Urban Dialogues launched with a panel discussion during the visit of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to San Francisco on September 5, 2022.

The discussion revolved around the theme of "Urban Challenges & Solutions: Healthy Urban Living."

Panelists delved into how cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, from both Dutch and California contexts, can collaborate to seize opportunities in tackling urban challenges.

To set the stage, Mayor London Breed of San Francisco delivered the opening remarks. This was followed by a fireside chat involving Secretary Yana Garcia from the California Natural Resources Agency, Minister Ernst Kuipers from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and Minister Vivianne Heijnen from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Facilitating the session was Alicia John-Baptiste from SPUR, who moderated the discussion.

The lineup of panel participants included Ric Shaw from San Francisco, Lauren Faber O'Connor from Los Angeles, Josja van der Veer from Amsterdam, and Mayor Sharon Dijksma from Utrecht. Each panelist brought valuable insights and perspectives to the table, enriching the conversation on urban challenges and potential solutions.

This inaugural session set a vibrant tone for future Urban Dialogues, inspiring collaborative efforts to promote healthy urban living and harness the collective wisdom of these diverse cities.

Watch the panel discussion.
 

On April 13, the first edition of Urban Dialogues took place in Baltimore, Maryland. During an interactive session lasting approximately 1.5 hours, which was collaboratively designed, stakeholders from the Netherlands and Baltimore engaged in the exchange of best practices and jointly tackled shared urban challenges.

The session revolved around resilience and climate adaptation; and resilience and food.

 

Resilience and Climate Adaptation

Baltimore, Maryland, faces coastal storms and flooding due to its location on the Patapsco River, particularly impacting the Inner Harbor and Fells Point downtown areas.

Similarly, the Netherlands contends with storm challenges and sea-level rise, with a significant portion of the country, including 90 percent of Rotterdam, situated below sea level.

To address these issues, urban planning and resilience experts from Baltimore City, Morgan State University, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Arcadis, the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Design, OneArchitecture, and other institutions have laid the groundwork for future collaboration.

Through Urban Dialogues, these experts are committed to integrating climate adaptation, environmental resilience, and social resilience on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Their aim is to ensure the resilience of our communities in an ever-changing world.

Key takeaways from the discussion: 

• Educate and include youth in the discussion
• Peer-to-peer workshops and include a diverse group of stakeholders
• Create a positive narrative, one in which everyone can make a difference
• Organize competitions to solve water issues around the globe
• Involve the community in future plans, including local at-risk communities
• Interagency collaboration
• Long-term planning instead of short term

Resilience and Food

Like many cities globally, Baltimore City faces challenges in providing access to healthy and affordable food, particularly in low-income communities classified as "healthy food priority areas."

These areas are defined by a distance of more than a quarter of a mile to the nearest supermarket or alternative food source. As food security becomes increasingly strained, the Netherlands can offer support in cultivating sustainable and equitable food systems for the future.

Experts in food and urban planning from Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Arcadis, ImpactCity The Hague, and other organizations have identified strategies to enhance access to healthy food while addressing food waste from a circular perspective.

Key takeaways from the discussion: 

• Learn from the pandemic: look beyond physical stores and look closely at communities’ specific needs
• Improve broadband access where necessary to facilitate online food purchasing and invest in digital literacy
• Educate communities, especially children about fresh food preparation and bring back home economics to the curriculum
• Invest in community-driven urban agriculture
• Unite communities over waste processing, think circular to re-use waste

For more information on Urban Dialogues Urban Dialogues, email was-ea@minbuza.nl.

The Urban Dialogues program in Detroit, Michigan, took p

Design

Design plays a significant role in Detroit's city development, encompassing land design, industrial design, climate design, product design, and inclusive design.

Each of these aspects reflects Detroit's unique culture. The focus of Urban Dialogues is on designing accessible neighborhoods that align with Detroit's 50-year plan outlined in Detroit's Future City.

The aim is to create vibrant neighborhoods with safe homes, schools, and a welcoming environment. Mobility is also an integral part of landscape and neighborhood design, ensuring easy accessibility and connecting different neighborhoods.

This topic resonates with the creative industry's emphasis on sustainability in Eindhoven, as well as Amsterdam's focus on a car-free city center and prioritizing cycling infrastructure.
Key takeaways from the discussion: 

• Design with small-scale businesses in mind
• Take a holistic approach that addresses local needs
• Circular economy and design can boost communities
• Co-design to build trust among all stakeholders
• Detroit can set the example to world of how a city can revitalize itself through community-based design and use of vacant land

Community Engagement

As Detroit experienced rapid and diverse population growth from 1900 to 1950, the question arises of how to promote integration and diversity within neighborhoods through community engagement.

Projects by Design Core Detroit and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit highlight the importance of community engagement and inclusive design. Involving the community is crucial for driving design and mobility changes.

