- Destination Amsterdam    1028 kb by    Vreeswijk, Elvira | e.vreeswijk@dro.amsterdam.nl    Short Outline Amsterdam is developing a strong and new vision on its future as an international metropolis. The launching of this vision is being done through story telling. The vision is interdisciplinary: it encompasses spatial, economic and social elements. Abstract Destination Amsterdam Amsterdam is developing a new and I belief a strong vision on its future. This vision is evolving as a story which is called Destination Amsterdam. The story is about Amsterdam as an international and vibrant Metropolis. The Amsterdam elderman of Physical Planning speaks of a silent change of paradigms: from a compact city to a Metropolitan city. Keywords are sustainability, livability and urbanity. Destination Amsterdam is about restoration, strengthening and optimizing the qualities of Amsterdam and its region. Two of the most important assets to Amsterdam are the international airport Schiphol and the leading position Amsterdam globally takes as an internet hub. Destination Amsterdam breaks with the Dutch Mainport strategy, instead it develops a human strategy. It emphasizes that the future of Amsterdam lies in people, in attracting workers, visitors and future inhabitants, in high quality, international destination traffic and in a ‘peoples-economy’ (from production to consumption, Florida). This strategy will result in a flourishing economic and environment-friendly Metropolis. The story is being told by the vice-director of the Amsterdam Physical Planning Department. It is partly composed of the results of research that has been done the past two years within the department. However it is not an exclusive physical story. The vision and how it is to be realized reaches beyond physical planning. It is about city development in a broad sense which links different sectors and different interests. Until now nothing has been written on paper. Destination Amsterdams’ physical form exists of four presentations. The story has been presented to the mayor and eldermen of Amsterdam. Parts of it have been told to the different departments and city districts of the Amsterdam municipality. As word is being spread people are inspired and motivated by the content and by the new working methods the story proposes. Several projects in Amsterdam are now in process with the aim of realizing the goals of Destination Amsterdam working and collaborating in new ways with different partners. Scheme: 1. content of Destination Amsterdam 2. the impact of the story on other ‘stories’ such as Randstad and the Mainportstrategy 3. the impact of the story on the Amsterdam administrative constellation and Amsterdam arena of interest 4. the impact of the story on the inhabitants of Amsterdam and its region 5. storytelling as a way to spread and share a vision, example of project and new working method Keywords Vision on the future of Amsterdam Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2007: Urban Trialogues   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper