Solving Urban Challenges Together
In order to have a greater impact as a small country, the Netherlands is keen to share knowledge and expertise with international partners and learn from others.
In close collaboration with the Closer Cities urban research project, the Netherlands invites urban actors to share a local project with the Closer Cities platform. Between November 2021 and February 2022, projects from all around the world are collected. The ideas can be a social project or a technological innovation. As long as it inspires other cities and municipalities around the world. Projects that make the city a better place, for example by impacting the SDGs, climate change, diversity, youth, housing, or education.
Closer Cities researchers will use the information to analyse processes of urban knowledge exchange. For instance, what are ‘boosts & barriers’ to idea sharing? This knowledge will contribute to more effective idea sharing and mutual learning in the future. Why reinvent the wheel, when we can share? It’s all about cities helping other cities to improve.
NL platform
Through its network of embassies worldwide, the Netherlands is keen to learn from cities around the world. Why? Each and every day, the most amazing and impactful developments are made in cities around the globe. But too often they go unnoticed. This is a real pity since many of these projects are worthy of being shared.
The Netherlands is committed to achieving the UN Global Goals. By 2050, cities are predicted to house almost 70 percent of the world’s population. To keep cities liveable, we need to come up with workable and repeatable solutions to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals fast. By exchanging ideas at grassroots level, we can speed up that process. What works well in one place can be modified and applied to another.
As a low-lying densely populated delta, the Netherlands has faced existential challenges throughout its history. Along the way, the Dutch have discovered that innovative solutions work best when they are brought about by open and inclusive processes. That way everyone’s needs are taken into account and no one is left behind. The Netherlands wants to share this model with the world to achieve the best possible results.
More information
Find more information here.
