Sustainable Amsterdam 27-3-2015

Sustainable
Amsterdam
Sustainable
Amsterdam
Agenda for renewable energy, clear air, a
circular economy and a climate-resilient city
Adopted by the Municipal Council of Amsterdam, March 2015
Contents
Preface7
I Ambition and direction
1. Renewable energy
10
2. Clean air
20
3. Circular economy
26
4. Climate-resilient city
32
5. Sustainable municipality
38
II Coherence
42
III Approach
46
1. Integrated approach
47
2. Organising the agenda
51
3. Financing the transition
54
4. Monitoring and adjusting
58
IV Overview
62
1. Implementation programme
63
2. Planning
68
3. Summary
70
Sustainable Amsterdam
Reading guide
Preface: Foreword by Alderperson for Sustainability, Abdeluheb Choho, and the introduction to
this Sustainability Agenda.
Part I Ambition and direction: Part I elaborates on the ambitions and goals of the Agenda through
five themes, or transition pathways. These are: renewable energy, clean air, a circular economy and
a climate-resilient city. The fifth pathway concerns improving the sustainability of the municipality
itself. These transition pathways all contribute to a sustainable Amsterdam.
Part II Coherence: Various components of the five transition pathways are closely connected. The
pathways also relate to domains such as mobility, housing and work, the built environment, monuments and heritage, education, sports, employment, public space, green areas, area development,
transformation and infrastructure. Part II briefly explores and describes these interrelationships.
Part III Approach: The municipality proposes an integral approach to achieve the set goals. This
working method is described in Part III, which also describes how the implementation of the Sustainability Agenda is organised within the municipality. This includes the financing of the transition
to a sustainable Amsterdam. Finally, Part III sets out how the municipality will monitor developments in the city and its own contribution.
Part IV Overview: The overview offers a summary of the implementation programme in terms
of goals, direction and measures. This part also presents the city governments schedule of the
discussion and approval of plans and projects. Finally, a summary of the Sustainability Agenda is
provided.
Preface
In the coalition agreement entitled Amsterdam belongs to everyone (Amsterdam is van
iedereen), the sustainabilisation of Amsterdam has been given a prominent role. A more
sustainable Amsterdam is seen as a starting
point for how we wish to develop the city and
the opportunities we wish to create. We view
sustainability as a motor for society and as a
driver of the economy.
Dots on the horizon are necessary to demonstrate what we wish to achieve regarding major
issues such as climate change, air pollution and
natural resource scarcity. The real challenge
now is to go beyond developing new visions
and scenarios and to pragmatically engage with
our city.
This Agenda barely touches on the urgency of
global issues. These are familiar and evident.
Instead, we set goals for the foreseeable future
and consider what we, and not the generations
after us, need to do to achieve those goals
now.
For we must start now to clean up the pollution
and to tackle the wastage in our city. Amsterdam looks clean, but the air we breathe is dirty,
the indoor climate in our schools is often unhealthy, energy bills are beyond many peoples
means, there is too much wastage of precious
natural resources and the obstacles faced by
creative and sustainable initiatives are often too
great.
Fortunately, Amsterdam has huge potential.
If, through sustainable generation and energy
conservation, we work together with all Amsterdams inhabitants to reduce our total energy bill of 1.8 billion by 10 per cent, then that
will boost our local economy by 180 million. If
we manage to reduce the amount of kilometres
driven through the city by polluting vehicles
and develop smarter logistics, then our air will
become cleaner and traffic circulation more efficient. By following the pioneers who produce
raw materials, rather than waste, we can build
a circular economy. Through building rooftop
gardens wherever feasible, Amsterdam will be
considerably better equipped to deal with the
costly torrential rains that the future has in store

for us.
This Sustainability Agenda is not a definitive implementation programme,but it does formulate
ambitions, goals and directions. In this sense
it is literally an agenda. Our City Councils
course is clear.
Climate-neutral construction will no longer be
just an intention, but an essential determining
factor. Accordingly, we shall go from the current
1 per cent to 75 per cent planned climate-neutral construction in the city. To improve air quality in the city we will encourage clean vehicles,
but will also introduce environmental zones.
This will not only achieve compliance with European standards, but will also reduce soot levels
by double-digit percentage points, making
the air progressively healthier. By doubling the
percentage of waste that we separate over the
next four years, Amsterdam will no longer be
bottom of the class.
Through these efforts, the municipality has a
modest yet important role to fulfil. We must
eliminate obstructive regulations, but must set
clear standards as well. We need to intervene if
financial parties fail to fund promising initiatives
and innovations. When Amsterdam citizens
and their organisations and businesses seek
information and support, we must be available
and accessible. We must provide a platform for
emerging pioneers. And last but not least, our
municipal organisation must transform from an
underachiever into a front runner.
Amsterdam has so much to be proud of. We
are a city bursting with thinkers, go-getters,
techies, inventors, entrepreneurs and ordinary
citizens eager to devote their time, creativity
and effort to building a sustainable city. I look
forward to working with all these people to
create a circular Amsterdam economy.
Abdeluheb Choho,
Alderperson for Sustainability
I Ambition
and
direction
Part I sets out the ambitions, goals and direction for five
transition pathways. The first four pathways concern the
city of Amsterdam: renewable energy, clean air, circular
economy and a climate-resilient city. The fifth pathway
addresses the sustainability of the municipalitys own
operational management. For each transition pathway,
rethinking is of the essence: to establish new ways of
production, consumption and distribution, in order to
enhance sustainability.
Regarding the production of renewable

energy, the ambition is to generate,
per citizen, 20 per cent more energy
compared to 2013 (the last year of the
previous Municipal Executive term). We
can accelerate the process by enabling
the construction of new wind turbines,
by facilitating a strong growth in solar
energy systems and by expanding
the citys heating grid. The ambition
is to use 20 per cent less energy per
inhabitant in 2020, compared to 2013.
The municipality sees opportunities to
accelerate progress by enhancing the
sustainability of the existing housing
stock, by implementing energy-saving
measures within homes, businesses and
social real estate, and by encouraging
climate-neutral construction.
The current measures regarding air
quality mainly aim to comply with
national and European standards. We
will push the bar higher, shifting the
focus from standards to health. Distinguishing healthy from unhealthy
will no longer just be determined by
what our measurement points indicate:
we will also examine the real health
effects on the individual Amsterdam
inhabitant. For example, how is the air
quality for a person cycling behind a
two-stroke scooter? Furthermore, we
will reduce soot emissions a harmful
substance for which no standards or
limitations have so far been set. This
means, specifically, that we and our
urban partners will be planting a flag in
2025: from then on, motorised traffic
should be as clean or emission-free as
possible. Everyone will have time to
adjust their vehicles accordingly, with
the municipality eager to lend a hand.
But at a certain point, we will regulate
and enforce the agreements through
increasingly stringent environmental
zones. The city will remain a front
runner in terms of electric transport by
increasing the number of public electric
charging points to 4,000.
Several pilot schemes have recently

been conducted in the Amsterdam
region exploring the transition to a
circular economy. In the coming period
we will embark upon a real transition.
This requires the stimulation of industriousness, research and innovation.
It is important for the municipality to
have a clear view of the system. We
must make significant improvements
in terms of running separate waste
collection systems and waste recycling.
The ambition is to separate 65 per cent
of domestic waste for reuse by 2020.
This requires a strong effort from both
the waste management chain, and from
Amsterdams inhabitants.
Finally, climate adaptation is very much
a collaborative challenge. We will need
to accept water management issues,
but we can begin to adapt our city to
greater volumes of water now, as well
as preparing for drier periods. In the
coming Municipal Executive period, we
will determine what it takes to make
Amsterdam climate resilient, what
working arrangements this entails and
how we can incorporate this into our
work.
The City of Amsterdam is improving
the sustainability of its own operational management. In 2025 it will have
reduced its own CO2 emissions by
45 percent, compared to 2012. The
municipality spends approximately 1.5
billion euros annually on procurement.
Through sustainable procurement,
the municipality will contribute to the
sustainability of production chains. The
municipality will furthermore increase
the proportion of separate waste
collection by municipal offices from
around 40 percent now to 75 percent
by 2025.
1. Renewable
energy
Amsterdam citizens and businesses jointly spend
approximately 1.8 billion on electricity bills annually.
This is a massive amount of money that flows out of the
city, year after year. Around 23 per cent of social housing
tenants have trouble paying their energy bills. The
municipality wants to join forces with partners in the city to
invest more in energy efficiency and in the local production
of renewable energy. This will simultaneously reinforce
the economic structure of the region and contribute to an
affordable residential and business environment.
10
1.1 Ambitions and goals

The Municipality of Amsterdam is working with
numerous partners to create a more renewable
energy-based economy, which in time should
be entirely fossil fuel-free thus not dependent
on coal, oil or gas. Since Amsterdam is likely to
continue its strong growth rate over the coming
years, we aim to improve our renewable energy
performance per capita. The city has set the
following main targets:
By 2020, we will generate 20 per cent more
renewable energy per capita compared to
2013. We will achieve this in the following
ways:
Producing more wind and solar energy;
Making more use of renewable heating.
By 2020, we will use 20 per cent less energy
per capita compared to 2013. We will
achieve this in the following ways:
Making existing housing stock more
sustainable;
Reducing energy consumption by corporate real estate and social real estate;
Encouraging energy-neutral construction.
Reducing the use of (fossil-based) energy and
increasing renewable energy production will
result in a lowering of Amsterdams CO2 emissions. This effort will thus contribute to building
an economy that will emit 40 and 75 per cent
less CO2 by 2025 and 2040 respectively, compared to 1990 (source: Structuurvisie Amsterdam 2040). Current CO2 emissions are at 4,437
kilotons a year.
1.2 Generating more

renewable energy
Achieving the goals requires an acceleration in
both generating and saving energy. The table
below shows how the proportion of renewable
energy has increased over the past period. This
increase is attributable to more sustainable
production by AEB Amsterdam (Afval Energie
Bedrijf, or Waste Energy Company) and an expansion of the district heating grid. We want to
accelerate this growth over the coming years,
but also want to make more use of wind and
solar sources. The target is set for 18 megawatt
(MW) of extra wind energy, 150 MW of extra
solar energy (around 950,000 square metres of
solar panels) and an expansion of the sustainable district heating grid to around 102,000
connections. We are furthermore certain to
encounter additional new opportunities for
example, regarding the use of biomass. Current
sources, such as heat generated by the waste
energy plant, must obviously continue to operate optimally and improve their sustainability.
Furthermore, new opportunities will always
present themselves for example, in the field
of biomass and by deploying new technologies
and process innovations. See also paragraph
1.5.
1.2.1 Generate more wind

and solar energy
Solar energy is a very suitable technology for
residents and companies, enabling them to
generate their own renewable energy. Smallscale energy consumers can already do so at a
price that can compete with that of grid-sup-
2013 With around 40,000 solar
2020 With around 630,000 solar
2040 Amsterdam reaches the
panels totalling 60,000m , we can

generate 9MW of power. This is
sufficient for the consumption of
approximately 5,000 Amsterdam
households.
panels, with a total surface area of

100 ha (1 km2), we can generate 160
MW of power. This is sufficient for
the consumption of approximately
80,000 households.
threshold of 1,000MW of solar

power. This is just over two thirds of
the potential yield (1,300MW). This
is sufficient for the consumption of
approximately 450,000 households.
11
plied energy. A further advantage of making

this personal investment is a reduced dependency on electricity price fluctuations.
Actions and measures
as requirements regarding building aesthetics;

Demonstrate how local sustainable development is impeded by national regulation and
call on the national government to amend
obstructive legislation, such as tax rules.
Simplify building rights on leasehold properties with respect to solar energy projects;
Make arrangements with housing associations and businesses regarding the utilisation
of roof surfaces: for example, placing solar
panels on the garages of the Municipal
Transport Authority (GVB);
Support social real estate, such as schools, in
using their roof surfaces;
Financially support initiatives through the
new Energy Fund and other schemes.
Ways of contributing to an increase in solar

energy:
Actively inform roof owners about the possibilities of solar energy;
Amend or scrap obstructive local rules, such
Ways of contributing to an to an increase in

wind energy:
Discuss sites for wind turbines with provincial and central government;
From 2014-2018, the municipality wants to

contribute to an increase of solar energy
production in Amsterdam from 9 MW in 2013
to 160 MW by 2020. Increasing the amount of
wind energy is one of the main measures set
out in the SER Energy Agreement for Sustainable Growth. Amsterdam aims to increase wind
energy by at least 18 MW by 2020. This means
raising the current amount of 67 MW to 85 MW
by 2020.
Consumption versus sources 2013

Every year, the city of Amsterdam uses 54,500 terajoules of energy. Around 45 per cent of this energy consists
of gas, 30 per cent is electricity, 20 per cent is mobility on Amsterdam territory and 5 per cent is heating. Approximately 35 per cent of the natural gas, electricity and heat is consumed by private households, with the rest
utilised by the corporate sector.
Amsterdam annually produces 2,700 terajoules of renewable energy. The main sources of renewable energy on
Amsterdam territory are electricity production by AEB Amsterdam (71 per cent), district heating (10 per cent),
wind energy (18 per cent) and solar energy (1 per cent). Electricity production by AEB Amsterdam is fairly stable,
district heating has expanded and solar energy is growing rapidly, although the latter remains a modest contributor overall. The amount of renewable energy produced by wind turbines has not increased in the recent past. This
has come from 36 wind turbines for many years now.
Natural gas, private
AEB heating
Natural gas, corporate
AEB heating
Electricity, private
Wind
Electricity, corporate
Solar PV
Mobility
Heating, private
Heating, corporate
In 2013, 2,700 terajoules of renewable energy was produced in

Amsterdam.
12
In 2013, energy consumption in Amsterdam amounted

to 54,500 terajoules, measured at the user level, thus
excluding conversion and transmission losses, and excluding geothermal energy.
The wind vision Space for windmills in

Amsterdam (Ruimte voor windmolens in
Amsterdam) remains the point of departure
for the ambition of Amsterdam. The aim in
the discussion with the provincial and central
government is to create space for a windmill
power generation capacity of 250 MW by
2025 en 400 MW by 2040.
Seek sites for wind turbines in the Amsterdam port area, around the Noorder IJplas
and the NDSM Wharf;
The possibility for residents and businesses
to participate as a precondition and offer
Amsterdam inhabitants the option of purchasing locally produced, renewable energy;
The municipality facilitates the availability of
sites by following the spatial and legal processes. This contributes to the business case.
Various external factors may influence the
extent to which the City of Amsterdam can
achieve its ambitions for the production of renewable energy. Firstly, there is the willingness
to invest on the part of citizens and businesses,
and the related cost of the required technolo-
gy. National regulations play a role, including

the conditions under which households can offset expenses and the financial incentive regime
(the SDE + subsidy and the tax arrangement
for cooperatives). The pace at which Amsterdam will be able to develop wind turbines on
its territory also depends on provincial policies
and central government regulations, such as
the Schiphol Airport Zoning Decree.
1.2.2 Making more use of

renewable heating
Natural gas resources will eventually be depleted. From 2024, the Netherlands will become
a net importer. It would, therefore, be wise for
Amsterdam to derive heat from other, renewable sources. Developments in district heating
and small-scale renewable heating sources,
such as underground heat and cold storage
(warmtekoudeopslag, WKO), show that this is
feasible.
There are various large and small heating grids
in the city, connected to different sources. The
main grids at present are the waste power plant
This map shows existing grids and sources of district heating (centrally generated residual heat, for example, from
waste incineration) and cooling in Amsterdam. In addition, the connected dwellings and businesses are indicated in
yellow. There are two major grids in Amsterdam: WestpoortWarmte owns the grid in the west of the city and Nuon
owns the southern and south-eastern grid. There are also various small grids. Parts of the Zuidas district and parts of
the business park in Zuidoost use water drawn from the Nieuwe Meer and Ouderkerkerplas bodies of water, respectively, for cooling.
13
of AEB Amsterdam and the Diemer electricity plant. There are concrete plans to connect
smaller sustainable sources to biomass. In
December 2013, around 62,000 households
and businesses were connected to these grids.
In a partnership with Nuon and AEB Amsterdam called WestpoortWarmte (WpW), the City
of Amsterdam is investing in the expansion
of the district heating grid, with a large number of connections created particularly in the
Zuidoost, Zuidas and Nieuw West districts. New
district heating schemes are coming, such as
the climate-neutral Houthavens, Zeeburgereiland and areas in Amsterdam-Noord.
In various locations throughout the city where
there is a need for both heating and cooling,
market parties and private builders have built
heat and cold storage systems. The municipality has enacted the Verordening interferentiegebieden bodemenergie (Soil energy interference
areas by-law) to prevent systems from interfering with each other in parts of the city with
a crowded substratum, thus improving their
performance. Smart connections can also be
made with heating through the sewer system or
cooling through the tap-water grid. Moreover,
Amsterdam has cooling networks in Zuidoost
and the Zuidas, through which Nuon supplies
renewable cooling from deep lakes.
Even after implementing energy-saving measures, the demand for heating in existing constructions will remain significantly higher than
the demand in new development areas. In the
coming years, new developments will approach
energy neutrality. To enable a robust growth in
the number of connections to district heating,
housing blocks and businesses in the existing
city must also be connected. This is tailor-made
work. In many instances this process runs
smoothly, as demonstrated by the new contracts concluded by WestpoortWarmte (WpW)
and Nuon, but in other city districts it requires
vigorous effort and new solutions. The municipality is addressing this issue, utilising its ability
to bring together the various parties such as
housing associations and energy companies.
The expanding district heating grid will need
to permanently adapt to the changing environment and to developments in demand. The
Municpal Council has indicated through various
resolutions that affordability, sustainability,
14
openness and room for alternative heating

systems are essential to enable a strong growth
of the district heating grid, with the support of
Amsterdam citizen.
Affordable: the district heating grid creates a
win-win-win situation: for the consumer who
maintains an affordable energy bill; for the
owner or developer whose connection fee is
competitive; and for the heating company,
who gains a positive business case.
Sustainable: more renewable energy sources
are connected to the grid, while existing
fossil fuel sources are phased out over time.
Wherever possible, initiatives seeking an
alternative renewable heating supply are
accommodated. This must be a substantially
more sustainable option.
Open: the district heating grid is open to a
variety of heat producers. In time, the grid
should facilitate heat transport between
parties with a heat surplus and parties with a
heat demand. By continuing to connect new
and small heat sources to the grid, the reliability and sustainability of the heat supply is
improved.

