The Amsterdam City Doughnut
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THE AMSTERDAM CITY DOUGHNUT A TOOL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION TABLE OF CONTENTS Amsterdam becoming a thriving city 3 The Doughnut: a 21st century compass 4 Creating a Thriving City Portrait 5 Amsterdam’s City Portrait 6 Lens 1: Local Social 6 What would it mean for the people of Amsterdam to thrive? Lens 2: Local Ecological 8 What would it mean for Amsterdam to thrive within its natural habitat? Lens 3: Global Ecological 10 What would it mean for Amsterdam to respect the health of the whole planet? Lens 4: Global Social 12 What would it mean for Amsterdam to respect the wellbeing of people worldwide? The City Portrait as a tool for transformative action 14 1. From public portrait to city selfie 16 2. New perspectives on policy analysis 17 Principles for putting the Doughnut into practice 18 References 20 8 WAYS TO TURN THE CITY PORTRAIT How can Amsterdam be a home to thriving people, INTO TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AMSTERDAM BECOMING in a thriving place, while respecting the wellbeing A THRIVING CITY of all people, and the health of the whole planet? MIRROR Reflect on the current Cities have a unique role and opportunity to shape humanity’s The Amsterdam City Doughnut is intended as a stimulus for state of the city through chances of thriving in balance with the living planet this cross-departmental collaboration within the City, and for the portrait’s holistic century. As home to 55% of the world’s population, cities connecting a wide network of city actors in an iterative process perspective account for over 60% of global energy use, and more than of change, as set out in the eight ‘M’s on the right. 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, due to the global MISSION Create a compelling footprint of the products they import and consume.1 Without This document illustrates some of the many approaches for vision of what it means to transformative action, cities’ annual demand for Earth’s putting the tool into practice, such as creating a city ‘self- become a thriving city material resources is set to rise from 40 billion tonnes in 2010 portrait’, and deepening engagement with key city initiatives to nearly 90 billion tonnes by 2050.2 At the same time, cities like Amsterdam’s Circular Roadmap 2020-25 and the Roadmap have immense potential to drive the transformations needed to Climate Neutrality 2050. MOBILIZE Bring together the city to tackle climate breakdown and ecological collapse, and to do changemakers and so in ways that are socially just. Amsterdam is ideally positioned to use the portrait as a tool stakeholders needed to for transformative action. The city has been recognised for bring about change Amsterdam’s vision to be ‘a thriving, regenerative and inclusive its ‘Amsterdam Approach’ to collaborative innovation, which city for all citizens, while respecting the planetary boundaries’ connects neighbourhood initiatives, start-ups and civil society Identify existing initiatives, makes the city a pioneer of such systemic transformation. In with the established institutions of government, business MAP policies and strategies that this spirit, the City of Amsterdam has joined the Thriving Cities and knowledge institutions. Furthermore, the city is home to are already taking the city Initiative (TCI), a collaboration between C40, Circle Economy, a dynamic network of changemakers who are already using in this direction and Doughnut Economics Action Lab, which works with cities Doughnut-inspired thinking to drive systemic change. pursuing such a transformation. With such an opportunity, Amsterdam can be a pioneer of what MINDSET Embrace the values, ways A key tool of the TCI is a City Portrait based on the Doughnut it means to become a thriving city and in doing so inspire cities of working, and new of social and planetary boundaries. It is a holistic snapshot of worldwide on their own journeys of transformation. narratives that underpin the city and one that serves as a starting point for big-picture the deeper shifts required thinking, co-creative innovation, and systemic transformation, rather than as a comprehensive assessment of the city. MOMENTUM Create an iterative This document sets out the City Portrait for Amsterdam, process that drives cycles known as the Amsterdam City Doughnut. It presents city of transformative policy life and its impacts through four ‘lenses’ – social, ecological, and action local, and global – which together provide a new perspective on what it means for a city to thrive. In essence, it invites city stakeholders to ask themselves a very 21st century question: MONITOR Assess progress against leading indicators that enrich the City Portrait MMM! Make it irresistible: be creative, have fun, share learning and stories of success - and celebrate! 3 The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries envisions a world in which people and planet can thrive in balance – in other words, it offers a compass for guiding 21st century prosperity.3 climate change er y GICAL CE a oc The Doughnut’s social foundation, which is derived from the la n LO ILI ci e e io CO NG d a n t E ifi n o le ca z p t o e spa io social priorities in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, d just ce f n d or an hu fe FOUND m a IAL ATI a sets out the minimum standard of living to which every human s C ON n SO i OVERSHOOT e water food ty 4 th being has a claim. No one should be left in the hole in the c n health p energy h o o i e t l m l u u l middle of the Doughnut, falling short on the essentials of life, i l t c i o o a p n l r networks i SHORTFALLeducation a ranging from food and water to gender equality and having housing income & work political voice. gender peace & g equality justice n b i i d o & d social political a R o The Doughnut’s ecological ceiling comprises nine planetary i Y n l l v E equity voice e o e G M s s g r E O o u s s N N r r it E O it o y R C n h boundaries, drawn up by Earth-system scientists in order to A E p T E s IV IV o E A UT h ND DISTRIB p identify Earth’s critical life-supporting systems and the global r 5 la ate co nd hw ls limits of pressure that they can endure. Humanity must live nv fres wa ers dra ion with within these ecological boundaries if we are to preserve a stable climate, fertile soils, healthy oceans, a protective ozone THE layer, ample freshwater and abundant biodiversity on Earth. The Doughnut of social and Between the social foundation and the ecological ceiling lies DOUGHNUT: planetary boundaries ST a doughnut-shaped space in which it is possible to meet the A 21 CENTURY needs of all people within the means of the living planet – an ecologically safe and socially just space in which humanity can COMPASS thrive. If humanity’s goal is to get into the Doughnut, the challenge climate is that we are currently far from doing so, as shown below. change r Worldwide, billions of people still cannot meet their most ye GMIECNATLA CL E ac oc la n ROOLON CILEIINL id e e io EVCI IGN if a n t EN G ic n o le a z p t o e io essential needs, yet humanity is collectively overshooting at d er fo n wat od L FOUNDA h y IA TIO e least four planetary boundaries, and is driving towards climate rg C N a e SO lt OVERSHOOT n h e breakdown and ecological collapse. The red wedges below the c e p n h d o o s e i u l t k l m r c u u a l o t i social foundation show the proportion of people worldwide l c t i o w i a o t o n l p e n r SHORTFALL n i currently falling short on life’s essentials. The wedges radiating a h o e k u m r s beyond the ecological ceiling show the current overshoot of o o i n c w g n i g & n b i planetary boundaries i d o & a d g & e e o i e n l l v q n e e o e u d c c s s a e a ti g r l r e s o u s s it p u r r it y j it o y l n h soc ica p The challenge of our times is that we must move within the ial polit s equ ce o ity voi h p Doughnut’s boundaries from both sides simultaneously, in r l te co and wa ls nv resh wa ers f dra ways that promote the wellbeing of all people and the health ion with of the whole planet. Achieving this globally calls for action on many levels, including in cities, which are proving to be leaders of driving such change. The Thriving City Portrait aims to Transgressing the Doughnut’s amplify that potential. social and planetary boundaries 4 CREATING A THRIVING HOW CAN OUR CITY BE A HOME TO THRIVING PEOPLE IN A THRIVING PLACE, CITY PORTRAIT WHILE RESPECTING THE WELLBEING OF ALL PEOPLE The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries can be turned AND THE HEALTH OF THE WHOLE PLANET? into a city-scale tool by asking the very 21st century question posed on this page.