Citizens & Community Engagement in Urban Living Labs

Conducted in collaboration with AMS Institute and Wageningen University & Research, as part of Solving the Urban Plastic Soup project, the internship activities focused on raising awareness about plastic pollution in Amsterdam’s waterways and engaging local citizens and community initiatives to co-develop solutions. The primary goal was to understand the level of awareness among residents regarding the issue of plastic pollution and explore their willingness to participate in related workshops. This work directly contributed to the "Solving the Urban Plastic Soup" project by facilitating co-creation workshops aimed at brainstorming innovative solutions to the problem.

The intern, Theodoros Vougioukas, conducted street interviews and surveys with citizens to assess their awareness and gather insights about their interest in participating in workshops. To further engage the community, he also reached out to local community centers, attended sustainability-focused events, and promoted the workshops through posters, social media campaigns, and online platforms. Theodoros maintained ongoing communication with participants, thanking them and sharing workshop outcomes to keep them engaged in the process.

Throughout the internship, Theodoros designed, facilitated, and analyzed the outputs of three multi-stakeholder workshops, supported by AMS Institute. The workshops were designed using key principles from educational frameworks to foster awareness, encourage collaboration, and generate creative solutions. Activities in the workshops included Counter Mapping, Rich Pictures, and Prototyping exercises, which encouraged participants to explore plastic pollution from different perspectives and brainstorm actionable ideas.

The workshops revealed that participants were well aware of the broader causes of plastic pollution, such as tourism, plastic packaging, and issues related to temporary residents and waste management. Local knowledge was also shared, highlighting specific challenges like infrequent street cleaning and retailers still offering plastic bags. Most participants expressed a deep concern for the plastic pollution in Amsterdam’s waterways and showed a strong desire to raise awareness about the short- and long-term impacts of the issue.

The goals of the workshops were effectively aligned with the interests of participants, project partners, and AMS Institute, all focused on raising awareness, exploring solutions, and fostering collaboration. The workshops demonstrated strong potential for citizen engagement, as participants collaborated effectively during the brainstorming sessions. As a result, several innovative ideas emerged, such as creating videos to educate tourists, organizing canal clean-up cruises, offering pocket ashtrays to reduce littering, and involving vulnerable populations in waste collection. Additionally, there was an emphasis on developing fun, interactive activities for children to cultivate environmental awareness from an early age.

In conclusion, the internship successfully engaged citizens and stakeholders in addressing the issue of plastic pollution in Amsterdam’s waterways. Through the workshops, Theodoros facilitated the development of innovative solutions, built community involvement, and contributed valuable insights to the ongoing "Solving the Urban Plastic Soup" project. The findings from the workshops and surveys will continue to guide the development of practical, citizen-driven solutions aimed at combating plastic pollution.

The final internship report is available to the public here.

For any question, don't hesitate to contact project manager Francesca Alberti at francesca.alberti@ams-institute.org