WPW, in which Nuon and AEB Amsterdam
participate, has the ambition to expand the
district heating grid to 230,000 connections
by 2040. To achieve this target, the number
of new connections per year must increase.
For the current Municipal Executive term,
the goal is to add 19,000 connections to
reach 81,000 connections by 2018, with a
further growth to 102,000 by the end of
2020. The City of Amsterdam supports this
ambition.
In 2015, the municipality will draw up a
Heating Action Plan together with stakeholders, to create a future-proof framework
for all partners in the city working on urban
development, transformation and renovation. This framework will help make the
right choices and arrangements about the
connection of existing developments and
new development to the district heating
grid and/or to other sources such as underground heat and cold storage.
In the coming years, we will also look into
(developing projects on) geothermal energy
and large-scale thermal solar energy as
renewable sources. The possibilities offered

by more innovative heating and cooling
systems using the water cycle will also be
examined. A large-scale rollout will be
prepared by means of a feasibility study and
possibly with trial projects, together with
other parties involved, such as Waternet.
In addition to these agreements, the municipality sees Zero Energy Buildings (Nul op
de meter-woningen, NOM) as an option to
improve current housing stock. Although a
number of projects are underway elsewhere
in the country, these are insufficiently relevant to the challenge facing Amsterdam: to
Housing stock according to ownership in Amsterdam. Source: O+S

Numbers
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
Owner-occupied housing
72,000
80,000
89,800
102,500
112,250
119,100
125,100
Association rentals
206,000
206,000
202,500
192,100
192,240
186,500
182,700
Private rentals
93,000
89,000
83,800
84,700
84,740
88,900
89,200
Total
371,000
375,000
376,100
379,300
389,230
394,500
397,000
1.3 Reducing energy consumption

1.3.1 Improving the sustainability
of existing housing stock
Saving energy increases domestic comfort and
improves the value and quality of Amsterdams
housing portfolio. Homeowners (housing associations and private owners) are responsible
for implementing energy-saving measures. The
municipality therefore encourages homeowners
to invest in improving the energy performance
of their property. Rising energy costs pose a
problem for a growing group of households.
Energy poverty is a new theme. It denotes a
situation where low-income households must
spend more than 10 per cent of their disposable income on energy bills. The municipality
is attempting to obtain a clearer view of this
problem and will propose measures if necessary.

The Energy Agreement will form the basis for
the level of ambition and measures that we
take in this field.
In 2015, the municipality will conclude
agreements with housing associations
regarding energy-saving measures for their
properties. These agreements are based on
the housing association sectors commitment
to the SER Energy Agreement to bring their
properties, on average, to Label B by 2020.
The municipality and housing associations
will collaborate on the production of renewable energy for instance, by means of solar
panels.
find a NOM solution for the existing stacked

housing stock. The municipality therefore
wishes to boost this effort with the ambition
to develop 1,000 NOM dwellings, together
with market parties. If this proves successful,
then the concept can be promoted further
among homeowners.
The concept is based on two principles: first,
the construction company guarantees that the
home will no longer have an energy bill after
refurbishment. With this guarantee, money
reserved for the energy bill can be used to
finance the refurbishment work to make the
home sustainable. This creates additional
investment budget. Second, by tackling a large
number of homes, the construction company
should be able to standardise operations and
to prefabricate many of the energy and renovation measures. This should reduce the costs
of the measures. The concept is relatively new
and will therefore need to be proven in practice
first.
In (the city districts of) Amsterdam, various
schemes have been implemented in recent
years to encourage energy conservation in
Amsterdam homes. These schemes will be
evaluated in 2015, and decisions on new
schemes will be taken. The starting point is:
effectiveness and connection to the framework of the Sustainability Agenda.
Conduct research into energy poverty.
15
1.3.2 Reducing energy consumption by businesses

The City of Amsterdam is collaborating with
the private sector and public organisations to
reduce their energy use, based on the national agreements outlined in the SER Energy
Agreement. Frontrunners are rewarded, where
possible, by fewer inspections. To qualify, medium-sized and large energy consumers must,
in principle, take all measures with a payback
period of five years or less. This obligation will
be supervised and enforced systematically in
the coming period, with annual reports on the
achieved results.

The ambition is to have determined by 2018
whether virtually all 950 large-scale energy
consumers in the city have complied with
the energy-saving obligation stipulated by
the Environmental Management Act (Wet
milieubeheer), or whether agreements have
been made to that end. The municipality will
also examine its own organisation.
No special requirements regarding energy
conservation apply for small consumers.
Nevertheless, they can often save costs on
their energy bills as well. These businesses
can call on the municipality for independent
information and a free energy scan describing potential measures, required investments
and the payback period.
1.3.3 Schools
Research and the experiences of school boards
have revealed in recent years that a healthy
indoor climate positively affects pupils school
performance. At the same time as improving
the indoor climate, energy-saving measures can
be taken to reduce energy use for instance,
by insulating the school building. Additionally

and where possible, energy-production facilities
will be created, for instance by means of solar
panels on the roof. The two targets healthy
climate and energy efficiency will be tackled
jointly when revitalising current school buildings
in Amsterdam, in close cooperation with the
school boards.

In the period 2015-2018, the Municipal
Executive aims to tackle 111 existing primary
and secondary schools (complementing
the 90 schools that have been tackled in
the past eight years). These schools will
then satisfy the Programma van Eisen (PvE)
Frisse Scholen (Schedule of Requirements
for Clean Schools) category B, and will be
improved at neutral operating costs, starting
with 20 primary schools in 2015 (see box).
From 1 January 2015, all newly constructed
primary schools will at the very minimum
meet the Programma van Eisen (PvE) Frisse
Scholen (Schedule of Requirements for
Clean Schools), as set out in the Municipal
Housing Regulations (Verordening Huisvestingsvoorzieningen).
The ambition for 2015 and 2016 is for all
newly constructed (and special) secondary schools to meet the Programma van
Eisen (PvE) Frisse Scholen (Schedule of
Requirements for Clean Schools). This can
be recorded formally in the 2016 Municipal Housing Regulations, which applies for
applications for 2017.
All schools that do not yet meet these standards will be subjected to a Gezonde Scholen
Toets (Healthy Schools Assessment) in 2015,
so that a priority list can be drawn up for
subsequent years at the end of 2015.
Frisse scholen klasse B (Clean Schools category B)

The Programma van Eisen (PvE) Frisse Scholen (Schedule of Requirements for Clean Schools), the guideline for the
construction or refurbishment of schools, aims to improve the indoor climate and to encourage schools to use less
energy (see www.frissescholen.nl). This Schedule of Requirements sets out five specific themes that are important for
a healthy school: energy efficiency, air quality, thermal comfort, visual comfort and acoustic comfort. Ambition levels
have been defined for each theme, ranging from basic category level C (acceptable) to B (good) to A (very good).
These ambition levels are linked to (performance) requirements. According to the Municipal Housing Regulations,
newly constructed primary schools in Amsterdam must minimally meet category B. For other types of schools, this
ambition level will be included in the 2016 Municipal Housing Regulations, to take effect in 2017. Category B means
that the school scores well on all aspects: the energy performance of the building is 25 per cent better compared to
the Buildings Decree (Bouwbesluit). Category B in terms of air quality and visual comfort for existing schools is also
the point of departure in the Healthy Schools programme 2015-2018.
16
1.3.4 Sports facilities

In the sports sector, there is much to be gained
in making facilities more sustainable. The
condition of such facilities in particular sports
club buildings is often outdated and installations have become obsolete. Through targeted
measures, sports facilities can contribute to saving energy and possibly to the local production
of renewable energy as well. This applies to
municipal facilities and to sports club facilities.
There is a further opportunity to implement
sustainability measures when organising sports
events such as the European Athletics Championships in 2016 or at annually recurrent events
such as the Dam to Dam run and the Amsterdam Marathon.

Implement the Sustainable Amsterdam
Sports Clubs project (Duurzame Amsterdamse Sportverenigingen), with the target
of increasing the sustainability of at least
25 per cent of outdoor sports clubs with a
club house in 2015; e.g. by offering energy
scans and supervising the implementation of
measures.
Incorporating sustainability criteria as relevant in the Subsidy Scheme for Outdoor
Sports Club Facilities (Subsidieregeling voor
Verenigingsaccommodaties Buitensport).
Applying the Sports Club Facilities Fund
(Sportaccommodatiefonds) to invest in sustainability as part of a healthy, future-proof
sports infrastructure by including sustainability as a condition for new investments.

Applying the Sports Club Facilities Fund to
invest in energy measures in existing facilities and to investigate whether co-funding
with the Energy Fund is an option, in accordance with the applicable (to be drafted)
criteria and expenditure goals of that fund.
1.3.5 Encourage energy-neutral

new developments
The 2008 Council Resolution to have only
climate-neutral construction (EPC = 0.15) by
2015 has achieved limited results so far, namely
1% of new developments. This goal requires a
stronger emphasis on challenging the market
through the selection process of developers
and other parties, and by applying a higher
ambition to designated areas. The Buildings
Decree stipulates that energy-neutral new
developments (the new term in the sector)
should be standard by 2020. The municipality
applies the following objective: in 2020, both
residential and non-residential construction is
energy neutral. The ambition is for 75 per cent
of the programme in contracts concluded from
1 January 2015 onwards to be developed in an
energy-neutral manner.
Whereas the Buildings Decree indicates the
minimum in accordance with the European
guideline, the market will be challenged to
deliver even better performance. Developing
17
parties developers and housing associations,

but also (collectives of) private clients will be
encouraged by:
1. Assigning at least a 30 per cent weight (in
terms of significance) to sustainability when
weighing criteria in the selection of development plans and developing parties. For
ground-level homes, the bar can be set considerably higher while remaining affordable.
Considering sustainability criteria as part of
selection processes is in line with European
tendering law.
2. In addition to the already existing district of
excellence of Houthavens and the prospective district of Buiksloterham, additional
areas will be designated where every effort
is made, jointly with developers, housing
associations and parties such as Alliander,
AEB Amsterdam and Waternet, to achieve
the maximum in terms of energy efficiency,
renewable energy production (e.g. solar energy), recycled materials, climate resilience
(e.g. against torrential rainfall) and mobility.
This new ambition requires a new approach
to district development.
3. Regulation and enforcement: Amsterdam
will organise random inspections of energy-performance levels when delivering new
18
developments by evaluating the EPC reports

and through on-site inspections.
1.5 Smarter energy infrastructure and innovation

Grid operator Liander and the City of Amsterdam are working together to maintain existing
grids and build new ones. The capacity and the
design of the power grid are compatible with
the current use of the grid and the available
sources. For the time being, the existing grid
can still accommodate the increase in renewable sources such as solar energy and the increasing demand by electric vehicles. However,
the grid will need to adapt as we move towards
the energy system of 2040. It will require Smart
Grids innovative technologies to manage the
power grid to connect demand and supply
more efficiently at the local level. Now is the
time to gain experience with this; if we wait until the grids really need to be adapted, then this
might jeopardise the reliability of the system.
Innovative energy technologies hold new
opportunities for the city. The municipality
remains up to date with the latest technology
by maintaining close contact with knowledge
institutes, innovative companies and start-ups,
and with the Amsterdam Economic Board and

Amsterdam Smart City. For the 2014-2018 period, Amsterdam will specifically focus on innovations in the field of heating grids, smart power
grids and their connection to electric mobility,
and the application of the innovative concept
of Zero Energy Buildings in Amsterdam.
19
2. Clean Air
In a city with clean air, it is pleasant to live, walk, cycle and
play outdoors, without worrying about your health. Too
much air pollution has a negative impact on the quality of
life and can be harmful to ones health. It also impedes the
development of the city: it is prohibited to build schools
or dwellings in some areas because of the poor air quality.
That is why the air in Amsterdam needs to become as clear
and healthy as possible, with the least possible amount of
nitrogen dioxide, particulates and soot.
20

Amsterdam is a true bicyclists and pedestrians
city, and wishes to remain so in the future. This
should also be fostered from the perspective
of making the air cleaner, as bikes and pedestrians do not cause air pollution. That is why
the municipality is doing all it can to facilitate
these modes of transport for instance, by
building sufficient bicycle parking facilities and
by creating fast and safe cycling routes across
the city. To improve the air quality, the municipality is also encouraging smarter and cleaner
motorised traffic. This is an important goal, as
an important proportion of the air pollution in
Amsterdam (in some areas up to 50 per cent)
is caused by urban motorised traffic. To reduce
the pressure and improve health, the municipality is working with partners to achieve efficient
traffic circulation and to make the provisioning
and logistics of Amsterdam as clever and efficient as possible.
Here, the citys approach to mobility is a significant factor. The ambitions of this approach
greatly contribute to cleaner air in the city.
Conversely, the citys measures to clean up the
air contribute to the mobility ambitions. The
Mobility Approach (Mobiliteitsaanpak) and Mobility Agenda (Agenda Mobiliteit) concentrate
primarily on reducing the traffic burden and on
maintaining the accessibility of the city.
Industry
Refineries
Energy sector
Waste processing
Agriculture
Households
HDO/construction
Other traffic (inland shipping,
mobile equipment, air, rail)
Road traffic
Local contribution
NO2
Sea salt, soil particulates and other

International shipping
Foreign source
NH3 from sea
Industry
Refineries
Particulates
Energy sector
Waste processing
Agriculture
Households
HDO/construction
This Sustainability Agenda focuses primarily on

having cleaner motorised traffic in the city. The
ultimate goal is to remain an attractive bicycling
city, to make motorised traffic as emission-free
as possible and to guide traffic through the
city as efficiently as possible. This cannot be
accomplished from one day to the next, but the
Municipal Executive will be taking important
steps over the coming four years to have the
traffic within the A10 ring road emission-free, as
much as possible.
Amsterdam has set the following target regarding the quality of air: the air in Amsterdam will
become healthy, with the least possible amount
of nitrogen dioxide, particulates and soot.
At the most heavily affected location, the
amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) will be a
maximum of 30 microgram/m3 by 2025. This
implies a reduction of 30 per cent compared
to 2015.
Other traffic (inland shipping,

mobile equipment, air, rail)
Road traffic
Local contribution
NO2
Sea salt, soil particulates and other

