15 June 2019 Press release

Tada! The municipality of Haarlemmermeer endorses the manifesto

Tessel Renzenbrink
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Implementation of the Tada manifesto was approved by majority vote in the College of Mayor and Alderpersons, the executive council of Haarlemmermeer. During the ‘From everyone – for everyone’ gathering on 29 May 2019, an event featuring the digital city, Alderwoman Marja Ruigrok signed the Tada manifesto.

The event, organized by the Amsterdam Economic Board, was designed to help the Tada manifesto move forward. Collaboration is the key to a responsible digital society. That was the consensus reached during the ‘From everyone – for everyone’ event about the digital city.

Marja Ruigrok, Alderwoman for Economic Affairs and Innovation, signed the manifesto on behalf of the College of Mayor and Alderpersons for Haarlemmermeer. Comprising 31 towns and villages with a total population around 150,000, this sprawling Dutch municipality is situated between the coastal towns and the city of Amsterdam, and includes the country’s main transport hub: Schiphol Airport. “I am very optimistic about data and technology, but it is vital to demonstrate its added value for residents and users,” Ms Ruigrok stated. “We can equip traffic lights with heat sensors, so they only turn green when someone is actually waiting at the light. Who could object to that? But people balk at the idea of collecting data in the public space. That’s why the government needs to clarify what we want to achieve, and share knowledge with each other. Being open and showing the advantages is how you convince people to get on board. The more visible those benefits are to the end user, the more fun it gets.”

Douwe Schmidt from Bureau Tada praises the endorsement by the municipal authorities in Haarlemmermeer. “By signing the manifesto, they are adopting a pioneering role in the Netherlands.” During the event, Mr Schmidt mainly emphasized getting people involved. “We want to shape the digital city together. What we are showing is that a group can offer a balanced alternative to the idea that technology is something that happens to you. I can have all sorts of opinions on my own, but together we can actually act on them, making society smart and savvy.”

The Haarlemmermeer municipal authorities and Tada will be sitting down together to discuss the next steps in order to incorporate Tada into the municipality. The lessons already learned in Amsterdam will help the new partners achieve results quickly.

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