The recently opened CityLab Almere provides a platform for the latest data-driven applications and digital solutions for urban development. It is an initiative by the Green Innovation Hub and partners VodafoneZiggo, Municipality of Almere, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Future City Foundation, and the Province of Flevoland.

CityLab Almere is the place where innovative and data-driven solutions for the sustainable city and home of the future are showcased. René Visser, initiator of CityLab Almere and senior external affairs manager at VodafoneZiggo, said: “CityLab Almere is the place where we present the most advanced innovations in the field of sustainability and livability. It’s a beautiful space where you get inspired and where all these developments become tangible. And that’s extremely important. Stakeholders, entrepreneurs, students, and policymakers can see for themselves what it can mean for them.”

Mobility, Inclusion, Food, Energy, and Construction

But it goes beyond inspiration, Visser explains. CityLab Almere is also a place where all these parties come together to work on concepts related to mobility, inclusion, energy, food, and construction. Visser: “After the inspiration phase, we work with an enthusiastic team to turn all societal challenges from municipalities and other organizations into workable concepts in a kind of ‘pressure cooker’. We can then test these at open innovation locations like Hortus and later scale them up to other places in the Netherlands. Additionally, there are workspaces where professionals collaborate. Various startups, scale-ups, and other organizations have their workspace here, and our VodafoneZiggo colleagues develop new projects, such as innovations in energy and sustainability.”

Entrepreneurial Climate

In the beautiful Floor building in the heart of Almere, the Green Innovation Hub and CityLab Almere have one thousand square meters at their disposal, which will be doubled from July, providing even more space for new innovative entrepreneurs with a passion for sustainability. “It’s the perfect environment where entrepreneurs, both new and established, can learn from each other, cross-pollinate, and connect with policymakers, students, and the business community.”

The Tiny Green House

In the middle of CityLab Almere, there is a glass house where plants grow abundantly. Underneath the house is an impressive water basin. “The Tiny Green House,” Visser beams. It is one of the innovative showpieces created within the Green Innovation Hub and an example of the house of the future.

The Tiny Green House is a prototype demonstrating what is practically possible in terms of digitization and data for creating a healthy and sustainable living environment. A vast amount of data is collected through sensors and other data sources that monitor heat, excess rainwater, air quality, growth, and biodiversity. This data is consolidated within a central platform, allowing information to be viewed smartly and decisions to be made in a 3D live visualization.

Visser: “It is a very relevant solution, especially in light of climate change and energy issues. By collecting data and assessing information smartly, municipalities, for example, can make better decisions and measures. We are unique in the Netherlands and even in Europe because we have both the digital applications and data platforms as well as a space with people capable of bringing all these issues into practice more quickly.”

Making an Impact

Civity, the winner of the Green Innovation Hub Contest 2023, has also taken up residence in CityLab Almere. The space offers them numerous opportunities to present their product, receive customers, and work on product optimization. “With this formula, we are able to make a real impact. And that only happens when you can make connections, create matches, and innovate together.”

Vodafone Business, June 27, 2024