International shipping
Foreign source
NH3 from sea
Soot
Amsterdam traffics contribution to emissions

The three pie charts indicate how much various sources contribute to the presence of nitrogen dioxide, particulates and soot
in the air. At some locations, the traffics contribution to soot
emissions approximates as much as 50%. The harmful impact of
soot on our health is becoming steadily clearer, even while there
is no European standard in place for this substance. The City of
Amsterdam will include soot in these considerations from now
on. Source: TNO.
21
The highest measured concentration of soot

in 2025 is 30 per cent lower than in 2015.
Regarding particulates (PM10), Amsterdam already satisfies the statutory norm so that there
is no objective here, from that perspective. Regarding the health objective, the commitment
to reducing NO2 and soot (EC) automatically
implies an effort to reduce PM10. Measures
that contribute to reducing NO2 and EC are
also effective in reducing PM10. For that reason
there is no separate objective for PM10.
2.2 Amsterdam achieves

the standard
Achieving the standard is a legal duty, and
much has been achieved in that respect.
Amsterdam will meet the statutory norm at
all locations. To enable this, agreements have
been made among the state, provincial and
municipal authorities in the National Air Quality
Collaboration Programme (Nationaal Samenwerkingsprogramma Luchtkwaliteit, NSL). The
Amsterdam measures are set out in the 2011
Clean Air Plan for Amsterdam (Plan Schone
Lucht voor Amsterdam). This plan was evaluated and adjusted in 2013. The current set
of measures will be continued with the goal
of achieving the NO2 standard in all locations
as quickly as possible. It has been calculated
previously that, with the current measures and
without additional measures by the national
government or by European authorities, this
goal will be achieved by 2021. The municipality
does not want to wait that long, however, and
is therefore taking extra measures (see section
2.3). The last exceedances of the standard will
be solved by the end of the current Municipal
Executive term.
Actions and measures (previously established)

The measures set out in the Clean Air Plan for
Amsterdam (Plan Schone Lucht voor Amsterdam) will be implemented during the current
term:
Implement the Electric Transportation Subsidy Programme;
Implement the Euro6/alternative fuels Subsidy Programme;
Further rollout of tailored programme to
promote clean transport among corporate
frequent road users;
Further rollout of measures for sustainable
22
goods transportation, such as constructing

smart goods transfer stations and offering
exemption windows for emission-free distributors;
Preparation of Cleaner Parking Plan (implementation per 1/1/2016);
Implementation of location-specific measures (particularly for traffic circulation).
2.3 Amsterdam increasingly

cleaner/Approach
per traffic group
Experience shows that a policy of encouragement alone is not enough to clean up the air
at the desired rate; it requires a lot of time and
effort. The College of Mayor and Alderpersons
wants to see a rapid, (cost) efficient and lasting
improvement of the air quality. This is best assured by implementing a comprehensive set of
measures that is both facilitating and directive
and regulatory. It should be a set of measures
that provides clarity for the long term (2025) so
that residents, businesses and visitors have a
clear practical perspective.
This combination of encouragement and regulation will be applied to the main polluting traffic groups in the city. These are lorries, delivery
vans, taxis, coaches, public transport (buses)
and private cars. Each group will have its own
approach, with the ambition of having as many
traffic groups emission-free as possible by 2025
(or to have them as clean as possible, depending on what is technically feasible). The measures per group will be determined with a view
to each groups relative contribution to pollution, both as a traffic group (how much do they
drive in the city compared to other groups?) as
in terms of emission per individual vehicle, and
to what the market offers in terms of clean vehicles and fuels. It is moreover a condition that
the municipality finance this process in the most
cost-efficient manner. An environmental zone
will therefore be designated for taxis, delivery
vans and touring coaches by not later than
2018. As in Utrecht and Rotterdam, this clear
and unambiguous regulatory measure aims to
ban the oldest and most polluting vehicles from
those parts of the city where the air quality
is at its poorest (within the A10 ring road). In
consultation with the corporate sector, emission
targets and indicators will be established for
each traffic group in order to track the pro-
Concentrations of
nitrogen dioxide in
Europe.
Source: TNO
gress. The starting point is always that increasingly stricter demands are imposed on emission
levels through staged regulatory action, taking
operational management and coping capacity
into account as much as possible. In addition to
the measures above, new parking licences for
private vehicles will be directly related to age
requirements, from 2016.
Organising goods transportation more efficiently will reduce traffic in the city. The municipality can make important contributions to
creating smarter logistics and provisioning by
optimally facilitating the effort and through
targeted measures. This includes, for example,
the creation of at least two additional sustainable cargo hubs at the city perimeters. Here
goods can be transferred on to clean (preferably emission-free) urban transportation modes.
Three such cargo hubs are already in operation, at Zuidoost, Foodcenter Amsterdam and
Westpoort.
23

Confer with representatives of public transportation companies, cargo transporters,
delivery companies, taxis and touring coaches to reach agreements on encouraging,
facilitating and regulating clean transportation. Set a clear target per group (preferably
emission-free transportation within the A10
ring road by 2025) and make agreements
about the staged realisation of this goal.
Work out stimulating and facilitating measures to optimally facilitate entrepreneurs
who opt for emission-free transportation, by
offering privileges or eliminating obstacles.
(Calculate the effects, practical elaboration,
planning, legal possibilities, etc.)
Establish a clear regulatory measure per
category (incl. implementation plan and
phases). The goal is to establish an environmental zone for delivery vehicles (per
1 January 2017, minimally Euro III diesel,
vehicles not older than 1/1/2000), taxis (no
later than 1 January 2018, minimally Euro
5 diesel), coaches (no later than 1 January 2018, minimally Euro IV diesel) and to
further implement and tighten in 2020 the
environmental zone for freight lorries. The
staged realisation is aimed at establishing a
zone that is as clean as possible, preferably
emission-free by 2025, taking operational
management and coping capacity into account as much as possible. Agreements will
also be made with these groups on a set of
suitable stimulating measures (e.g. rollout of
exclusively emission-free taxi ranks or extra
facilities for touring coaches within the A10
ring road) and on how the municipality can

facilitate this development.
Introduce age criteria for parking licences,
for diesel not older than 1/1/2000 (minimally
Euro 4) and petrol not older than 1/7/1992
(minimally Euro 1) as a regulatory measure
for private vehicles (elaboration of a 2013
Council Decision).
Collaborate with the Municipal Transport
Authority (GVB) to achieve an emission-free
public bus service in 2026.
Collaborate with the GVB to research means
of cleaning up the municipal ferry services
(feasibility, costs, effects on air quality).
Promote smarter logistics by facilitating and
stimulating the further use of the three cargo
hubs and by providing space for two further
sustainable cargo hubs.
Research the possibility to introduce an environmental zone for two-stroke scooters. The
already implemented plan to move these
scooters on to the roadway has already mitigated much of the harm to cyclists health.
The municipality furthermore continues to
discuss means of accelerating the clean up
of these vehicles with the national government.
Research means to clean up other sources of
air pollution, including mobile equipment.
Research the contribution of car sharing to
air quality.
Amsterdam has an advanced air quality-measuring network, managed by the Municipal Health Service (GGD). In the coming
years, the municipality will actively seek to
make available knowledge accessible and
Amsterdam Electric
Electric transport is entirely emission-free and will thus contribute significantly to cleaner air in the city. In the past
five years, Amsterdam has acquired an excellent reputation worldwide regarding electric transport. Amsterdam has
an extensive and intensively used public charging network (1,000 public charging points). There are, moreover, purchase subsidies and, of course, theres a logo that is used throughout Europe. A foundation has also been established for a remarkable collaboration between local, national and international pioneers that has resulted in, among
other things, new business activity and employment opportunities in the city.
The number of electric cars is growing. In 2014, around 3,000 unique electric vehicles were counted every month,
amounting to a monthly average of 1 million clean E-kilometres. Electric power has also become commonplace in
the taxi and distribution sector, and GVB has concrete plans to make the rest of its fleet electric as well, in addition
to its buses. Amsterdam is still the worlds frontrunner in this respect, but this should not be taken for granted. This
Municipal Executive wants Amsterdam to retain its leading position and for that reason will, among other things,
expand the public charging grid to 4,000 charging points by 2018, in response to demand.
24
comprehensible, as far and as effectively as

possible. This could include, for example,
real-time insight into air quality and smog
levels.
2.4 Location-specific solutions

Aside from this citywide approach and the implementation of generic measures, we are also
taking highly targeted measures to ensure that
the air quality in the most persistent problem
areas improves as quickly as possible. Even if
the standard is attained everywhere, we will
continue to monitor the most heavily affected
areas. After all, these are often the places that
most affect the accessibility and hence the
attractiveness of the city. Wherever possible,
and without displacing the problem to elsewhere, we will opt for location-specific solutions
that are good for the air quality, the traffic flow
and accessibility. Improving traffic flows is an
effective measure for instance, by introducing

smart solutions in the circulation, by a better
alignment of traffic lights, by combining the
different traffic flows more effectively and by a
better distribution of traffic. The citywide focus
on traffic flow through the mobility strategy,
and the focus on traffic flow at specific heavily
affected areas through the air quality strategy,
can thus reinforce each other. This will benefit
the citys accessibility in the long run, as well as
the air quality.

Monitor and investigate the most heavily
affected locations;
Research concrete location-specific measures;
Implement measures.
25
3. Circulair
economy
In a circular economy, energy, water, natural resources and
food are used carefully. Waste is considered a natural
resource, and energy is derived from renewable sources.
It is called circular because scarce natural resources are
recovered and used to generate new financial or nonfinancial gains. This requires new production, consumption,
regional distribution, local distribution and logistics
models, to accelerate the transition from possession to
the use and sharing of products.
26
Our linear model of production and consumption is under pressure. The global population
will grow to 9 billion people by 2050, with a
concomitant growth in demand for natural
resources. This demand and the limited nature
of various natural resources are causing scarcity
and high volatility in prices. More and more
companies are therefore deciding to make the
transition to a circular economy: this transition
provides opportunities for innovation and (the
export of) new production technologies and
business models, and reduces dependence on
imports. Consulting firm McKinsey has forecasted the impact of the circular economy for the
European Union at 500 billion per year. According to the TNO (Netherlands Organisation
for Applied Scientific Research), the impact on
the Dutch economy amounts to approximately
7.3 billion and 54,000 new jobs. Amsterdam
aims to acquire a leading position in this.

The Amsterdam region is in a good position
to take advantage of a circular economy. The
region has many entrepreneurial and innovative citizens, as well as start-ups, organisations,
research institutions and companies that are
already working on the circular economy. This
strong position is also confirmed by the national Green Deal, The Netherlands as a circular
hotspot, which is committed to accelerating
the transition to a circular economy by prioritising circular projects that are scalable and replicable, among other initiatives. The municipality
will encourage innovation and circular activities
as part of its active contribution in this respect.
In addition, Amsterdam will collaborate with regional municipalities, the Amsterdam Economic
Board and numerous other partners to create a
circular economy at the regional scale, so that
acceleration and upscaling can be achieved.
The citys long-term ambition is to create a

circular economy with new methods of production, distribution and consumption. The
period 2015-2016 will be used to gain a further
understanding of the possibilities and associated roles, and to select a number of innovation
projects. There is moreover a strong ambition
to increase separation of household waste in
the coming period. The College wants to take
these important steps by:
1. Encouraging innovation, research and circular activities;
2. Recovering more natural resources, with the
associated objective of separating 65 per
cent of household waste by 2020.
3.2 Stimulating innovation,

research and circular activity
A quantitative understanding of the movements of natural resources and distribution
in Amsterdam is necessary to determine the
opportunities for high-quality reuse. It will also
determine what businesses and residents can
do, and the possible roles and tools of the
government. The municipality and its partners
will therefore carry out a Circular QuickScan
(QuickScan Circulair) in 2015. This QuickScan
will examine:
the size of the flows of natural resources and
materials that enter the city, are used in the
city and leave the city;
the potential economic value and opportunities for targeted interventions by companies,
research institutions and the government.
The first bio-based and circular clusters of
mutually supportive businesses already exist in
the region, for instance in the Amsterdam port
area. The city also has many start-ups and good
research facilities operating in the area of the
Amsterdam is building a circular economy based on the following seven principles:

There is no waste in a circular economy. All materials will end up in an infinite technological or organic cycle.
All energy will be derived from renewable sources.
Natural resources will be used to generate new financial or non-financial gains.
Modular and flexible product design and supply chains will increase the adaptability of systems.
Transition from possession to use of services; this will require new business models for production, distribution and
consumption.
Different logistics; more region-oriented services and return logistics.
Human activities contribute to eco-systems and eco-system services, and to the rebuilding of natural capital.
27
circular economy. By using its economic policy,

the municipality can strengthen this growing
activity. These clusters can also be reinforced
by combining them with applied research
and innovation. For example, the Advanced
Metropolitan Solutions Institute is starting a
long-term innovation programme in the circular
economy, focusing on natural resources, energy, water and food. Public and private initiatives can use this programme in Amsterdam as
a testing ground, and data from the QuickScan
will be used.
The sharing economy is booming, opening up
new markets and challenging the status quo.
Amsterdam is the incubator for many start-ups.
The impact on society is potentially huge: more
efficient use of consumer goods, changing
distribution patterns more region-oriented
services and reverse logistics and changes to
existing structures and regulations. The repair
and recycling industry is part of the circular
economy, and contributes to high-quality reuse
of natural resources and products. We will
acquire greater understanding of the sharing
economy and the repair and recycling industry
in order to determine action and cooperation.
28
Measures and actions

Circular economy as cornerstone of the
innovation policy.
The municipality is preparing a circular
economy urban innovation programme,
which will be presented in mid-2015 to the
College of Mayor and Alderpersons. The
municipality will also conduct the Circular QuickScan in 2015 as part of this. This
survey will provide data for the Advanced
Metropolitan Solutions Institutes long-term
circular economy innovation programme.
An integrated vision of the sharing economy
will also be prepared, to be presented to
the College of Mayor and Alderpersons in
Q3 2015.
Together with AEB Amsterdam, among
others, we will prepare a first overview on
opportunities for reinforcing the repair and
recycling industry.
Using economic policy to benefit a circular
economy.
The municipality is preparing an action plan
that describes how we are going to stimulate the circular economy using existing
tools. This action plan will include the following topics:
Sustainable enterprise will be embedded

in the Amsterdam Enterprise Programme, which will include a focus on
regulations, both local and national, and
coordination with the Business Investment Zone.
Development of free zones for sustainable and/or circular activities.
Partly focusing national and international
acquisition policy on attracting sustainable companies in specific sectors that
contribute to a circular economy (in areas where the city has something to offer
the market) and/or attracting businesses
that will strengthen Amsterdams leading
position in the field of sustainability, an
area where Amsterdam has a lot to offer.
Amsterdam Marketing also has a prominent role to play here.
3.3 More recovery of natural

resources and materials
3.3.1 Circular construction industry
It is estimated that 40 per cent of the natural
resource flows in Amsterdam are related to
construction and demolition. In 2015, those involved in the construction supply chain and the
City of Amsterdam will sign a national Green

Deal to make this movement circular. We will
conclude this deal with the entire supply chain
from financier, developer and builder to demolition firm. Under the Green Deal, partners
agree that any materials resulting from demolition, renovation and construction projects
will be reused locally. This process provides
partners with insight into the opportunities for
recycling locally in the short- and medium-term.
It will also become clear how additional jobs
can be created in this way. The municipality can
contribute to creating circular construction and
demolition waste flows by deliberately encouraging the local reuse of building materials in
tendering processes for municipal building
projects.
3.3.2 More separation of

