GROW WeMakeThe.City is the festival that makes cities better. The world is facing major ecological, social, and economic challenges. Complex issues manifest themselves more prominently: urgent, challenging, alarming. Everyone is needed to solve them. Cities play a crucial role in this. Apparently, they have something special. Cities have the ultimate mix of competing and collaborating, of criticism and optimism, of deep thinking and just doing. That’s why cities move faster than the rest of the world. The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is the combination of cities where residents, knowledge institutions, businesses, and government easily connect. Cities where traditionally power and influence include rather than divide. We celebrate and accelerate this with WeMakeThe.City, the annual international festival that makes cities better. We mobilise everyone who lives, resides or works in cities. The festival is a celebration with one clear objective: better cities of, for, and by all! WeMakeThe.City is many things; an invitation, a manifest, a stage, a living lab, a coalition, a focus point, and a new starting point for the next year. WeMakeThe.City is the festival that makes cities better. IMPORTANT Join us! DATES Help us to make better cities. MONDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2019 17:30 - 19:00 Become a partner. Public kick-off. Revealing the plans for the festival, the week- and weekend programme, Contribute financially. and the possibilities to join in the programming. Organise an activity. WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH 2019 17:30 - 19:00 Programme an event with us. Launch of the festival programme. Get a sneak preview of what to Host a workshop. expect. MONDAY 20 MAY 2019 18:00 - 19:30 Make your media channels Countdown! Only one month to go. An update on the latest develop- available. ments, locations, and programme. MONDAY 17 JUNE 2019 Become a volunteer. State of the Region and WeMakeThe.City Opening Night, the start of a week full of insights, surprises, and discoveries to make cities better in the Amsterdam CONTACT US VIA [email protected] metropolitan area. OR +31 (0)20 6246380. OR DROP BY OUR OFFICE AT PAKHUIS DE ZWIJGER, PIET HEINKADE 179, 1019 HC IN AMSTERDAM. MEETUPS EVERY TWO WEEKS ON MONDAYS FROM 17:30 TO 19:30 AT PAKHUIS DE ZWIJGER. FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CHECK WWW.WEMAKETHE.CITY 17 December 2018 14 January 2019 25 February 2019 11 March 2019 25 March 2019 8 April 2019 23 April 2019 LANDSMEER LELYSTAD VELSEN ZAANSTAD OOSTZAAN WATERLAND HAARLEMMERLIEDE-SPAARNWOUDE NOORD ALMERE BLOEMENDAAL AMSTERDAM WESTPOORT HAARLEM ZANDVOORT ALMERE HEEMSTEDE DIEMEN OOST WEST AMSTELVEEN GOOISE MEREN MARINETERREIN OUDER-AMSTEL PAKHUIS DE ZWIJGER HUIZEN NEMO/BIMHUIS WEESP MEDIAMATIC/OBA AMSTERDAM ARCAM/AMS CODAM/IJSFONTEIN/AHK BLARICUM AALSMEER NIEUW-WEST LAREN HAARLEMMERMEER UITHOORN WHO IS ‘WE’? CIRCL HILVERSUM ZUID-OOST Everyone who is involved with ZUID-AS and in the city, in whatever way, BETTER? everyone. Because we often take FESTIVAL? on several roles at the same time. WHAT IS GOOD TODAY, CAN BE BETTER Civil servant, citizen, parent, A festival calls on the image of TOMORROW. Better ensures commuter, visitor, human. flags, smashed plastic cups, constant development, progress. ‘WE’ INCLUDES ALL PEOPLE IN MANY music, confetti, and decors, of an This impulse makes the Amster- SHAPES AND FORMS WITH ALL informal area where there’s a lot dam Metropolitan Area to what DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. ALL THESE to choose at the same time, it is. It’s inherent to the AMA. A PEOPLE MAKE THE CITY TOGETHER. concentrated in one location. place for new ideas, develop- By actively contributing, or WeMakeThe.City is not this type ments, opportunities. This was simply by being there. of festival. IT’S NOT A FESTIVAL IN acknowledged through the iCapi- THE CITY, IT’S THE CITY AS A FESTIVAL. tal Award, which Amsterdam THIS MEANS THAT SPREAD OUT OVER received in 2016 for most ‘MAKE’? SEVEN DAYS, PARTICIPANTS CAN VISIT innovative capital of Europe. MANY DIFFERENT SPOTS IN THE CITY ALL PEOPLE ARE MAKERS. FOR ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES. By pioneering, by persevering, It’s a celebration, a critically AMSTERDAM by playing, by co-designing, optimistic event because we METROPOLITAN AREA? by educating, by enforcing, believe that opportunities by developing, by trying, by contribute more to advancement The Amsterdam Metropolitan renovating, by dreaming, by than pessimism. WeMakeThe. Area and the people who live, working, by interfering, by City takes place all over the city work, and reside there, have building, by breaking, by talking, and region for seven days, with proven that everyone can play a by nurturing, by enjoying. Urban Conferences, talks, part in shaping daily life in cities. By being the city and being documentaries, expositions, city Through working together, in a in the city. walks, regional tours, perfor- stimulating environment and a mances, design sessions, and culture which