Innovatieprogramma De Mobiele Stad

IMS – Innovatieprogramma Mobiele Stad

Project team: David Hamers, Bennie Meek Partners: University of Twente, University of Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen, Bureau UUM

This collaborative project saw the Places and Traces team research innovations in the combined fields of urbanisation, infrastructure, spatial development and mobility in five Dutch urban regions.

Innovatieprogramma Mobiele Stad (IMS), which means Innovation Programme Mobile City, aimed to develop and test concrete innovations that could inform policies for mobility, technology, space, and place in urban regions across the Netherlands. These included projects in cities in the provinces of Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, and Gelderland.

IMS ran from 2017 until 2020 and was collaboration between the DAE and Universiteit Twente, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, and Bureau Noordzuiden.

The project’s three main objectives were:

• To conduct experiments in practice: 10-15 experiments were executed during the project, to improve planning and policymaking on the provincial level and (if applicable) the local and national level.

• Evaluation and reflection: gaining theoretical insight and practical experience into the relationship between mobility and urban development.

• Knowledge exchange: IMS aimed to act as a platform for sharing knowledge between provinces, national government, local and regional stakeholders, and knowledge institutes.

IMS focussed on five themes:

• Smart mobility experiments

• Spatial planning and design experiments

• Governance experiments

• Instrumental and financial experiments

• Learning processes and evaluation

At DAE, research associate Bennie Meek focussed on spatial planning and design experiments, for example, placemaking, local physical interventions such as in urban areas around train stations, wayfinding including tourist routes, and collaboration tools, such as games.

IMS received funding from the provinces Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, and Gelderland, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and Transumo Footprint.

More information can be found on the Mobiele Stad website