(household) waste
A circular economy will produce increasingly
less waste. Any waste that is still present will be
separated so that it can be reused. Producing
less waste and increasing waste separation will
provide Amsterdams residents with immediate
benefits, such as affordable waste collection
and processing in the future, and affordable
natural resources. In 2013, Amsterdams residents produced 322kg of household waste per
29
person on average. Sixteen per cent of this was

separated in 2010, increasing to around 19 per
cent in 2013.
Amsterdam is lagging behind in the separation of waste, partly due to high-rise buildings.
Due to lack of space, residents have to bring
their waste to communal recycling points,
where there are containers for paper, glass and
residual waste. However, similar cities show that
things can be organised better. Similar Dutch
cities scored an average separation rate of
31 per cent in 2013. In comparable European
cities, Oslos residents separate 38 per cent of
waste, for example, while Viennas manage 45
per cent. The situation is different in municipalities with a higher proportion of low-rise
buildings and a collection system. These can
now achieve separation rates in the region of
65 to 75 per cent.
The City of Amsterdam has set a target of 65
per cent separation by 2020. That implies a
big leap forward. To achieve this target, the
cooperation of Amsterdams inhabitants and
cooperation between the city, its local districts
and the waste industry is vital.
30
Separate collection of paper, cardboard, glass

and household chemical waste has been customary in Amsterdam for many years. Plastic
packaging and textiles can now also be collected separately, but there is considerable room
for expansion. The separation of organic waste
is the next step.
The municipality also intends to make proposals to separate more litter collected from public
spaces, and also waste from offices, shops,
institutions and companies that is similar to
household waste. The implementation framework will be determined by the College of Mayor and Alderpersons, together with the waste
service industry and district committees in the
Waste Implementation Plan (Uitvoeringsplan
Afval).
Examples of circulair economy initiatives in the city
Draw up a Waste Implementation Plan, to

be adopted by the College of Mayor and
Alderpersons mid-2015, with the following
components:
Decide between intensifying the current mixed-waste collection or starting
separate collection of different types
of waste to promote source separation
(pre-separation). Separate collection of
different types of waste makes it easier
for Amsterdams residents to separate
waste, and is also easier to fit into public
space.
Include a business case and investment
proposal for the source separation of
organic waste when collecting, for designated areas of the city.
Investigate specific options concerning
post-separation of organic waste (including through the sewer), synthetic material and possibly paper at a later stage.
Include preconditions necessary to
prevent the costs of waste collection
and processing from rising for citizens,
because of municipal policy.
Proposal to improve separation of bulky
household waste.
Proposal to improve separation of waste
and litter collected from public spaces
by separate collection or subsequent
separation.
Proposal to promote recycling of waste
from offices, shops, institutions and companies that is similar to household waste.
Proposal on how to organise the waste
management chain.
Research on optimising movements of
waste collection lorries to improve safety, traffic flow and air quality in the city,
and raise efficiency levels.
The capital of the Netherlands has many entrepreneurial and

innovative people, as well as start-ups, organisations, research institutions and companies that are already working on the circular
economy. Activities range from the development of 3D printers
and apps in the field of smart mobility, to local initiatives such
as Circular Buiksloterham, where residents and companies are
trying to make the area as circular as possible.
In the area that lies roughly between Zaanstad, Amsterdam,
Schiphol and Aalsmeer, known as the Westas (West Axis), there
are multiple activities centring on a bio-based and circular economy. These clusters consist of companies that reinforce each other economically and can potentially exchange natural resources,
including energy. The municipality is working with a number of
companies, including the Port of Amsterdam, AEB Amsterdam,
Waternet and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, to develop various
initiatives.
For example, the Port of Amsterdam wants to focus on expanding the business clusters that are active in the bio-based and
circular economy. In this way, it intends to make the transition
from a port focused on volume to a port that is more focused
on achieving added value for the region. The Port also wants to
strengthen links with urban distribution for example, by bringing plastic waste from the city to the port as a natural resource.
To make the effects of this sustainability policy transparent and
measureable, the Port of Amsterdam is developing indicators.
Where necessary, businesses around the port will be involved.
The first set of indicators will be available at the end of the first
quarter of 2015.
AEB Amsterdam is aiming to become a sustainable resource
and energy company, and some of the activities it wants to
focus on include the separation and reprocessing of waste, and
strengthening the recycling cluster in the port area. Target: to
recover four times as many natural resources from waste in 2018
in comparison to 2014. Waternet is investing in the transition
towards a circular economy with the Circular Trade programme.
The objective is carbon neutrality by 2020, both for Waternets
own organisation and its operational activities. Waternet recovers natural resources such as phosphate from wastewater, and
is looking into possibilities of drawing energy from water and
energy conservation. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, KLM and the
City of Amsterdam are cooperating on developing a strategic
agenda for the metropolitan region. Sustainability is just one
of their shared ambitions. A long-term commitment will be the
basis of investments in areas such as mobility, energy and natural
resources.
31
4. Climate
resilient
city
The climate is changing due to global warming. The
Netherlands is predicted to have increasingly mild winters
and hot summers. Our winters are becoming wetter on
average, and we will increasingly experience extreme
rainfall. Across the Netherlands, climate resilience in urban
areas is gradually creeping up the agenda. That means we
must be aware of the potential effects of climate change,
learn to accept these changes and take them into account
in the design of our urban areas.
32

The frequency and heaviness of rainfall is
increasing, especially in the summer, with all
the associated consequences. For instance,
the heavy downpour on 28 July 2014 caused
approximately 5 million of damage in the city.
A rise in sea levels and higher water levels will
also affect water safety in the city. The risk of
flooding caused by a dyke breach is fortunately low, but if this happened there would be
considerable social disruption and immense
damage.
In terms of the possible damage that water
might cause in Amsterdam, the city is in a favourable starting position. In the 20th century,
it was decided to raise ground levels where
the city was expanded, which gives the city an
advantage over other cities in the west of the
Netherlands. It has made the city more water
resilient and less prone to flooding. However,
technical solutions such as larger sewer pipes
and higher dykes will no longer be sufficient to
limit problems and maintain safety: a new approach is needed. After all, the city is growing,
with more buildings and more impervious surfaces in public spaces and courtyard gardens.
This can cause flooding because rainwater
cannot run into the soil. That is why we should
design our urban areas more as sponges, and
adapt to these climate changes. Our urban design must take into account underground flows
and ideal groundwater levels: not too high so
as to cause problems, but not too low so that

foundations dry out. These tasks are not confined to the borders of the city. Some problems
and solutions are regional, national or European. Many solutions require the commitment of
Amsterdams inhabitants and businesses.
In its Amsterdam Structural Vision 2040, the
City of Amsterdam established that it would
cooperate in making the urban area more
resistant in the future to flooding from extreme
rainfall and longer periods of heat and drought.
Together with regional partners and the national Delta Programme, Amsterdam detailed
this ambition in 2014 in the Amsterdam Region
Delta Strategy.
In 2014, the municipality signed the Spatial
Adaptation (Ruimtelijke Adaptatie) declaration
of intent , as an outcome of the Delta Strategy.
It expressed the intention to embed climate
change in municipal policy by 2020.
After establishing ambitions and a strategy in
the previous period, we are now ready to detail, embed and implement policy. This calls for
further agreements between all parties.
Some problems and solutions are regional,
national or European; others are local and can
be implemented by Amsterdams inhabitants
themselves. Everyone must be more aware of
how they consume water not just the water
manager.
33
4.2 Rainproof city

4.2.1 Implementation of the Amsterdam
Rainproof programme
Waternet launched the Amsterdam Rainproof
programme as an initiative to make Amsterdam
rain resilient. Rainproof encourages, informs
and activates residents, business owners,
government officials and knowledge workers to
work on changing roofs, streets, gardens, parks
and squares. The principle here is that targeted, small-scale, finely developed and effective
measures will not only make the city more
resilient to rain, but also a more attractive and
better place to live. There are no expensive,
large-scale, mono-functional solutions; instead
there are clever adaptations that increase the
sponge effect of the city. The programme
focuses on:
34
Research into problem areas with regard to

rainproofness in Amsterdam, and sharing the
results with the stakeholders responsible.
Research into how some of the municipal
sewer charges can be used to promote Rainproof-compatible activities by individuals
and businesses.
Activating citizens, entrepreneurs and social
organisations through communication and
incentive programmes. This might include
measures to collect rainwater through green
roofs or planting more greenery in gardens.
Wherever possible, changes will be made to
spatial development projects and scheduled
management and maintenance operations
to promote rainproofness without implying
additional costs (work with work).
Who is responsible?
Climate-resilient cities
Public responsibilities for water in Amsterdam are divided among

different authorities:
The Spatial Adaptation declaration of intent

is an outcome of the Delta Strategy. This
declaration is in line with the ambitions of
the Amsterdam Region Delta Strategy. The
signatories to the declaration undertake to
make the Netherlands as climate-resilient
and resistant to flooding as possible by
2050.
The municipality is responsible for processing rainwater. The

municipality has contracted Waternet to perform this task.
Individuals and companies are responsible for processing rainwater on their own properties, to the extent that this can be
reasonably expected. The programme Amsterdam Rainproof,
funded by Waternet, is therefore directed at all Amsterdam
inhabitants.
The water board has an interest in rain resistance, as this
reduces the pressure on the regional water system and the
amount of water needing treatment, and improves the quality
of the canals. The water board has contracted Waternet to
perform these water-related tasks.
The water boards, together with the Dutch government, are
responsible for protection against flooding from rivers and the
sea.
The prevention or reduction of flood damage is a responsibility of local and regional authorities, private organisations and
individuals.
The safety region is responsible for disaster and crisis management on behalf of all the regional governments.
In addition, it was agreed that this would be

integrated into the policies and actions of all
parties by 2020. When considering regional
and local spatial issues, they will:
analyse the water and climate resilience of
their own planning area;
translate the results of this analysis into a
strategy with concrete targets;
implement the policy and legal impact of
this ambition.
In 2017, the national government will
complete the National Adaptation Strategy, which includes health and infrastructure
aspects, along with water.
Water-resilience bottlenecks (red circles) and cloudburst reports 28 July 2014 (Source: Amsterdam Rainproof 2014)
WOLK problem areas

and reports on 28 July
Severity of the problem area
moderate
severe
Concentration of reports (outside the home)
1 report
2-4 reports
5-10 reports
35
4.2.2 Contribution of the greenery

and public space service
Through the greenery and public space service
and the Green Fund, the College will contribute to water collection by greening public
areas and roofs in Amsterdam. Greening roofs
contributes to better absorption of rainwater
and delays drainage to the street, reducing
the load on existing sewers and allowing them
to perform better. This will be included in the
Green Agenda and the details of the Green
36
Fund. As part of the policy on public spaces,

the so-called Blue Puccini programme will determine policy frameworks for temporary water
storage in public spaces. This will be included
in the Vision on Public Space (Visie Openbare
Ruimte)..
4.3 The Waterproof City

The Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water Board is
cooperating with the City of Amsterdam and
partners on the programme The Waterproof
City (De Waterbestendige Stad). The principle

behind this programme is to boost the protection of vital functions against widespread
flooding caused by rivers, the sea and the
IJsselmeer, thereby limiting severe damage and
social disruption in the event of flooding.
This programme is primarily and specifically
focused on the Westpoort area, since this area
is home to much essential infrastructure, but it
should result in an adaptation strategy for the
entire region. The programme:
analyses the domino effect of flooding

(direct effects, secondary effects and indirect
effects, such as economic damage);
details possible measures (physical, policy,
organisational);
details governance (responsibilities, control
mechanisms, policy);
strives to raise awareness among businesses
and regional authorities;
sets out strategies for the Westpoort area.
The programme will be implemented in close
cooperation with the various stakeholders
governments and private parties and serve as
an example of an vital infrastructure adaptation strategy for the Amsterdam region. It will
then be integrated into policy, so that actual
implementation to protect essential infrastructure and buildings is guaranteed; not just in the
Westpoort area, but also in other important
places and buildings, such as new data centres
or hospitals such as the Academic Medical
Center (AMC).
This map shows the combined flood-prone

areas. These areas could be flooded as a
result of dyke breaches from the North Sea,
the river Lek, the Markermeer or the regional
water network.
37
5. Sustainable
Municipality
The municipality will also make its own operational
activities more sustainable, thereby adding scale and
leading by example. One way the municipality can add
scale is by purchasing sustainably: our procurement runs
to around 1.5 billion annually.
38

The municipality has set the following goals:
Reduce municipal CO2 emissions by 45 per
cent by 2025 compared to 2012 levels (College of Mayor and Alderpersons decision in
October 2013).
Recycle 75 per cent of office waste.
Ensure that municipality procurement meets
the quantitative and qualitative objectives of
this sustainability policy in terms of energy
conservation, renewable energy supply,
waste separation and smart and clean transport.
Create a clear investment framework to
facilitate sustainable investment.
5.2 Reduce the municipal

organisations CO2 emissions
In 2013, CO2 emissions from the municipal

organisation reached 93,000 tonnes annually.
In that year, the existing target for reductions
in CO2 emissions was adapted and redefined
in a roadmap extending to 2025 with specific
measures to save energy, which will reduce CO2
emissions by 45 per cent compared to 2012.
The roadmap included a scan of areas where
investments will yield the greatest effects and
where there are opportunities in terms of obvious moments, replacement or new purchase.
In addition, an action plan was included with
actions and action owners, and responsibilities
for carrying out the activities in the roadmap
were agreed.

Energy measures per year are included in a
number of areas, including:
Have the targets been met, have the agreed

actions been implemented?
Are there any opportunities for intensification?
What new actions have been added to the
roadmap?
5.3 Sustainable procurement

The municipality is a major economic player in
the city of Amsterdam. The decisions made by
the municipality on making procurement more
sustainable will have an impact on the city, but
also on chains of companies elsewhere in the
world. The sustainability of municipal procurement will be an example to others.
What we expect of others, we shall do as well:
procurement will meet the goals of this Agenda
for transition to a circular economy, separation
of waste, energy, energy supply and smart and
clean transport. This is to set a good example
in areas where we also request help from others, and to contribute to achieving the targets
in the Sustainability Agenda more quickly,
wherever possible.
5.3.1 Responsibility for achieving

sustainability goals
The substantive responsibility for pursuing
these sustainability goals and for determining the necessity of additional investments is
assigned to official commissioning parties and
budget holders. The mandatory sustainability
paragraph in the annual financial statement will
report results. The purchaser and the sustainable procurement consultant will focus on
offering advice, so that sustainability goals are
thoroughly considered in procurement decisions and the selection of suppliers.
1. IT: energy-efficient workplaces and procurement of energy-efficient data storage.

