Addressing metropolitan challenges: “typical engineering work”

By: Jurjen Slump

Together with Wageningen University & Research and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Delft University of Technology forms the scientific heart of AMS Institute. Participating in the institute is important to Delft University of Technology, says Rob Mudde, Vice-Rector Magnificus and Vice- President for Education on the Executive Board. AMS Institute is part of his portfolio. “To solve urban problems, we need to be in the city ourselves.”

Urbanisation

“By 2050, 70 percent of people will live in cities. If we consider where in society most of the problems arise and where living conditions of people might be improved, we will mostly look at urban environments. The extent of urbanisation will only increase, as well as its associated challenges. Take, for example, the food supply system: 30 percent of goods transport in Amsterdam are food-related. That is an incredible amount of transport movements within the city. We need to do something about this; it can be done in a smarter way. We want to be able to supply the shops without the city becoming gridlocked. Offering a solution to this means we will make an immediate contribution. Scientists find these challenges immensely interesting. Many people at Delft University of Technology are fascinated by it.”

In Amsterdam, but typically Delft

“The way we work within AMS Institute is representative of the Delft approach: it’s typical engineering work. Because we think in terms of solutions. In a big city, there are certain preconditions to be taken into account. Traffic and residents need to be able to move around at all times. We cannot simply close off a bridge or a road. Engineers are used to this way of working and that’s also the reason why we have to be physically present in Amsterdam. One cannot recreate this complexity in a lab - we have to let ourselves be inspired by the city, listen to the city governance, to its civil servants, and its citizens. That’s why we find it perfectly logical to leave the campus in Delft and come to Amsterdam: the city is a living laboratory.”

Complexity

“For the same reason, it is also essential to get the scientists out of the TU Delft Campus labs. It’s often about practical applications, so we need to seek out actual social complexities. We cannot simply strip it down to the core problem and try to solve it in ‘splendid isolation’ inside a laboratory, because then we will lose sight of some of its complexity. That’s why we collaborate in the AMS Institute.”