Masakazu Ishigure is an urban historian and Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at Tokyo University of Science. In 2016 he published ‘Tokyo Rising from the Postwar Black Markets : SHINJUKU, IKEBUKURO and SHIBUYA after 1945’. In this book he conducted extensive research on the history of Tokyo railway stations and neighbourhoods.
Naohiko Hino is an architect, head of Hino Architect’s Office. Beside wide-ranging architectural and urban planning work, he is a leading writer, critic and historian in Japan. Recent publications include two books on Arata Isozaki, one of Japan’s prominent postwar architects, and ‘Is Urban Design Necessary in Japan’. In 2013, he developed the ‘Struggling Cities: From Japanese Urban Projects in the 1960s’ touring exhibition.
Moriko Kira is an architect, has lived in Amsterdam since 1992 and her office operates both in Europe and Japan. Beside her architectural practice, she writes books, essays and curates exhibitions. She published ‘Finding Architecture’ in 2013. In 2010, she was appointed as professor at Kobe Design University in Japan. In 2004-2010 she was a member of Amsterdam’s Design Committee.
Athenaeum Booksellers is a media partner of WeMakeThe.City. In the run-up to and during the festival, books on urban development will take the center stage in the bookstore.
Athenaeum Booksellers is a media partner of WeMakeThe.City. In the run-up to and during the festival, books on urban development will take the center stage in the bookstore. Books like Floor Milikowski’s ‘Van
Or what about a biography of the Javastraat, written by Maxime Smit? Ever since the Javastraat came into existence in 1900 a great mix of people has been coming and going; from
These and many more similar books are highlighted in Athenaeum Bookshop during WeMakeThe.City. In their Spui store and of course also online.
Plastic waste causes huge problems around the world for both man and nature. How can we reduce plastic waste and reuse it to create new products? This question is key to vanPlestik’s mission. By 3D-printing large objects with recycled plastic
During WeMakeThe.City you will have the opportunity to visit Ferrotopia. This iconic art installation by Atelier Van Lieshout will be presented at the NDSM shipyard in Amsterdam. The installation opens on 25 April and is an ode to iron and old industrial heritage, while at the same time linking the rediscovery of new industry and craft to the circular economy. Ferrotopia is an art installation and pop-up museum in one, unfolding a programme of lectures, workshops, and exhibitions.
BYCS
The event celebrated the cutting edge and high profile building designs that are facilitating bicycle travel, storage and safety around the world. The biennale aimed to reflect how cycling can improve urban living by contributing to a healthier lifestyle and a cleaner environment. And how design solutions can not only meet transit needs, but also inspire and facilitate greater cycling uptake.
As the built environment grows with this mode of
bicyle planning, the desires of cyclists are starting to shape the design of new buildings.
International designers
The
BYCS is making the shift from car-centric to human-centric cities possible through acting as a catalyst for breakthrough solutions around cycling. We create and accelerate ideas, kick start collaborations, and launch global innovations and programs. We have an ambitious goal – for 50% of all city trips to be by bike by 2030. We call this ‘50 by 30’ and we believe it will lead to fundamentally healthier, happier and more prosperous cities. Cycling is more than transportation. It is transformation. In all our work, we never stop asking: ‘Where can the bicycle take us?’
Amsterdam has shown how we can make cities more livable when we put the bicycle first.
Lee Feldman, co-founder of BYCS: “Amsterdam has shown how we can make cities more livable when we put the bicycle first. It facilitates a change in how we think and move, that improves so many aspects of our lives, from physical and mental health to clean air and family-friendly
Marvel at the fairytale-like architecture and political ideals of the Amsterdam School!
Museum Het Schip is the Amsterdam School Museum about art, architecture and social housing. It is located in the world famous workers’ palace ‘Het Schip’ by architect Michel de Klerk in Amsterdam. The Ship belongs to the top of the Amsterdam School architectural movement of the early twentieth century. The Ship is still inhabited and the museum is located in different parts of the building, where you can discover how people lived before and after the housing act of 1901. The museum houses a permanent and temporary exhibition. Marvel at the fairytale-like architecture and political ideals of the Amsterdam School!
The current temporary exhibition is on the Public Works Department of the municipality of Amsterdam (1915-1935). Public Works and the Amsterdam School are inextricably linked. The Municipal Public Service Department decided from 1910 to engage a number of architects and artists who would later become big names within the Amsterdam School, such as Joan van der Meij, Michel de Klerk, Piet Kramer and Hildo Krop. The architects made beautiful designs for government buildings, schools and bridges, and they even paid a lot of attention to the street furniture. These buildings and artworks can still be admired everywhere in Amsterdam. The exhibition presents the most beautiful photographs of this architecture and art. The original drawings and artworks by the most famous architects will be exhibited as well.
‘Close to Reality’ exhibits 50 scale models – from regional scale to actual building, from concept to final design, from urban design to architecture, and public space design.
These models contain all aspects of urban planning and architecture. The exhibition shows the tremendous efforts required to get to a final design and creates an opportunity for the audience to both imagine and discuss future challenges of city planning. The models present an overview of future developments and place design as they create a broader context to inspire, discuss, criticise and focus on future challenges.
Up Close and Liveable is the international review of the urban strategies of Amsterdam. Urban professionals from cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Helsinki, London, Paris, Portland, Seoul, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and Vancouver come together to focus on the issues we face in cities: How do we make cities compact? Sustainable? Accessible? Green and blue? Mixed? Inclusive? What strategies, plans and experiments lead the way to innovative and smart solutions that are able to improve the quality of living?
We believe that an international exchange contributes to the development of new strategies and solutions that improve the quality of life in urban environments.
This event is organized by the City of Amsterdam’s
The successes of Amsterdam are rarely made through a top-down approach but instead arise from the collaboration between several parties. For centuries, the people of Amsterdam have made the city together, through a co-creation between residents, companies, civil society
The award was launched in 2014 by the European Commission to encourage and stimulate urban innovation. In July 2015, 36 cities with a total of over 100 thousand residents competed for the title of European Capital of Innovation. Along with Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Turin, Paris, Berlin, Glasgow, Milan, Oxford, and Vienna made it to the finals. After winning the award, Amsterdam followed in the footsteps Barcelona as innovation capital. In 2018 Paris has been declared
We celebrate this award through WeMakeThe.City, a five-day urban innovation festival which offers a stage for anyone and everyone that wants to contribute to the current and future urban challenges. Residents, scientists, entrepreneurs, creatives, politicians, civil servants, social organisations, and students come together to tackle the urgent everyday challenges in the city such as affordable housing, climate change, food and health, mobility, waste, technology and big data, circularity, loneliness, education, and the divide in the city. Come join us!