2. Public lighting: replace with dimmable LED
lighting.
3. Offices: flexitime and disposal of office
space, energy measures.
4. Vehicle fleet.
In the administrative organisation, the Municipal Management Team (Gemeentelijke
Management Team, GMT) has assigned the
implementation and monitoring of the progress
of the roadmap to the City Director of Operations. Annual financial statements will indicate
the results achieved in the following areas:
39

Sustainable Procurement Intensification
Plan (Plan Intensivering Duurzaam Inkopen)
The sustainable procurement ambition will be
elaborated on further in a plan in 2015, which
will translate the overall ambitions and goals
into shorter-term targets for procurement
programmes or categories. We will do this in
collaboration with knowledge institutes and
companies. Wherever possible, this plan will
make use of whatever is already up and running or already studied. Elements of the plan
include:
Process visualisation: which procurement
programmes exist and are promising.
Towards sustainable and circular purchasing.
Drawing up a Kansenkaart (Opportunities Map) of innovative tendering methods, with guidelines to obtain maximum
results in various types of procurement
programmes.
Identifying opportunities for joint ventures with other commissioning parties
outside the municipality.
Influencing the Dutch government or the
EU, for example, as a result of possible
obstacles to the procurement regulations.
40
Customisation
In 2015, we will continue to deliver customised
procurement programmes without previously
quantified targets. Procurement programmes
with opportunities in terms of circular, smart
and clean mobility and energy will be identified. The Board will receive reports on the
selection of customised procurement programmes and ambitions per programme.
In 2014, the following procurement programmes were identified as promising in terms
of sustainability:
The municipality vehicle fleet. This fleet is
extensive, with 400 cars and delivery vans,
and 650 lorries, sweepers and waste collection vehicles. There are electric alternatives
for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, such as passenger cars and small vans. When purchasing or leasing these types of vehicles, our
policy will be to select electric models. At
the moment, there are few electric models
of heavier vehicles, so we will select the
cleanest versions.
We will also organise our own provisioning
as smartly and efficiently as possible. By setting requirements in the procurement of our
own products, services and public works for
smart and clean transport, we will encourage
smart and clean logistics. In this way, we will
fulfil an exemplary role for businesses and
residents.
Making the concrete supply chain circular.
The municipality, together with parties in
the industry, is drawing up a plan to make
the recycling of concrete products and
paving bricks in the soil, road and hydraulic
engineering sectors circular. In addition, the
municipality will work with market parties
such as concrete product manufacturers,
contractors and recycling companies.
The percentage of office waste recycled will
be 75 per cent. The service facility sector in
the municipality will ensure that the percentage of office waste that is separated and
recycled is significantly increased to 75 per
cent. At present, this is estimated to be 40
per cent.
5.4 Assessment framework and

mathematical models for
sustainable investments
The municipality is asking businesses, institutions and residents to make substantial efforts
to achieve sustainability goals. It is only reasonable, therefore, that the municipality itself
makes equal efforts and takes appropriate
measures. We are going to focus on investments in sustainability that are profitable. A
clear set of mathematical models is therefore
needed as a basis on which investment decisions concerning sustainable measures can be
made. This will permit sustainable initiatives to
be implemented more quickly. The Municipal
Executive will present a proposal to the Council
at the end of 2015. It will contain an assessment framework and clear rules for the sustainable investments that the municipality intends
to make.
The College also aims to investigate if and

to what extent taxation tools can be used to
stimulate sustainability initiatives, and to study
means of solving the split incentive problem
regarding sustainability investments, when the
revenue is achieved elsewhere or later than the
costs.
Since January 2014, the paper of the City of Amsterdam is delivered to 40 locations across the city by
electric cargo hopper lorries, substituting a diesel lorry that stopped at every individual address.
This is both more efficient and cleaner.
41
II Coherence
The transition pathways set out in this Agenda are
interconnected in many aspects, and must be viewed
coherently. They naturally involve mobility, the way we
live and work, our modern and historic buildings, public
spaces and areas of greenery and our infrastructure in
short, the city itself.
42
Developing a coherent approach creates

opportunities for innovation, new projects and
new business concepts. It requires a change in
thinking, and connecting aspects that at first
glance might appear unrelated. These might
be ways of working, collaborating, drawing up
regulations, urban planning, decision making,
organisation, social organisation or financing.
For example: connecting homes to district
heating implies work in public spaces as well
as in the homes of Amsterdam inhabitants. For
one person it means work; for another it means
getting used to cooking on an electric stove.
Someone else might see it as an opportunity
for a new business concept. The College is
making efforts to integrate and include sustainability in its day-to-day activities, and has therefore designed the organisation to reflect this.
This municipal approach is described in Part III.
Some examples of coherence

Measures that benefit air quality often also
benefit more energy-efficient mobility. More
electric cars in the city will lead to an increase
in demand for electricity. This must be renewable electricity otherwise we will not achieve
the energy target. This link can be seen in the
charging infrastructure for electric cars. Thanks
to innovation, electric cars can be connected
to locally-generated solar energy and batteries,
reducing loads on the power grid. At the same
time, clean energy sources benefit air quality.
Expanding district heating contributes modestly to cleaner air by eliminating individual boilers
at home.
A circular economy uses renewable energy, and

in principle has no waste. That can lead to both
dilemmas and opportunities. For example, the
district heating network currently incinerates
waste to generate heat: in the future, we expect to have a lot less waste. This requires new
sustainable sources, which means there is room
for innovation. Greater distribution of products
oriented to the region, or more separate waste
collection, implies more road use for lorries.
This may be at odds with accessibility and air
quality. It requires new methods of urban distribution and the bundling of waste collection
movements within the city. The latter is good
news for our congested centre and vulnerable
public spaces.
Looking at the water management chain, there
are plenty of opportunities to extract energy
from water, such as underground heat and cold
storage. Waste water is increasingly a commodity; for example, if organic waste were no
longer discarded in the waste bin but shredded in a kitchen waste-disposal unit, it could
be disposed of along with the waste water.
Separate collection of various types of waste
water improves the opportunities for targeted
purification and recovery of natural resources
and energy. Waternet will explore these possibilities, especially in new development projects.
43
work together
with stakeholders
sustainable free zone

circulair building
district
focus
energy neutral
development
sound & energy

insulation
local prod
sustainabl
buildings
refurbishment
existing city
g
water storage
rooftop
landscape
space for bikers

& pedestrians
resources
extracted
water
energy extracted
green
spaces
water storage
happiness
& health
cooling of the city
mobility
smart & clean
distribution
th
&
smarter use of
existing infrastructure
local initiatives
energy poverty
duction of
le energy
data collection
do it yourself
use of ICT
no more gas sustainable heating,

district heating
people
green roofs
the city as a sponse
sharing economy
infrastructure
quality of life
smart use,
smart exploitation
electricity
circulair procurement
of materials
coordination of
hermal energy storage
& geothermal energy
water vs
building subsurface
subsurface
public
space
infrastructure for
electric vehicles
waste collection
& recycling/ reuse
make public space climate proof
45
III Approach
It is easy to define social goals. They have a clear function,
because the urgency is obvious to everyone or because
people can easily recognise the results. However, the
implementation and the results are ultimately most
important. These involve many parties nobody can
achieve results alone. This requires collaboration.
Frontrunners are the conduits of change. It is important,
therefore, that the group of leaders is expanded and
that this group can get the pack to follow. It means
that sustainability is just one part of our activities. For
stragglers we will set a clear lower limit, which we shall
enforce generally to create a level playing field for
everyone.
46
1. Integrated approach
In order to contribute to implementing this
Agenda, the City of Amsterdam has established
an integrated approach, around which the organisation will be designed. The essence of this
approach is described in this section.
Sustainability is full of new developments and
technological advancements, and is crucial
for the future of Amsterdam. That is why the
Sustainability Agenda pays specific attention
to innovative development and the role of the
government as pioneer. Moreover, the return
per euro on the environmental impact is applied as an important point of departure.
1.1 Collaboration
A key success factor in accelerating the transition to a sustainable city is working together
and making the right connections. These might
be between people, knowledge and money,
between policy and implementation or between business, government, education and
residents. It is an area where the municipality
plays a role, sometimes by highlighting shared
interests as an independent intermediary,
sometimes by organising cooperation or joining
pre-existing partnerships. It also means creating
cross-departmental connections within our own
organisation, and guiding citizens who knock
on our door through the municipal organisation. Platforms such as Amsterdam Smart City,
the Amsterdam Economic Board and various
sustainable networks in the city such as Wij
Krijgen Kippen (We Are Getting Chickens),
Zuidas Green Business Club, DORA (sustainable
entrepreneurs in the Amsterdam region), ZO!
Duurzaam (Sustainable South-East Amsterdam) and the Green IT Amsterdam Region
Foundation are collaborating and ensuring
acceleration in the field of sustainability.
All these parties collaborate on different scales.
It may be in a building, on a street, in a neighbourhood or district, in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area or between cities and regions. This
Agenda is focused on Amsterdam. However, air
pollution, waste, water, electric cars, consumer goods and natural resources do not end at
governance scale levels. Solutions and causes
rarely go hand in hand with administrative

boundaries. Amsterdam participates in national
and regional networks, and maintains several
international relationships so that it can learn
from others and adopt smart examples.
1.2 Dealing with rules

smartly
To smooth the implementation of sustainable
initiatives and investments, the municipality
aims to deal with regulations and procedures
smartly, and to deregulate where possible and
necessary. At the same time, the municipality
is clear about goals and direction. This means
being clear on what should happen in the longterm, for which reasonable time frames apply.
Ultimately, these regulations and procedures
will be enforced, so that those who have made
efforts are not affected by unfair competition
from stragglers.
Below is a partial list of the things we will do to
facilitate implementation:
In 2015, establish and flesh-out one or more
free zones for sustainability and the circular
economy, together with the central government and partners in the city. These might
be experimental systems around electric vehicles and decentralised renewable electricity generation and smart grids, or removing
barriers that prevent waste being used as
a natural resource. Our application for the
status of innovative project under the Crisis
and Recovery Act (Crisis- en Herstelwet) also
promises to be successful.
In 2015, abolish certain rules regarding solar
panels in the Policy Document on Planning
Regulations for the location and external
appearance of buildings (Welstandsnota)
and explore whether solar panels can be
installed without any planning permission at
all.
Making historic and other buildings in the
conservation area sustainable must be
analysed case by case. Communicating the
options is a priority. The municipality will do
this by continuing to offer personally tailored
advice to property owners, as well as appointing historic building assistants to assist
47
them in obtaining permits. Linking databases

on solar energy potential and roofing should
provide more insight into the potential of
solar energy in historic areas of the city.
Set up a regional helpdesk where people
can seek advice on adopting sustainable
measures. This helpdesk will be set up in
cooperation with a number of municipalities,
including Aalsmeer, Amstelveen, Diemen,
Haarlemmermeer, Ouder-Amstel, Uithoorn
and Ronde Venen.
Communicate rules clearly to stakeholders
(for example, planning permission regulations) by providing information digitally and
organising contact people who can explain
the rules and procedures and offer advice on
implementation.
Raise issues that are barriers to sustainability,
such as the effect of the postcode-based
system for tax allowances on local energy
generation (postcoderoos) at the provincial
and national level, and try to eliminate them.
The Municipality of Amsterdam monitors
which exemptions are desired, which ex-
emptions are used and what results these

exemptions achieve. The municipality then
actively communicates these learning points
to the national government with the aim of
structurally aligning legislation in the direction of sustainable development.
1.3 Financing the transition

The municipality wants to invest in the transition where the market is not yet willing or able
to. The aim is to achieve results more quickly,
facilitate collaboration and help to achieve the
transition on a larger scale. The municipality will
invest in both small-scale social initiatives and
large projects by:
Setting up a simple, effective and revolving
Energy Fund. This fund will be the investment vehicle. By managing all the resources,
we will get an overview that makes it easier
to determine how different resources can
reinforce each other.
More and more data

We are heading towards an internet of everything: it is estimated that 50 million objects will be linked to each other
in Amsterdam by 2020. The city is generating more and more data. Not surprisingly, a lot is already happening in the
field of city data, such as the air-quality monitoring network, monitoring points in the Amsterdam substratum and
data from the network of electric charging points and Amsterdams inhabitants, who are helping create the maps of
where we cycle, drive and walk.
By unlocking data, numerous parties can better understand how the city actually functions. Data helps businesses
to develop new products and services that contribute to the circular economy. Residents gain understanding of
their surroundings and behaviour, and can compare their neighbourhood with other areas in the city. Data is used to
develop a variety of apps, which can lead to the city being used in different ways. Data can also support integrated
operations both within the municipality itself and with market parties.
Within the themes of the Sustainability Agenda, there are considerable differences in the current availability of data
and their spatial representation. In the last period, much attention was paid to environmental issues such as air
quality, noise and soil quality. This concerned analyses of the effects of many different activities that occur either in
Amsterdam or sometimes on a larger scale.
For example, Amsterdam now has an advanced local air-quality monitoring network, which is managed by the Municipal Health Service. Amsterdam is actively working to unlock and give insight into the available knowledge, as much
as possible. This includes real-time access to air quality and smog-level data. This information, in addition to nationwide projections, also plays an important role in determining air-quality policy.
Data regarding areas relevant to sustainability policy such as energy, the sharing economy and water are generally available at different organisations, but the data is hard to access and not represented spatially. This spatial
representation is exactly what is necessary to turn data into a tool in the short term.
48
Tendering schemes for investment by Amsterdams inhabitants, businesses and social

institutions.
Evaluating the current but shortly obsolete
city and district regulations on climate-neutral construction, energy conservation and
energy generation in housing, and draw up
new proposals for the period beginning 1
January 2016.
Continue subsidies to promote clean mobility in this period, so that it is possible to
meet the air-quality standard.
1.4 Increasing understanding

Policy efforts will be more effective if we increase our understanding of the development
of the transition pathways. In addition, we will
know more quickly what the results are, and
where we need to make adjustments to achieve
results. Such understanding is necessary so
that we and partners can steer events on the

basis of the interconnections between supply
chains and systems such as energy, water, air
and natural resources literally, in fact, as flows
can now be observed on the basis of actual
consumption and measured values, instead of
relying on estimates or qualitative analyses.
Through a targeted data programme, the
municipality will collaborate with other entities
to develop this understanding. These partners
include the Amsterdam Economic Board, the
Advanced Metropolitan Solutions Institute,
Waternet, AEB Amsterdam, the Port of Amsterdam, Alliander, Amsterdam Municipal
Health Service (GGD), Amsterdam University of
Applied Sciences, the University of Amsterdam,
Amsterdam CTO (top sports and education
organisation) and a wide range of municipal
departments.
A lot of data can be found at www.maps.amsterdam.nl. What is the zoning plan around my property? Which
buildings were constructed after 2000, and what is the energy consumption expressed in CO2 per block?
Where can I find green roofs in the city, and is my roof suitable for solar panels? The answers to these and
many more questions can be found on this website. The maps yield a lot of insight, especially when combined. At the moment, online tools are being developed that will enable every Amsterdam resident to use
different data sources. You can also try it for yourself via the QR code.
49
This programme will provide data and is a step

towards harmonisation, enabling data to be
mutually exchanged and analysed. Another objective is to make this data accessible to third
parties wherever possible. Using data and data
analysis in this way supports the ambitions and
actions outlined in this Agenda.
1.5 Agreements with the city

During the next College term, the municipality is going to make or renew agreements to
achieve the goals set out in this Agenda. This
concerns agreements with sectors, chains or areas, housing associations, housing developers,
traffic groups and strategic partners, as well
as agreements within the municipality itself.
Though voluntary, these agreements are not
non-committal. Here are some examples:
The municipality has concluded agreements
with a number of sectors in recent years on
the sustainability of their operations. Certification is used as a tool, such as the Green
Key certification for hotels, Healthcare
Environmental Thermometer (Milieuthermometer Zorg) for hospitals or the BREEAM
certificate for the construction industry.
We aim to expand this approach, and will
explicitly seek cooperation with the region
and the national government. Minimum
mandatory requirements for energy effi-
50
ciency will form the basis, complemented

with agreements on reducing waste, water
conservation, sustainable mobility and sustainable procurement. Sectors that conclude
voluntary agreements with us to promote
sustainability will be rewarded with fewer
inspections. Promising new sectors will be
identified in 2015.
To achieve the transition to a circular economy, we will enter into talks with businesses,
including those partly owned by the municipality, to discuss voluntary cooperation.
Agreements will be made with housing associations in 2015 on the sustainability of social
housing stock.
Efforts are being made with parties from the
construction industry to draw up a Green
Deal on reducing construction and demolition waste.
In order to reduce traffic pollution inside the
A10 ring road, talks will be held with (representatives of) businesses with heavy road
use, the taxi industry, the logistics industry,
tour operators and the municipalitys public
transport company, GVB.
Areas will also be designated with the parties involved, where everything possible will
be tried and done in terms of sustainable
development.
2. Organisation of the Agenda

2.1 Administrative organisation
2.1.1 Municipal Council
The Municipal Council will implement the
Sustainability Agenda by means of the target
and activity indicators outlined herein, and the
planning and monitoring cycle of the municipality. In addition, a series of elaborations has
been announced in this Agenda that will be
submitted to the Council for adoption or for
informative purposes, depending on the nature
of the proposal. The Municipal Council can also
steer the implementation of the Agenda on the
basis of the budget, the financial statements
and the annual publication State of Sustainable
Amsterdam. Indicators for this purpose are
listed in section 4, Monitoring.
2.1.2 College of Mayor and Alderpersons

Sustainability is part of our municipal primary
processes, our operations and our procurement. However, more than one alderperson
is responsible for achieving the goals. The

responsibility lies with the alderperson for the
primary process, procurement or operation.
The College of Mayor and Alderpersons has,
however, assigned the Alderperson for Sustainability the role of coordinating and spurring all
relevant activities. To be able to perform this
role, agreements regarding the Sustainability
Agenda have been made per College portfolio.
This makes the contribution to the sustainability
goals clear within each portfolio.
2.1.3 Management committees

