to serve the technical, to the city in the service of people
Today, about 70% of the movements within Amsterdam are done either on foot or on bicycles.
This is exactly what Amsterdam is giving
This feeling of vitality and activity.
When I introduce such transformations to viewers from North America in particular,
They are immediately classified as new urban development,
A movement that calls for the development of cities and communities
About people rather than cars.
It’s really funny to call this new
Because nothing really new.
This is really the way cities have been functioning for hundreds of years.
I always say
Many cities can be inspired and learn from their own past.
They called themselves the Baghdadi
When thrown away
People-centered approach to urban development
For the benefit of modern cities,
A city built primarily around cars
And about exaggerated architectural designs
To serve engineers, architects and planners
More than serving communities.
Here you can see this perception of GM
Which was circulated in 1939 at the World Expo in New York
Which has affected a lot of urban development around the world
During the past eight decades.
It is a conception of a city designed with craftsmanship like a machine.
Like simulations prepared at MIT, you can see that there is no room for it
People walk or cycle or spend time among people
In public places.
These activities were not part of the future vision.
Many cities around the world have embraced this vision.
Now they regret it
Because their cities are cut off by streets crowded with vehicles
Rather than linking and improving societies.
Now, developers know that this is a problem,
Many are trying to correct them
Using the same technocratic technique from top to bottom
The same way that brought us to this mess
Rather than working with communities to see how they want to communicate.
Since hundreds and sometimes thousands of years ago,
Cities served as platforms for human communication and interaction.
All the great cities are similar to the ecosystem
Which, thanks to culture, diversity and mutual communication,
People can exchange goods and ideas among themselves.
While modern technologies can and should improve community communication,
We may not claim that we can replace them.
If I imagined the technical city
They facilitate transmission faster than point A to point B,
The social city gives you a reason to enjoy the trip.
Overall, I think people can learn from Amsterdam
It was Amsterdam –
That the cities are flexible.
I hope people saw that Amsterdam was not always Amsterdam,
They can realize that their cities can also transform.
As the 1939 Expo inspired a vision
Cities connected technically,
I wish Amsterdam to inspire a vision of cities with more connected communities.
The best of this vision I think,
It is not just a model or simulation,
It is a fact that has been tried and proven
For a city worthy of falling in love again and again,
The University of Amsterdam ‘AUC’ students want to change science, right?
(Laughter)
Well, this is your homework!
Three steps, family and friends can also participate, okay?
First, look for a picture
For your city, or any city that interests you,
A hundred years ago.
Then compare them to the current situation.
Then ask yourself
What kind of debt do you want to live in 10 years from now,
Perhaps more importantly,
What can you do to influence this vision, to shape that future.
The reason for this is because you have to remember
That’s why you ride bikes to your homes tonight and safely
Is people
Who participated in the formation of these roads and communities.
When you change the roads, you change the world.
So you must do your homework.
thank you.
(clap)
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