We are thrilled to announce that the XCARCITY Program has officially taken off, and was celebrated through an inspirational kick-off in the city of Delft on the 22nd of June, 2023. Hosted at Connekt, this event brought together 32 visionary partners to collaborate, co-design, and envision a future of cities with fewer cars.
After a warm welcome and introduction to XCARCITY by Bart van Arem, the day was expertly moderated by Lobke Zandstra, guiding us through an engaging agenda filled with remarkable moments.
We kick-started the event with thought-provoking inspiration talks that set the stage for the day’s interactive sessions. Bibi Jorissen, the visionary founder of UMOB ‘One app to ride them all’, inspired us with her dream of cities without cars, while Emiel Reiding from MRA touched on smart solutions, urbanization tasks and car less cities. Afterwards, Jennifer Faber from NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie for Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek), the main funder of the program, shared insights about the importance of programs like XCARCITY, why NWO funds them and its placement in the prestigious Perspective Program, fostering scientific research for a better-designed future.
The seven work package leaders showcased their visionary ideas, fueling our imagination with the potential impact of the XCARCITY Program. Each work package’s focus paved the way for the day’s main highlight – a world café styled event.
Participants engaged passionately in exploring pressing questions related to each work package through an interactive world cafe styled event. In this lively and interactive session, ideas flowed, concepts bloomed, and creativity soared as we collectively envisioned the cities of our future. The XCARCITY Program aims to develop realistic digital replicas of car-low areas across Almere, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam, utilizing “digital twins” to study how people embrace various smart mobility services.
The essence and nuances of the day’s events were beautifully captured by the talented live sketch artist, Mark van Houstay, turning our thoughts into vibrant visuals.
With the venue buzzing with creative energy and innovative ideas, Maaike Snelder concluded the day with a compelling summary of the events, exciting outlook, and next steps. We left the event eagerly anticipating our next gathering in October, where we will meet in Almere for the first design session!
The XCARCITY Program’s Kick-Off Event left us inspired and motivated to drive transformative change in the urban landscape. Together, we can create cities of the future that embrace sustainable mobility solutions and reimagine life without the dependency on cars.
Stay tuned for more updates, progress reports, and exciting developments as we journey towards building the cities we envision!