The district management committees function
as the eyes and ears of the city. Through talks
and recommendations, these committees have
made a valuable contribution to the realisation
of this Agenda. The committees will play another important role in implementing this Agenda,
for example through their specific responsibilities (such as waste collection) or operations that
Mayor Eberhard van der Laan

International positioning of
Udo Kock
Create clear frameworks (calculation rules)
for investments in sustainable measures
Taxation policy for sustainability
Waterproof Amsterdam
Kajsa Ollongren
Circular economy innovation programme
Use of economic tools
Vision on the sharing economy
Research and innovation
Listed building conservation
Pieter Litjens
Clean and quick travel in the city
Improve sustainability of municipal
operational management
Eric van der Burg

75 per cent of newly allotted plots
energy neutral, 100 per cent in 2020
Selection procedure and
areas of excellence
Sustainable sports facilities
Simone Kukenheim
Healthy schools for young people
Make 100 schools more sustainable
Saving energy and solar panels
Abdeluheb Choho
Renewable energy and saving energy
Smart and clean traffic
65 per cent waste separation by 2020
Circular Economy
Energy fund and schemes
Sustainable municipal IT
Arjan Vliegenthart
Energy poverty programme
Study into perspectives for
jobs in construction
Laurens Ivens
Agreements with housing associations:
to average energy label B in 2020
Support first 1,000 zero-energy homes
Support tenants with
improving sustainability
Arjan van Gils

Improve sustainability of the
municipal organisation in accordance
with the Sustainability Agenda
51
focus on local areas. They also fulfil a flagging

function through the administrative networks
in the local districts. This Sustainability Agenda and its consequences are part of the citys
implementation frameworks.
2. Contributes to creating a support base for

sustainability:
a. Contributes to creating an internal and
external support base for the Sustainability Agenda, through open, innovative
communication methods, providing a
The coordinating Alderperson for Sustainabilplatform for frontrunners, exploiting
ity has agreed with the portfolio holders for
opportunities such as the Architecture
sustainability in the board committees to colBiennale in 2016, or the European Presilaborate on further developing the Agenda for
dency of the Netherlands in 2016;
each specified product, plan or theme. This will
b. Together with partners, annually organtake the form of board couples, with the work
ises State of Sustainable Amsterdam
divided between the portfolio holders.
(Staat van duurzaam Amsterdam), which
includes making a digital or hard-copy
2.2 Administrative organisation
publication with local or regional partSustainability is part of our municipal primary
ners.
processes, our operation management and
our procurement. More than one part of the
3. Monitors progress and identifies new oppororganisation is responsible for achieving the
tunities:
goals. The responsibility lies where the respona. aAnnually updates the Sustainability
sibility for the primary process, procurement or
Agenda in terms of measures and activoperation lies.
ities;
b. Highlights new themes, projects, chal2.2.1 Sustainable municipality
lenges and obstacles to implementation
The City Director of Operations is responsible
of the Agenda;
for implementation of the Municipality CO2
c. Initiates new projects and initiatives with
Neutral roadmap. The commissioning officers
a large reduction or learning potenand authorising officers are responsible for
tial which have not yet been taken up
sustainable procurement. Annual financial stateelsewhere within the municipal organisaments will report on progress.
tion (and allocates these or implements
them);
2.2.2 Sustainability Team
d. Integrates activities into the adminisWithin the municipal organisation, the Space
trative line organisation or highlights
and Sustainability profit centre (RvE Ruimte en
integral issues which have no owner.
Duurzaamheid) and its subgroup the Sustainability Team have a coordinating and driving
role regarding the goals and methodology
4. Cooperates with partners and other authordescribed in this this Agenda. The team:
ities:
a. Contributes its own expertise to various
1. Is a point of contact for those in the city, in
projects;
other words:
b. Supports cooperation focusing on local
a. Is a point of contact and cooperation
areas with partners in projects such as,
partner for Amsterdams inhabitants and
but not limited to, Buiksloterham Circubusinesses with regard to sustainability;
lar, SE Amsterdam Energy, Slim Gaasperb. Gathers information and makes it accesdam, Westpoort and Slim Nieuw West;
sible digitally (via websites, newsletters
c. Collaborates with research institutions,
and the municipal information point,
the Amsterdam Economic Board and the
Antwoord/14020);
Amsterdam Metropolitan Area;
c. Uses this Agenda to draw up and imd. Cooperates nationally at G-4 level (the
plement financing policy (Energy Fund,
four large Dutch cities), with the VNG
setting up city-wide schemes, clean-air
(Association of Netherlands Municipaliregulations).
ties) or other networks on areas relevant
to this Agenda;
e. Cooperates at a European or interna52
tional level, including via C40, European

projects and networks;
5. Lobbies relevant bodies, including national
and provincial governments, to improve the
conditions for sustainable investments and
projects by Amsterdam citizens and businesses. These include, but are not limited to:
a. Conditions for generation or micro-generation of renewable power, such as by
using solar panels and wind energy (for
example, the Electricity Act, taxation
laws, SDE+ [Stimulating Generation of
Sustainable Power+], airport zoning
decree);
b. Stimulating and regulatory legislation to
promote clean mobility;
c. Level playing field and ambition for

implementation and enforcement of
statutory requirements, such as the
Environmental Management Act and
Building Act;
d. Waste legislation concerning the reuse
of natural resources.
2.3 Sustainability Council

The Sustainability Council (formerly Climate
Council), consisting of representatives of
companies, knowledge institutions, NGOs and
umbrella organisations, will support the College
of Mayor and Alderpersons with recommendations on policy and implementation in the area
of sustainability.
53
3. Financing the transition

To achieve the sustainability goals, the municipality must largely depend on the efforts of
others. Investment can be a problem for those
third parties. The transition to a sustainable city
requires a case-by-case approach to funding:
projects often involve various parties, some just
established, and it can also involve technology
that has yet to be proven in the long-term. The
risks associated with these two issues can mean
that normal financiers cannot or will not provide
financing. The City of Amsterdam understands
that providing financial support for project
initiatives will be effective. Through targeting
funding, significant advances in impact and
scale can be made with regard to sustainability.
3.1 Energy Fund

3.1.1 Establishment of Energy Fund,
additional external financing
The City of Amsterdam will set up a revolving
Energy Fund, as a simple and effective fund
that is geared to the sustainability goals set out
in this Agenda. Principles are:
Modern: the initiative and responsibility for
and the implementation of projects will lie
with Amsterdams inhabitants.
Simple: it will be easy to find information
on the fund and make an application, the
selection process will be simple, short and
predictable and the loan terms will be simple and concise (focused on a good balance
between risk management on the one hand
and costs on the other).
Accessible: the fund will be for all Amsterdam citizens who want to invest in sustainable projects. There will be a suitable amount
for small-scale initiatives by residents or
groups of residents, and a more significant
amount for large-scale projects.
Impact: there will be as much cooperation as
possible with market parties to increase the
impact of the fund.
54
The Energy Fund will be the exclusive investment carrier. The new Energy Fund will combine all resources, and end the confusion of different old and new funds, current investments
and allocated funding. By bringing the management of all these resources together, it will be
clearer how the various resources can reinforce
each other. In addition, this streamlining will
simplify the municipalitys financial landscape.
Currently, the municipality is holding meetings
with experts inside and outside the municipality
regarding the design of the Energy Fund. This
will result in a proposal to be presented to the
Council in mid-2015. The possibility of expanding the Energy Fund is also being looked at, so
that the market can participate in the funding
of initiatives. Various scenarios for the Energy
Fund are being explored:
Incorporating the new resources and existing investments into a separate legal entity.
This would allow other investors to invest in
this fund in advance or at a later stage.
In terms of funding policy (adaptation to
target group or area), the municipality designs the Energy Fund with its own strategy.
This plan involves a variety of financing tools
aimed at target groups.
A mix of the above two scenarios.
At the level of investment projects: for every
major investment the Energy Fund will examine opportunities to co-fund the project.
This will allow the fund to make investments
on a case-by-case basis, and to determine
per project how it can be implemented with
a minimum of resources from the fund.
3.1.2 Transition period for the new fund

In the period before the establishment of the
new Energy Fund, the municipality will invite
new tenders for sustainable project proposals
from the city. This will allow the municipality to
bridge the period before the commencement
of the Energy Fund and therefore ensure continuity for the city.
3.2 Evaluation of current

schemes for built-up areas
tion and generation in the housing stock. The

schemes to be evaluated include: insulation
grants for homeowners, all solar and collective energy initiatives and support for owners'
associations.
The municipality will adopt new schemes based
on the priorities outlined in the Sustainability
Agenda. These will enter into force no later
than 1 January 2016. The energy-labelling
subsidy for housing associations will continue
in 2015 and, in collaboration with the associations, will have its own follow-up programme.
Some current schemes are listed below:
Amsterdam Subsidies
and Financing
In 2015, the municipality will evaluate and

possibly end the current (but soon to expire)
city and district subsidy schemes in the areas of
climate-neutral building and energy conserva-
Subsidy schemes
Who
Location
Amount
Period
Energy-labelling
housing association
Housing and Social

Support Department
Amsterdam
33 million
2011-2014
Insulation energy for

private home owners
City districts and

province of NoordHolland
Amsterdam
1 million
2013-2014
Climate-neutral
construction
Housing and Social

Support Department
Amsterdam
1.5 million
2012-2015
Zon XL (Sun XL)
City districts of
Centrum, West,
Noord, Nieuw-West
and province of
Noord-Holland
City districts of Oost
and Zuidoost
Centrum,
231,827
West,
Nieuw-West
2014
Oost and
Zuidoost
50,000
2014
Energy initiatives
City districts of Noord

and West
Noord and
West
30,000
Warme voeten (Warm

feet)
Housing and Social

Support Department
Amsterdam
1.2 million
Collective solar
energy projects
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
from 2015
Evaluation and
proposals for new
schemes; 1/1/2016
new schemes take
effect
55
3.3 Sustainability portfolio

resources
The transition to a sustainable city with a
circular economy requires investment from numerous parties: housing and property owners,
parties involved with infrastructure, utility and
energy companies, businesses, knowledge institutions, tenants, shopkeepers, residents and so
on.
Efforts by the municipality are aimed at supporting these parties in this process. It therefore follows that investments by the municipality, via the Sustainability Portfolio, will mainly be
in projects undertaken by these parties, where
the market is unable or unwilling to provide
funding or where set targets require acceleration. This principle is reflected in the municipalitys spending. The total investment by the City
of Amsterdam is more than 170 million. Most
Actietabel Financin
Sustainability portfolio
resources
Amount (in million )
Energy Fund (general

investment source)
Total
New resources for Coalition Accord
Goal
110.2
30
New Energy Fund
Support initiatives by
Amsterdam residents,
businesses, organisations and
social institutions relating to
energy transition and improving
the citys sustainability
Addition to AIF 2013
15.2
Remaining AIF
2.5
Current investments in projects by AIF
7.5
Current projects
Amsterdam Climate and Energy Fund

(AKEF)
45
Invest in projects by businesses

that contribute to CO2 reduction
and to improving air quality
Amsterdam energy loan (risk covered

through AIF)
10
Improving sustainability of
existing housing stock
Reserve for improving sustainability of housing stock
Designated reserve
Improving sustainability of
existing housing stock/ZeroEnergy Dwellings
Air quality (2015-2018)
Allocated VGS resources, General

Services and national government
resources (subsidies via province of NH)
+ multiple-year budget reserve
General resources, Sustainability Agenda (2015-2018)
Tendering schemes
Current investments,
schemes
34.4
Amsterdam Meets the Standard

(continue set of measures) and
A Steadily Cleaner Amsterdam
(new set of measures)
Total
21
Implement other actions and

measures of Sustainability
Agenda in city and city districts
General Services 2015
General Services 2016-2018 annually

4.7 million
56
Invest in diverse projects (see

breakdown below)
14.1
Transitiepad
of this amount (over 160 million) will be used

for the investments mentioned above. This
amount includes discretionary funds, previously allocated funds or current investments and
incidental funding.
3.3.2 Other municipal funds
3.3.1 Investments in air quality
the energy-labelling subsidy for housing

associations (Housing portfolio);
investments in healthy schools (Education
portfolio);
the implementation of European Structural
Funds, a part of which has been earmarked
for the low-carbon economy and the Amsterdam Smart City programme (Economy
portfolio);
investments in the water supply and water
and rain resilience (Water portfolio);
investments from the Green Fund for climate
adaptation (Public Space and Greenery
portfolio);
investments from the Sports Accommodation Fund in sustainable sports accommodation (Sports portfolio).
The total programme budget for investments

in measures to improve air quality for the years
2015-2018 amounts to 34.4 million.
Previously established measures to improve air
quality are covered by allocated general funds,
a contribution by the Central Mobility Fund
(known as VGS resources) and government
funding (in the form of subsidies provided by
the province of Noord-Holland). This funding was made available for implementing the
National Air Quality Cooperation Programme
(NSL). The funding from the VGS and the
government constitute the bulk of the available
budget. Reviews will take place in the coming period on the effectiveness of the Euro 6
subsidy, and whether a premium scheme is required for the introduction of the Clean Parking
Scheme.
In the Long-term Proposal for the Central
Mobility Fund (2015 Budget) for the years 2017
and 2018, 5.8 million a year has been earmarked for the implementation of the Air-quality programme presented in this Agenda.
The municipality is also investing in sustainability in the city from other portfolios. These investments are not included in the table below.
They include, but are not limited to:
57
4. Monitoring
The Sustainability Agenda outlines goals and
directions for five transition pathways, and
describes the municipalitys approach. This
includes a package of measures and actions for
2015 and early 2016. By monitoring the process
in respect to goals and activities, these actions
will be supplemented and modified annually,
where necessary.
4.1 Reporting method

To assist the city council, the College and management committees in making modifications,
the College will formulate and report on goals,
commitments and result-oriented agreements.
The College aims to proceed as follows:
1. T
he budget will include target and activity
indicators associated with the transition
pathways to renewable energy, clean air
and a circular economy. These relate to the
following questions:
a. Are we generating more renewable
energy in the city?
b. Are we saving more energy in the city?
c. Is the air in Amsterdam getting cleaner?
d. Are we separating more household
waste in the city?
Reporting on the climate resilience transition pathway will be included in the budget
line water, using the indicators listed therein. Reporting on the sustainable municipality
transition pathway is safeguarded by the
mandatory financial statement paragraph on
sustainability. The budget did not list targets
and activity indicators for the renewable
energy, clean air and circular economy transition pathways. These are included under
4.2.
58
2. The College will report these indicators in

financial statements, which contain a mandatory sustainability paragraph. In this paragraph, the Municipal Executive will report
on progress on the CO2 roadmap and the
goals concerning sustainable procurement.
The College wants to annually repeat the
publication of the sustainability index in the
financial statements in State of Sustainable
Amsterdam, which will be used to engage
the city in a dialogue (see point 3). The
sustainability index has been adapted to this
Agenda for this purpose.
3. The College aims to enter into an intensive

dialogue with the city and the region on
the implementation of the Sustainability
Agenda. One of the elements is to connect
to relevant platforms where talks on sustainability are already underway. The State of
Sustainable Amsterdam is another way to
enter into this dialogue with the city. The
corresponding annual publication will in any
case include:
a. A quantitative sustainability index with
trends, developments, facts and figures
such as CO2 emissions in the city;
b. Summary of results of sustainability initiatives in the city and region;
c. New questions about implementation,
new opportunities and developments.
4.2 Overview of target and activity indicators

Subject to the overall consideration of decisions on the budget indicators in the four-monthly
report by the College and the municipal council, it is proposed to include the following target and
activity indicators regarding the renewable energy, clean air and circular economy transition pathways.
Are we generating more renewable energy in the city?

Indicators for goals
Benchmark
Target values
Zero measurement 2013
2016
2018
2020
100 (approx. 3.3GJ/capita)
106
113
120
Capacity of set-up solar energy sources in MW
9MW
25MW
75MW
160MW
Capacity of set-up wind energy in MW
67MW
67MW
76MW
85MW
Benchmark
Target values
Annual energy consumption per capita
100 (68GJ/capita)
Annual renewable energy production per capita

Indicators for activities
Are we saving more energy in the city?

