by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Amsterdam’s Wallen district is a policy laboratory whether we plan it that way or not: narrow streets, fragile quay walls, dense hospitality, and a constant stream of vehicles nobody particularly wants there. For years, “lighter vehicles in the historic center” has been a slogan more than a practice. Oscar Circulair, a waste and resource collector …
Amsterdam is quietly building one of Europe’s most interesting experiments in urban freight: moving household and commercial waste over its canals instead of through its streets. What started as a modest pilot in the Red Light District in 2021 (electric barges collecting garbage bags twice a week, fed by small electric carts from the surrounding …
A new academic study from TU Delft takes a deep dive into one of Amsterdam’s most pressing urban challenges: how to keep goods flowing into the city without choking its historic streets and aging infrastructure. The paper, by Bijvoet, Karademir, and Atasoy (2026), models a multimodal two-echelon distribution system for Amsterdam’s HoReCa sector (hotels, restaurants, …
Amsterdam and Berlin are among the European frontrunners in efficient urban logistics. This is shown by the European Freight Efficiency Index from Geotab, which is based on connected-vehicle data from seven European capital cities. Amsterdam scores 59 out of 100 points, finishing just behind Berlin (61). London (29) and Madrid (25) bring up the rear. …
Amsterdam wants to turn the clock back 150 years. The canals, once the city’s economic lifelines, are being repositioned as arteries for supplying leisure venues and retail in the inner city. After years of pilot projects, a commercial freight boat service has now started operating between the Westelijk Havengebied and the city centre, including the …
Amsterdam is taking significant steps toward becoming a safer and more sustainable city, with a greater focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety. The 2024 traffic safety monitor provides an overview of measures implemented under the city’s road safety plan, including the introduction of 30 km/h zones and policies for pedestrians and cyclists. 30 km/h Becomes …
On my way to work, it suddenly stood out: a bright green boat from Zoevcity with a giant beer tank on the Geldersekade. Could it be? Is Amsterdam getting a Heineken beer boat? The answer is yes. The Historic Amsterdam DistrictsThe bridges and quay walls in the Wallen and Lastage neighborhoods are fragile and are …
Social media exploded over Amsterdam’s trial with a “klushub.” In the Piet Heingarage, a pilot project called Park + Switch Amsterdam is being launched as a transfer point where entrepreneurs can park their vehicles and switch to electric ones. Online blog GeenStijl commented on the hub: “This pie-in-the-sky idea, dreamed up by desk-jockey bureaucrats, is almost as …
Approximately 12,000 vans enter the city daily via the Amsterdam A10 Ring Road, around 15% of which are from service logistics companies. The pilot project with service hubs aims to explore how these hubs can help reduce traffic congestion, parking issues, and air pollution in the city. A pilot project will begin with a ‘klushub‘ …
It was impressive to see all the cargo bikes and light electric vehicles gathered in the garage beneath the Passenger Terminal in Amsterdam. Various providers of zero-emission vehicles came together for a ‘Meet & Match‘ event, connecting with potential users—entrepreneurs from construction, installation technology, and other facility and technical service industries. This event is a …