The topic explores effective strategies for community engagement and creating inclusive cities. The SchoonSchip neighborhood serves as an example, where local residents collaborated to design a sustainable and community-oriented floating neighborhood.
Key takeaways from the discussion:

• Create a meaningful and transparent process with clear stepping stones and milestones
• See community members as experts and compensate them for their expertise
• Meet people where they are; where they live; the language they speak, and their experiences
• Move from consulation and participation to genuine cooperation

Mobility

Detroit is at the forefront of the mobility revolution, as demonstrated by the recently opened NewLab and the Michigan Central renovation.

These initiatives showcase how Detroit is envisioning the future of mobility and integrating it into the city's inclusive growth. Detroit focuses on electric vehicles, batteries, and autonomous driving. The Urban Dialogues will concentrate on incorporating mobility into neighborhood design and fostering an inclusive mobility culture.

The dialogue aims to create a transportation system that is accessible to everyone. The Netherlands, particularly cities like Amsterdam, are already working on car-free city centers and developing infrastructure that prioritizes public transport and cycling.
Key takeaways from the discussion:

• Qualitative and reliable transit is lacking, especially in low density neighborhoods
• Car dependency is high; cycling is dangerous
• Community engagement through knocking on doors and providing stipends
• Build coalitions of the willing
• Informed decision making is vital; real-time  digital twin tools could be an approach
• Build a network of trusted community liaisons
• Tweak traditional transportation solutions by linking them with new mobility innovations

For more information on Urban Dialogues Detroit, email chi-ea@minbuza.nl.

You can listen to our podcast, Vijf Vragen, about Urban Dialogues Detroit with Deputy Consul General Jeroen Beekman and six of the participants.

See photos from the event.

Urban Dialogues in San Diego will take place on February 29, during the World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024. The San Diego-Tijuana region and the Netherlands share a similar societal commitment to sustainability, climate action, and innovation.

Next to shared ambitions, the San Diego-Tijuana region and several urban regions in the Netherlands deal with similar challenges. An example is affordable and sustainable housing. Due to high housing prices, some American citizens are seeking affordable housing in Tijuana, which also increases housing prices for Mexicans.

The urban expansion into surrounding nature areas that accompanies this growth may not be sustainable. At the same time, the Netherlands is also struggling with a housing shortage: 900,000 additional homes must be built by 2030, preferably as sustainably as possible. Rapid population growth is putting pressure on infrastructure. Increasing housing density leads to mobility issues on safety, equity, congestion, emissions, and pollution.

How can these regions shape logistical movements that value livable and healthy cities?

Addressing long-term challenges such as sustainability, affordability, and inclusivity while pursuing economic prosperity for the region and its people requires a unique mix of cross-border business innovation and strategic collaboration between public and private sector partners.

During Urban Dialogues in San Diego, experts from San Diego, Tijuana, and the Netherlands will exchange best practices on two topics:

• Circular neighborhoods: How can we design and develop affordable and sustainable neighborhoods?
• Sustainable mobility: How can we design and scale zero carbon transportation systems accessible for all?

For more information on Urban in Dialogues San Diego, e-mail sfn-ea@minbuza.nl.
 

Los Diálogos Urbanos San Diego tendrán lugar el 29 de febrero, durante la Capital Mundial del Diseño San Diego-Tijuana 2024. La región de San Diego-Tijuana y los Países Bajos comparten un compromiso similar en cuanto a sostenibilidad, acción climática e innovación.

Además de ambiciones compartidas, varias regiones urbanas en los Países Bajos enfrentan desafíos similares a la región de San Diego-Tijuana, por ejemplo, la vivienda asequible y sostenible. Debido a los altos precios de la vivienda, algunos ciudadanos estadounidenses buscan viviendas asequibles en Tijuana, lo que tiene como consecuencia el aumento de los precios de las viviendas para los mexicanos.

La expansión urbana hacia áreas naturales circundantes que acompaña a este crecimiento puede no ser sostenible. Al mismo tiempo, los Países Bajos también están luchando con la escasez de viviendas: se deben construir 900,000 hogares adicionales para 2030, preferiblemente de manera sostenible. El rápido crecimiento de la población está ejerciendo presión sobre la infraestructura. El aumento de la densidad de viviendas conlleva problemas de movilidad en cuanto a seguridad, equidad, congestión vehicular, emisiones de CO2 y contaminación.

¿Cómo pueden estas regiones influir en los movimientos logísticos para priorizar el desarrollo de ciudades habitables y saludables?

Abordar desafíos a largo plazo como la sostenibilidad, la asequibilidad y la inclusividad mientras se persigue la prosperidad económica para la región y su gente, requiere de una combinación única de innovación empresarial transfronteriza y colaboración estratégica entre socios del sector público y privado.

Durante los Diálogos Urbanos en San Diego, expertos de San Diego, Tijuana y los Países Bajos intercambiarán mejores prácticas sobre dos temas:

• Vecindarios circulares: ¿Cómo podemos diseñar y desarrollar vecindarios asequibles y sostenibles?

• Movilidad sostenible: ¿Cómo podemos diseñar y promover sistemas de transporte sin emisiones de carbono accesibles para todos?

Para obtener más información sobre los Diálogos Urbanos en San Diego, envíe un correo electrónico a sfn-ea@minbuza.nl.