Amsterdam, the world's first "doughnut" city !!

From its humble beginnings as a 13th-century fishing village, Amsterdam is today a major hub for business, tourism and culture and has a long and well-respected tradition in the arts. Amsterdam is a metropolis of more than 1 million inhabitants (excluding the suburbs) with nearly 9 million international tourists visited the city in 2019.
This post is about Amsterdam city plan to implement, as first city in the world, the "doughnut" model. 

"In Amsterdam we want to ensure a good life for everyone, within the Earth’s natural boundaries. That can be done in a circular city in which we adopt a smarter approach to scarce raw materials, produce and consume differently." said the city mayor.

Amsterdam is rethinking what economic success looks like. In doing so, it’s not looking at traditional financial metrics. Instead, the city will be the first in the world to officially adopt the “doughnut” model of economics.

The model, developed by UK Oxford economist Kate Raworth, is a simple way to illustrate a complex goal. 

The inner ring of the doughnut represents minimum standards of living, based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This entails the basic essentials everyone needs to thrive, from food and clean water to gender equality and adequate housing. According to the model, no one should fall into the hole in the center of the doughnut, which would mean they don’t have enough to afford basic needs. 

The outer ring of the doughnut represents the ecological limits of the planet, from biodiversity loss and air pollution to climate breakdown. 

Amsterdam wants to stay between the inner and outer rings, in the green space. 

The overarching question is: How can Amsterdam city be home to thriving people, in a thriving place, while respecting the well-being of all people and the health of the whole planet?

The following is a key step that differentiates all other models:

Accepting the individual responsibility in what is produced, what is manufactured and what is consumed throughout the whole value chain, everywhere in the world, from global to local ! 

This approach also looks at the impacts the city has beyond its own borders, from the air pollution that’s created in China when Chinese factories make goods that are exported to the Netherlands, or the social impact of the cocoa grown in Africa—sometimes with child labor or slavery—that’s imported in huge quantities through the Port of Amsterdam. It stretches the boundaries of responsibility of the city.

The City of Amsterdam is focusing on 3 value chains:
Food and organic waste streams
Ambition 1: Short food chains provide a robust sustainable food system
Ambition 2: Healthy and sustainable food for the people of Amsterdam
Ambition 3: High-quality processing of organic waste streams

Consumer goods
Ambition 1: The City sets the right example by reducing its consumption
Ambition 2: Using what we have more sparingly
Ambition 3: Amsterdam makes the most of discarded products

Built environment
Ambition 1: The transition to circular development requires a joint effort
Ambition 2: The City sets the right example by formulating circular criteria
Ambition 3: A circular approach to the existing city

More details to come, will follow up this project.

Sources:

- Amsterdam city website

- Kate Raworth blog