91
2016
2018
2020
85
80
80
81,000
102,000

Number of home equivalents connected to district heating
62,000
Zero-Energy Buildings arranged
70,500
1,000
Is Amsterdams air becoming cleaner?

Benchmark
Target values
2025
NO2 concentration in most heavily affected location
100 (46.2 micrograms)
65 (30
micrograms)
Highest measured concentration of soot
100
70
2016
2018
Number of public charging points for electric transport
1,000
2,500
4,000
Number of cargo hubs
2025
Are we separating more household waste in Amsterdam?

Percentage of separated waste
Benchmark
Target values
2016
2020
19%
30%
65%
59
4.3 Renewed sustainability index

The municipal sustainability index (as hitherto
included in financial statements) was introduced
in 2010 and indicates long-term trends in sustainability. Some parts of the index have been
modified to reflect this Agenda. This index will
be included every year in the municipalitys
annual sustainability publication, and will no
longer appear in the financial statements. The
financial statements can then focus on managing on the basis of the results and targets of the
College term. A summary of changes compared
to the current index is listed below:
60
A. The following components will be added to

the index:
Sustainable energy generated per capita per
year (GJ/capita);
Energy consumption per capita per year
(GJ/capita);
Nitrogen dioxide concentration at the highest polluted locations (g/m3);
Soot concentrations at the highest polluted
locations.
B. The following index components will remain

unchanged:
C. The following index components will no

longer be included (justification in italics):
CO2 emissions per capita, CO2 emissions in

tonnes of CO2 per capita per year, (source:
emissions according to annual CO2report,
number of residents O+S);
Share of bicycles in the modal split (inverse
proportion), share of bicycles in total traffic
counts of bicycles + cars at 15 points around
the city centre, (source: DIVV).
Energy consumption of retail customers per

capita, energy consumption of consumers in
GJ per capita per year.
The margin of error of the figures provided
(source: Alliander) in distinguishing between
retail (consumer) and industrial consumption
is so large that consistent reports are not
possible.
Attractiveness of Amsterdam for establishing
new businesses, Ranking on the European
Cities Monitor (ECM), inverse proportion not
required (source: Cushman & Wakefield).
This ranking has no relation to sustainability
or the lines set out in the Agenda. There is
still no replacement list that says something
about a circular economy.
Energy consumption by businesses in terms
of added value created, consumption of
electricity + natural gas in megajoules (MJ)
per of added value created.
Differentiation between business and consumer consumption is error prone.
Living environment indicator green/satisfaction (inverse proportion)
Score based on answers to the question
How satisfied are you with your neighbourhood? (Source: Living in Amsterdam).
Unrelated to substantive lines set out in the
Sustainability Agenda.
NOx emissions per capita, average concentration of NO2 + average concentration of
NO 10 in g/m3 as measured by ten monitoring stations (source: Municipal Health
Service air quality measurements).
Replaced by nitrogen dioxide and soot,
gives a better representation of air quality in
the city.
Proportion of clean lorries and vans (inverse
proportion)
(percentage lorries which meet at least Euro
4 + percentage vans which meet at least
Euro 4) / (source: Netherlands Organisation
for Applied Scientific Research, TNO).
Reflects national trends, not trends in Amsterdam.
61
IV Overview
The overview offers a summary of the implementation
programme in terms of goals, direction and measures.
This part also presents the city governments schedule
of the discussion and approval of plans and projects.
Finally, a summary of the Sustainability Agenda is
provided.
62
Actietabel
Energie
1. Implementation
programme
Renewable energy
Goals
Focus 2015-2018
Contribute to an increase in solar
energy in Amsterdam to 160MW in
2020, implementation by Zonvisie
Produce more
renewable
energy:
in 2020, produce
20 per cent more
renewable energy
per capita,
compa red to
2013
Agenda
Actively inform city residents and businesses about the possibilities

2015- 2018
of solar energy, based on an Energy Atlas analysis
Organise a tender/competition to develop a large-scale solar
energy park in the city
2015- 2016
Enable at least 18MW extra wind

energy in Amsterdam in 2020; focus
on port area, Noorder IJplas and
NDSM Wharf; enable population
participation
Reach agreement with the provinces on the sites
2015
Enable the acceleration of the rate of

new connections in the city as is, and
increase sustainable district heating;
87,000 connections in 2018 and
102,000 in 2020
Create frameworks for existing city and new construction through

Heating Action Plan, including principles of affordability, network
accessibility and sustainability
Q4 2015 (Council)
Contributions to agreement to build social housing averaging

energy label B in 2020 (SER Energy Agreement) by fleshing
out the how with housing associations (e.g. energy labelling,
renewable generation)
2015
Prepare pilot project(s) Zero-Energy Dwellings in existing stacked

construction, together with urban partners, in order to scale up
the sustainability of stacked construction
2015 -2018Q3 2015

(Council)
Support homeowners/owners associations/tenants by means of

subsidy schemes in 2015. Combine the traffic-noise reduction
programme with energy-saving measures
2015
Research energy poverty
Q2 2015 (College
of Mayor and
Alderpersons)
Improve sustainability of existing

housing stock, contributions to SER
Energy Agreement
Implement SER Energy Agreement:

greater priority for energy saving by
businesses. E.g.: in 2018, all largescale energy consumers comply with
the Environmental Management Act
or have made agreements to that end
with the relevant authorities
Consume less
energy:
in 2020, consume
20 per cent
111 Make existing primary and
less energy per
capita, compared (special) secondary schools healthy
and energy-efficient. New schools
to 2013
must be built to meet the Programma
van Eisen (PvE) Frisse Scholen
(Schedule of requirements for Clean
Schools), category B standard, on the
basis of a municipal ordinance
Improve sustainability of sports

facilities
In 2020, develop new construction

residential and non-residential in an
energy-neutral manner. Until 2020,
build 75 per cent of construction
portfolio in an energy-neutral
manner. Houthavens, Buiksloterham
+ new districts will become special
sustainability districts
Make agreements with sectors, chains or areas based on national

or international certification systems with respect to energy saving. 2015 -2018
Reward with fewer inspections.
Instruct the Environmental Office (OmgevingsDienst) to
systematically check the energy-saving potential among the
approx. 950 major consumers, with the goal of realising this
potential on the basis of the Environmental Management Act,
where no agreements have been made
2015-2018
Healthy Schools Programme 2015-2018, implementation 2015
Q1 2015 (College
of Mayor and
Alderpersons/
Council)
Start tackling 15 to 20 primary schools in 2015, based on

agreements and co-financing by municipality and school boards
2015
Include Programma van Eisen (PvE) Frisse Scholen (Schedule of

requirements for Clean Schools), category B in the 2016 ordinance
for housing facilities with respect to newly constructed primary
and (special) secondary schools
2016
Healthy Schools Action Plan for primary and (special) secondary

schools, for the period 2016-2018
Q4 2015 (Council)
Implement project Sustainable Amsterdam Sport Clubs, improving

sustainability of at least 25 per cent of the 176 outdoor sports
clubs
2015
Incorporate sustainability criteria in the Subsidy Scheme for

Outdoor Sports Club Facilities. Apply the Sports Facilities Fund to
invest in sustainable sports parks, based on co-financing
2015
Include sustainability as a weighting factor (>30 per cent) in

the selection of development plans and developing parties;
incorporate in selection criteria policy
2015
Make the Amsterdam Energy Loan available for new

construction
2015
Select additional special sustainability areas
2015
63
Clean air
Goals
Focus 2015-2018
Agenda
Making Amsterdams air

healthy, with the least possible
amount of nitrogen dioxide,
particulates and soot
Amsterdam Meets the

Standard
Continue the current set of
measures in the Clean Air
Plan for AmsterdamGoal: to
meet the standard for nitrogen
dioxide at all locations as soon
as possible
1. Implement the Electric Transport Subsidy Scheme

2. Implement the Subsidy Programme Euro6/alternative
fuels
3. Further roll-out of customised approach to cleaning up
corporate heavy road users
4. Prepare Cleaner Parking Plan (implementation per
1/1/2016)
5. Implement location-specific measures (particularly to
improve traffic circulation)
6. Elaborate plan to eliminate the remaining exceedances
before 2018 (in consultation with national and European
authorities)
2015-2018
Confer with representatives of public transport companies,

cargo transporters, delivery companies, taxis and touring
coaches, to reach agreements on encouraging, facilitating
and regulating clean transportation, aiming at a clear target
per group (preferably emission-free mobility within the A10
ringroad by 2025) and at the staged realisation of this goal.
2015
Set targets per traffic group regarding clean-up goals plus

facilitating, stimulating and regulatory measures
Q 4 2015
(Council)
Implement environmental zone for delivery vans; minimally

Euro III diesel (not older than 1/1/2000)
Q1 2017
Environmental zone for taxis; minimally Euro 5 diesel
Q1 2018
Environmental zone for touring coaches; minimally Euro IV

diesel
Q1 2018
Introduce age criteria for parking licences, Euro 4 diesel

(not older than 1/1/2000) and Euro 1 petrol (not older
than 1/7/1992) as regulatory measure for private vehicles
(elaboration of 2013 Council decision)
Q3 2015
(Council)
Work towards emission-free public bus transport in 2026, in

collaboration with GVB
2015-2018
Research, with GVB, the possibilities to clean up municipal

ferry services (feasibility, costs, impact on air quality)
2015
Promote smarter logistics by further encouraging and

facilitating the use of the three current cargo hubs, and by
creating room for two more sustainable cargo hubs
2015-2018
1. In 2025, the concentration

of nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
is a maximum of 30
microgram/m3 at the most
heavily affected location; in
2015, the statutory standard
will not be exceeded. This
means that the amount in
A Steadily Cleaner
2025 will be 35 per cent
Amsterdam /Approach per
less, compared to 2015
traffic group
Ambition: to make as many
2. The highest measured
traffic groups emission-free
concentration of soot in
or else as clean as possible
2025 is 30 per cent less
in 2025Emission-free public
than in 2013
transport in 2026
Research the possibility and propose an environmental zone Q2 2015

for two-stroke scooters
(Council)
Maintain frontrunner position
in electric transport
Demand-driven expansion of public charging points, aiming 2015-2018

for 4,000 charging points in 2018
Complete the call for tenders for expansion of the electric
transport charging-point infrastructure
Location-specific solutionsGoal: 1. Monitor and research the most heavily affected locations
to achieve the standard and
2. Research concrete location-specific measures
to alleviate the most heavily
3. Implement measures
affected locations
64
Q1 2016 (College
of Mayor and
Alderpersons)
2015-2018
Circulair economy
Goals
Focus 2015-2018
Agenda
Encourage innovation, research

and circular activities
Circular economy innovation

programme in which private and
public parties use Amsterdam as a
testing ground for circular economy
The municipality will realise an urban innovation

programme focusing on circular economy, in
collaboration with knowledge institutes, and will start
with the Circular Economy Quickscan. This also means
input for the long-term circular economy innovation
programme by AMS
Q4 2015
(College of
Mayor and
Alderpersons)
Encourage transition from possession

to use
Integrated vision on the sharing economy (of goods,

dwellings/offices to car-sharing)
Q1 2016
(Council)
Overview of opportunities to reinforce the repair and

recycling sector
2015
Action plan to use existing economic tools to further

the circular economy
2015
Reinforce existing activities and

encourage new ones
2015-2016
Research, in collaboration with the Amsterdam
Economic Board and MRA municipalities, how e.g. the
manufacturing industry, creative sector, logistics and
financial services can contribute to the transition to a
circular economy
Recover more natural resources

and materials
In the port area, collaborate with the Havenbedrijf,

AEB Amsterdam and Waternet to strengthen
company clusters in the area of circular and bio-based
economy, e.g. through recycling, renewable energy
and green chemistry
2015-2018
Greater focus on circular use of

building materials in the construction
sector
Green Deal with chain partners in the construction

sector: make plan for circular construction waste
flows, carry out two projects and create extra jobs
Q4 2015
(College of
Mayor and
Alderpersons)
Separate 65 per cent of household

waste flows in 2020
Draw up Waste Implementation Plan, with choices

regarding collection and processing models, chain
organisation model, investment proposals for
separate collection of household waste; develop
plan how to promote the separate collection of bulky
waste, litter in the public space and waste produced
by offices and shops
Q2 2015
(College of
Mayor and
Alderpersons)
AEB Amsterdam has the ambition to recover

four times as many natural resources from waste
compared to 2014 through the post-separation of
household waste; recover minerals from bottom ash;
develop source-separated waste flows; study smarter
collection methods to achieve higher separation
percentages
2015-2018
65
Waterproof city
Goal
Focus 2015-2018
From 2020, climate adaptation is

embedded in relevant municipal policy
Embed rainproofness in the primary process

(programme Rainproof)
Complete research into problem areas Q2 2015

relating to rainproofness in the city, and (College of
draw up an action plan as follow-up
Mayor and
Agenda
Create work through work, through

spatial development projects and the
urban management and maintenance
cycles
2015
Activate citizens, entrepreneurs

and civil society parties through
communication and incentive
programmes
2015
Complete research into the option

of tax incentives to encourage
homeowners to make their property
rain resilient
Q4 2015
Embed the citys rainproofness in the primary

process (Water portfolio)
Draw up an adaptation strategy for

the Amsterdam region, focusing on
essential infrastructure, area-oriented
measures, governance, regulations and
financing options
2015-2018
Contributions to water and rain resilience

by the department of Greenery and Public
Space
Make the Public Space Handbook (the

Puccini method) rainproof
2015
Draw up Green Agenda, with attention

on the function of greenery and
public space regarding water and rain
resilience, using the Green Fund
2015
Eigen organisatieacties
Sustainable municipality
Goals
Focus 2015-2018
Municipality cuts 45 per Implement roadmap Municipality

cent CO2 emissions per CO2 Neutral
1/1/2025 on municipal
operational activities
Actions 2015-2018
Actions are identified in the roadmap, with action
owner and action year, in the fields of offices, IT,
vehicle fleet, public lighting
Municipal procurement Process visualisation, convert

Draw up plan to intensify sustainable procurement,
meets the Sustainability ambitions into targets for
Q4 (College of Mayor and Alderpersons)
Agenda goals
procurement processes and
departments, and embed
procurement through lead buyers and
clients in new municipal organisation
The facilities sector substantially

increases the percentage of waste
separation at offices, to 75 per cent
in 2018
Draw up action plan for waste separation
Continue with current customised

programmes
Staged action plan to clean up municipal vehicle

fleet (go electric)
Create plan to recycle concrete and road bricks
in the road- and construction-works company
GWW, in a collaboration between the municipality,
concrete product producers, builders and recycling
companies
Municipality offers a clear framework to facilitate sustainable

investments
66
Present proposal to the Council containing an

assessment framework for sustainable investments,
including a set of clear rules to be applied for
investment decisions regarding sustainability in the
municipal organisation
Transition pathways
aanpak werkwijze
Approach
APPROACH
Focus 2015-2018
Actions 2015-2018
Agenda
Smarter approach to rules
Create a free zone for sustainability and circular

economy; determine where and how with
stakeholders. Draw up an action plan for the
implementation.
Q3 2015
(Council)
Make information more accessible about the

rules regarding planning permission in relation to
sustainable initiatives; draw up a guidebook for
Amsterdam residents and businesses
2015
Exempt solar panels from planning permission rules

and processes
Q2 + Q3 2015
(Council)
Invite new tenders for sustainable project proposals
Q1 2015
(College of
Mayor and
Alderpersons)
Establish a new Energy Fund for sustainable

investments, with criteria and expenditure
guidelines; attract external financing
Q2 2015
(Council)
Offer investment opportunities for projects

in the city
Related to Transition
Pathways
Evaluate and possibly end current or soon-to-expire Q2 2015

municipal schemes regarding energy and improving (Council)
sustainability of existing housing stock; propose new
schemes to take effect by not later than 1/1 2016
Encourage knowledge and innovation;
generate insight through data
Carry out Circular Economy Quickscan
Q4 2015
(College of
Mayor and
Alderpersons)
Data collection, analysis and simulation for water

and rain resilience; apply Energy Atlas for projects
2015-2018
Data collection, analysis and application to charging- 2015-2018

point infrastructure; clean and smart distribution
and air quality, in collaboration with e.g. the public
health service and Amsterdam University of Applied
Sciences
Achieve goals of the Sustainability Agenda
through agreements with city partners
Conclude a district covenant similar to Energiek