encourages to just workshops. In 2019 WeMa- give it a try and experiment. By IS ‘THE CITY’ JUST keThe.City has three festival taking part in new initiatives, THE CITY? centres; the Oosterdokseiland and social and technological (including Piet Heinkade and innovation. THIS INCLUSIVE ‘Urban life’ is everywhere. Areas Marineterrein), the Zuidas, and ‘AMSTERDAM APPROACH’ IS THE will become more and more ZuidOost, which are easy to get STARTING POINT FOR POSITIVE AND fused, causing the dynamics of to and open to all visitors. Where STRUCTURAL EXPLORATION AND the region to become more like people can meet and connect to CONTINUOUS DIALOGUE ON IMPROVING that of a large city. We anticipate create value, whether it being DAILY LIFE IN CITIES. This makes and act on this. This does not more knowledge, a bigger Amsterdam Metropolitan Area ex- but include the region. Cities’ network, or even perhaps even the ideal location for this behaviours influence the region, new collaborations. exchange between the region, but it works the other way other cities in Europe, and the around as well. URBANISM IS rest of the world. NOT LIMITED TO A CITY CHARTER, IT’S ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE DO. Theme 2019 IN 2019 WE FOCUS ON HOW WE CAN MAKE BETTER CITIES FROM, FOR, AND BY EVERYONE. WHERE EVERYONE CAN BE, EVERYONE PARTICIPATES, AND EVERYONE BENEFITS EQUALLY. The major issue of the economic and social divide manifests itself in all global cities and calls for rigorous action to counteract the disruption of societies. With over 180 nationalities, Amsterdam is super diverse. Even in our city and region differences in appearance, language and culture can lead to misunderstanding and tensions, which can have far-reach- ing consequences of exclusion. At the same time, this diversity and multiculturalism offer a lot of opportunities which are now scarcely utilised. If you allow yourself to be led by the similarities and not the differences, you will soon see that people often have the same universal dreams and ambitions. Through cooperation this allows us to shape more just and inclusive solutions from a multitude of perspectives which work for a much larger number of people. That is why we mobilise everyone who lives, resides or works in cities to join in, participate, experience. Brogues, patta’s, blue collars, activists, hackers, minorities, helmsmen on shore, captains, majorities, authorities, and grass roots; everyone. No one is left out. Because if you don’t make it happen, it will happen to you. If you don’t make the rules, you have to play by the rules. SO GET GOING! MAKE IT HAPPEN! ALL OF US! Stedelijke ambities WE MAKE THE CITY WE MAKE THE CITY WE MAKE THE CITY WE MAKE THE CITY INCLUSIVE HEALTHY LIVEABLE SMART The social divide in cities is The quality of life in cities is Urbanisation is rapidly increas- Urbanisation is rapidly increas- growing rapidly. The rich under great pressure. Growing ing and cities are growing fast. ing and cities are growing fast. become richer, the poor become hustle and bustle in the streets, New neighbourhoods are New neighbourhoods are poorer, but how do we keep our diminishing green space and developed, and existing districts developed, and existing districts increasingly expensive cities deteriorating air quality. are transformed. But in what are transformed. But in what accessible and affordable for all? Digitalisation, automation, and kind of city do we want to live in kind of city do we want to live in How do we ban economic robotisation are on the rise, twenty or forty years? And how twenty or forty years? And how inequality, loneliness, exclusion, while stress and loneliness do we ensure that the city do we ensure that the city and discrimination in our become growing problems. The remains for its residents, and remains for its residents, and societies? In short: How do we ageing population puts increas- doesn’t completely fall into the doesn’t completely fall into the organise equal opportunities ing pressure on health care, we hands of foreign investors and hands of foreign investors and for all? are getting less and less exercise, multinationals? How do we keep multinationals? How do we keep DURING WEMAKETHE.CITY SOCIAL and while fast food is becoming our neighbourhoods safe, clean, our neighbourhoods safe, clean, ORGANISATIONS, MAVERICKS, more and more popular amongst and accessible to all? and accessible to all? BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT AND the younger generation. ALL CONCERNED IN THE CITY AND ALL CONCERNED IN THE CITY AND (INTERNATIONAL) EXPERTS COME HOW DO WE KEEP CITIES AND CITIZENS REGION SET TO WORK TOGETHER TO REGION SET TO WORK TOGETHER TO TOGETHER TO DESIGN THE BASIC HEALTHY, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? CREATE DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR CREATE DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORKS FOR WHAT WILL THIS CITY LOOK LIKE, HOW REGION, CITY, NEIGHBOURHOODS, REGION, CITY, NEIGHBOURHOODS, ACTION FOR AN INCLUSIVE CITY. DO WE ORGANISE THIS, HOW DO WE AND DISTRICTS OF THE FUTURE.