Zuidoost, Slim Gaasperdam, Buiksloterham
2015
Make agreements with businesses and sectors, such

as the healthcare sector, museums and automotive
2015-2018
Make agreements with traffic groups with regard to

cleaning up mobility
2015
67
2. Planning
1st quarter
2015
2nd quarter
2015
3rd quarter
2015
4th quarter
2015
a. Healthy schools
plan 2015-2018,
implementation 2015
(Council, approval)
b. Proposal to eliminate
planning permission
rules for solar panels
(Council, approval)
c. Research energy poverty (College of Mayor and Alderpersons, discussion)

d. Waste implementation plan
(College of Mayor and Alderpersons, approval)
e. Research rain-resilience bottlenecks (College of Mayor and
Alderpersons, discussion)
f. Report on study into possibility for environmental zone for
two-stroke scooters (Council,
discussion)
g. Evaluation of existing subsidy
schemes for energy saving and
generation with proposal for
new schemes effective from
1/12016 (Municipal Executive,
approval)
h. Proposal with criteria and
expenditure guidelines for
the Energy Fund (Council,
approval)
i. Research exempting solar panels from planning permission
processes (Council, approval)
j. Participation and decision-making on Cleaner

Parking Plan (target:
implementation from
1/1/2016) (Council approval)
k. j. Action plan to establish
a free zone for sustainability and circular economy
(Council, approval)
l. k. Proposal on Zero-Energy Buildings (Council,
approval)
m. Heating Action Plan

(Council, approval)
n. Healthy Schools Action
Plan 2016-2018 (Council,
approval)
o. Establish agreements on
clean-up targets, facilitating, stimulating and
regulatory measures (including staged tightening)
(Council, approval)
p. Green Deal construction
chain (College of Mayor
and Alderpersons, for
information purposes)
q. Circular Economy QuickScan (College of Mayor and
Alderpersons, discussion)
r. Sustainable Procurement Intensification Plan
(College of Mayor and
Alderpersons, approval)
s. Assessment framework for
sustainable investments
in municipal organisation
(Council, approval)
Besides ambitions and directions for the next College term, the Sustainability Agenda includes a
package of measures and actions for 2015 and early 2016. The results of monitoring targets and
activities will be used to annually supplement and amend this implementation programme as necessary. Below is a timeline with an overview of key actions and measures. It also indicates whether
the plan or product concerned is presented to the Municipal Council or the College of Mayor and
Alderpersons.
68
1st quarter
2016
1st quarter
2017
1st quarter
2018
t. Complete the tendering

process for expansion of
charging-point infrastructure for electric
transport (College of
Mayor and Alderpersons, approval)
u. Draw up a vision on the
sharing economy (Council, discussion)
v. Establish environmental zone for delivery vans (Council,

approval)
w. Establish environmental
zone for taxis (Council,
approval)
x. Establish environmental
zone for touring coaches
(Council, approval)
69
3. Summary
It is Amsterdams aim to catch up in the area
of sustainability. We will do this in close cooperation with partners in the city (residents,
businesses, civic organisations and knowledge
institutions), not only through creating broad
public support but also by reinforcing energies
and powers of perseverance already present
in society. The Sustainability Agenda sets out
quantitative and qualitative targets spread over
five transition pathways, with the philosophy
of the circular economy as a common thread:
innovation, doing more with less, becoming
smarter and renewable.
The Agenda defines the following quantitative
targets:
1. Renewable energy: between 2013 and
2020, renewable energy generation per
capita will be increased by 20 per cent;
2. Renewable energy: between 2013 and
2020, energy consumption per capita will be
reduced by 20 per cent;
3. Clean air: between 2015 and 2025, the
highest measured concentration of nitrogen
dioxide will be reduced by 35 per cent;
4. Clean air: between 2015 and 2025, the
highest measured concentration of soot will
be reduced by 30 per cent;
5. Separation of waste: in 2020, 65 per cent of
household waste will be separated;
6. Between 2012 and 2025, the municipalitys
CO2 emissions will be reduced by 45 per cent.
And the following qualitative goals:
1. To ensure as much traffic as possible is emission-free (or as clean as possible) in Amsterdam in 2025;
2. To achieve a circular economy with new
forms of production, distribution and consumption;
3. To incorporate climate adaptation in 2020
in relevant municipal policies on the basis
of the declaration of intent signed by the
College of Mayor and Alderpersons (Spatial
Adaptation);
4. To ensure municipal procurement meets the
objectives outlined in this Agenda for the
transition to a circular economy, the separation of waste, energy and smart and clean
transport.
70
Renewable energy:
In 2020, 20 per cent more renewable
energy will be generated per capita
than in 2013, while energy consumption
per capita will decrease by 20 per cent.
The City of Amsterdam will contribute
to this target by:
Increasing wind power, with the objective of installing 85MW of capacity by
2020 (currently 67MW) by establishing
locations for wind turbines in the port
of Amsterdam, around the Noorder
IJplas and NDSM Wharf, and enabling
Amsterdams residents to participate;
Increasing solar power with the objective of installing 160MW of capacity by
2020 (currently 9MW) by measures such
as actively highlighting the potential
of solar energy among target groups
in the city, easing planning permission
regulations, supporting projects with
the Energy Fund and concluding agreements with housing associations and
businesses about exploiting their roofs;
Facilitating an increase in the number
of connections to district heating to
102,000 in 2020 (currently 62,000) by
drawing up a Heating Action Plan for
the purpose, with an emphasis on the
accessibility of the network, affordability of the solution and sustainability of
resources;
Making arrangements with housing
associations based on the commitment
agreed by sector in the Energy Agreement on making their housing stock
more sustainable by achieving an average energy label of B by 2020;
Creating the potential for at least 1,000
zero-energy homes in multi-storey developments to help accelerate sustainable housing construction;
Gaining insight into energy poverty and
possible solutions;
Making agreements with

sectors about the sustainability of their
operations, and prioritising inspections
and enforcement of the Environmental
Management Act; determining, during

this period, if all the approximately 950
major industrial customers in the city
are complying with the energy-savings
requirements in the Environmental Management Act, or if agreements have
been concluded in this respect;
Ensuring that 111 schools in Amsterdam
get a clean indoor environment and can
take energy-saving measures or generate renewable energy (111 of a total of
269 schools, 90 of which were already
dealt with in the previous eight years),
and adapting the 2016 Housing Regulations for newly built (special) secondary
schools (to Healthy Schools category B);
Making sustainable sports accommodation possible by implementing
measures such as the Sustainable
Amsterdam Sports Clubs project, with
the objective of improving the sustainability of at least 25 per cent of outdoor
sports clubhouses, and using the Sport
Accommodation Fund to invest in new
and existing buildings, and to examine
whether co-financing from the Energy
Fund is possible;
Committing to energy-neutral new construction by weighing sustainability for
at least 30 per cent (in significance) in
the criteria used to select development
plans and developers;
Identifying areas in addition to the
already existing area of excellence
Houthavens and the new development
area Buiksloterham where, in cooperation with parties, every possible effort
will be made in terms of energy, renewable energy (including solar energy),
materials, climate resilience (including
against torrential rainfall) and mobility.
Clean air:
Between 2015 and 2025, the highest
measured concentration of nitrogen
dioxide will be reduced by 35 per cent
and the highest measured concentration of soot will be reduced by 30 per
cent. This will be achieved by:
Continuing to apply the current package of measures to meet nitrogen
dioxide standards, and introducing
a package of measures to accelerate
meeting standards;
Designing a package of measures
aimed at exceeding statutory clean-air
standards (preferably emission-free
within the ringroad, otherwise as clean
as possible), including stimulating, easing and regulatory measures;
Setting up regulatory measures as part
of this, such as environmental zones,
at least for delivery vehicles (before 1
January 2017), taxis (before 1 January
2018), coaches (before 1 January 2018)
and tightening the environmental zone
for goods vehicles in 2020 to increase
the effectiveness of stimulation measures for these groups;
Collaborating with the Municipal Transport Authority (GVB( to achieve emission-free public bus transport by 2026,
and studying how municipal ferries can
be made cleaner;
Maintaining position as a frontrunner in
electric transport by expanding charging infrastructure in accordance with demand to 4,000 public charging stations
in 2018 through tenders (including
studies into smart charging methods
and connection to renewable energy
and smart grids);
Investigating and presenting the possibility for an environmental zone for
two-stroke scooters;
Promoting smarter logistics by developing a proposal with partners on the
construction of two additional cargo
hubs (goods transfer) in the city;
Introducing the Cleaner Parking Plan
on 1 January 2016.
71
Circular economy:
Climate adaptation:
Achieve a circular economy with new

forms of production, distribution and
consumption by promoting innovation, research and circular activity, and
recovering more natural resources and
materials. This will be achieved by:
On the basis of the declaration of intent

signed by the College of Mayor and
Alderpersons (Spatial Adaptation), incorporate climate adaptation in 2020 in
relevant municipal policies by measures
including:
Carrying out a QuickScan on the circular

economy to gain insight into the extent
of the flows of natural resources and
materials that enter the city, are used in
the city and leave the city, the corresponding potential economic value and
the opportunities for targeted interventions by companies, research institutions and government;
Developing an urban innovation programme;
Drawing up a vision on the sharing
economy, which will include its impact on society, more efficient use of
consumer goods, changing distribution
patterns and changes in existing relationships and regulations;
Drawing up an action plan on adapting
the use of existing economic tools to
strengthen the circular economy; e.g.
by incorporating sustainable entrepreneurship in the Amsterdam Enterprise
Programme, by seeking to forge a connection with the Business Investment
Zone and by partly focusing acquisition
policy on attracting sustainable companies;
Concluding a Green Deal with the construction sector, including agreements
on reusing building waste locally and
creating additional jobs in the process;
Drawing up a Waste Implementation
Plan including: decision on collection
model and processing model; investment proposal for collecting household
organic waste in to-be-designated parts
of the city; decision on stimulating the
separate collection of bulky waste, litter
from public spaces and office and shop
waste.
72
Rainproof programme, which is concluding research into problem areas

with regard to rainproofness in the city
and will discuss the results with responsible stakeholders;
On the basis of the Delta Strategy, an
adaptation strategy for vital infrastructure will be drawn up as part of the
water-resilient city programme.
Sustainable municipality:
The municipality wants to set a good
example. We will do this by:
Making the municipal organisation
more sustainable: implementing the
Municipality CO2 Neutral roadmap;
Intensifying professional sustainable
procurement: drawing up Sustainable
Procurement Intensification Plan;
Assigning the substantive responsibility
for applying the targets and making
decisions if additional investment is
required to commissioning officers and
authorising officers; proposing action
plans for promising procurement programmes;
Preparing a testing framework for sustainable municipal investments.
In the transition to a sustainable city, the municipality has many different roles and extensive
tools at its disposal. In the coming years, the
College aims to make an impact by means of
the following practices:
Using rules smartly to support

sustainable initiatives by, among
others:
Looking for flexibility in its own regulations and improving the provision
of information on this (particularly in
regard to planning permission);
Defining one or more sustainable free
zones in Amsterdam;
Examining whether certain rules
regarding solar panels in the Planning
Permission Memorandum can be eliminated, and exploring whether solar
panels can be installed without any
planning permission at all;
Consulting with the Dutch central government and the province on easing
obstructive legislation and on the use
of experimental schemes;
Setting up a regional helpdesk where
people can seek advice on taking sustainable measures.
Financing the transition by, among

others:
Setting up a simple and effective Energy Fund. This fund will be the investment vehicle. By taking control of all
resources, an overview is created that
also makes it easier to determine how
the different resources can reinforce
each other;
Increase understanding: continue the

development of a data programme
with partners in the city to map (open
and real-time) datasets and make these
accessible to the city, so that they can
be used for more integrated projects
and to make policy more effective.
Collaborate and make agreements
with the city: in the coming period,
agreements will be concluded with the
city in all kinds of areas: with sectors,
supply chains, industries, housing associations, developers, traffic groups,
strategic partners and within the
municipality itself in order to realise
and implement the Agenda. Though
voluntary, these agreements are not
non-committal.
Monitoring: The College will make
sure targets and activity indicators are
coherent. They will be included in the
budget and reports on their progress
will be incorporated in the financial
statements and the annual publication
State of Sustainable Amsterdam. The
financial statements will also contain
reports on the progress of the Municipality CO2 Neutral roadmap and
progress on sustainable procurement.
Reports on air quality will be based on
annual forecasts. This can be used to
determine packages of measures.
Making tendering schemes accessible

to investment by Amsterdams inhabitants, businesses and social institutions;
Evaluating the current but soon-toexpire city and district regulations
on climate-neutral building, energy
conservation and energy generation in
housing, and drawing up new proposals for the period beginning 1 January
2016;
Continuing with the subsidies to promote clean mobility in this period, so
that it is possible to meet the air-quality standard.
73
Colophon
Sustainable Amsterdam, Agenda for renewable energy, clear air, a circular economy and a climate-resilient city, adopted by the Municipal Council of Amsterdam, March 2015
Text and editing: Municipality of Amsterdam, department of Urban Planning and Sustainability,
sustainability team
Design: ABC Vorm, Municipality of Amsterdam
Photographs are by Doede Bardok, Gerard Kwakkenbos, Edwin van Eis, Arjan Molenaar, Alphons
Nieuwenhuis, Ronald Rijntjes, Marchien Spier and Mirjana Milanovic. Maps are taken from previous
publications by DRO or were adapted for this publication by Bart de Vries, based on data provided
by TNO and Waternet.
Thanks to: all partners, sustainability pioneers in the city and colleagues of municipal units who contributed to compiling this Agenda and who continue to contribute to the creation of a sustainable
Amsterdam.
74

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Sustainable

Adopted by the Municipal Council of Amsterdam, March 2015

I Ambition and direction

2. Organising the agenda 

3. Financing the transition

4. Monitoring and adjusting

costly torrential rains that the future has in store

Regarding the production of renewable

Several pilot schemes have recently

1.1 Ambitions and goals

1.2 Generating more

1.2.1 Generate more wind

2013 With around 40,000 solar

2020 With around 630,000 solar

2040 Amsterdam reaches the

panels totalling 60,000m , we can

panels, with a total surface area of

threshold of 1,000MW of solar

plied energy. A further advantage of making

Actions and measures

as requirements regarding building aesthetics;

Ways of contributing to an increase in solar

Ways of contributing to an to an increase in

From 2014-2018, the municipality wants to

Consumption versus sources 2013

Natural gas, private

Natural gas, corporate

In 2013, 2,700 terajoules of renewable energy was produced in

In 2013, energy consumption in Amsterdam amounted

The wind vision Space for windmills in

gy. National regulations play a role, including

1.2.2 Making more use of

openness and room for alternative heating

Actions and measures

renewable sources. The possibilities offered

Housing stock according to ownership in Amsterdam. Source: O+S

1.3 Reducing energy consumption

Actions and measures

find a NOM solution for the existing stacked

1.3.2 Reducing energy consumption by businesses

Actions and measures

by insulating the school building. Additionally

Actions and measures

Frisse scholen klasse B (Clean Schools category B)

1.3.4 Sports facilities

Actions and measures

sports infrastructure by including sustainability as a condition for new investments.

1.3.5 Encourage energy-neutral

parties developers and housing associations,

developments by evaluating the EPC reports

1.5 Smarter energy infrastructure and innovation

and with the Amsterdam Economic Board and

2.1 Ambitions and goals

Sea salt, soil particulates and other

This Sustainability Agenda focuses primarily on

Other traffic (inland shipping,

Sea salt, soil particulates and other

Amsterdam traffics contribution to emissions

The highest measured concentration of soot

I Ambition and direction

2. Organising the agenda

3. Financing the transition

4. Monitoring and adjusting