Entrepreneurship
Theme: Innovation
Cross-cutting themes covered: Regenerating deprived areas, Business incubation facilities, Networking opportunities
Name of project: Kinetisch Noord
City: Amsterdam
What is it? Kinetisch Noord is an initiative led by artists, skaters, craftsmen and not-for-profit organisations. Through the project, a huge warehousing complex at a former ship dock, NDSM Wharf, has been transformed into working space for creative and innovative entrepreneurs. Kinetisch Noord also provides many opportunities for businesses in similar sectors to network, sharing ideas and resources.
Who is it? Kinetisch Noord is run by NDSM, an association of creative entrepreneurs.
Where is it? NDSM Wharf was formerly a prosperous harbour area that had fallen into disrepair and disuse. Kinetisch Noord was one of the first initiatives to exploit the potential of this abandoned area. It has functioned as a catalyst, attracting other initiatives and enterprises to the district.
Who funds it? €13 million has been invested in the building, not including money spent on the interior.
How does it work?
An alternative philosophy: Kinetisch Noord follows an ‘alternative’ building/planning strategy, called 'Stad als Casco' (City as a hull). ‘Cascos’ tend to occur when the end-users of a site are also those responsible for its development and financing, in terms of either the building process and/or interior design.
The responsibility for designing and developing the individual studio spaces belongs to the end-users, the creative entrepreneurs themselves. Residents can decide for themselves what the quality and the costs of their workspaces will be. The project therefore caters for a range of budgets.
There is no obligation for residents to leave the site after a certain length of time, as in the traditional incubator model. However, in practice, there is a high degree of population mobility mainly because residents are not allowed to rent extra space once they grow, forcing them to move out of the site and make way for new entrepreneurs.
Anything else? Business-to-business networking opportunities: The project also provides a range of networking opportunities for businesses. Entrepreneurs in similar sectors work alongside each other and, naturally, seek advice and support from each other.
What are the results? The building projects on the NDSM Wharf amount to 85,000m2 of development and include:
Is it successful? bottom-up approach: The bottom-up, ‘Casco’ approach was particularly successful, making people take responsibility for the environment around them. Giving a new function to an old industrial building is also an innovative component of the project.
Is the model transferable ? The ‘Casco’ philosophy, the idea that site end users should have a responsibility for its design and upkeep, is transferable to other areas.
Building on local competitive advantages? The Kinetisch Noord project builds on local competitive advantages that may not be available elsewhere. For instance, the project has taken advantage of the strong position of Amsterdam as a cultural and creative capital and the city’s tradition of bottom-up interventions (e.g. from within the squatters’ community).
The location of the development is unique, detached from the centre of Amsterdam (by the river), yet easily accessible. The scale of the Wharf is immense, working as an inspiration to the creative entrepreneurs residing in the building.
What are the barriers to transferability? The project is demand-driven, fuelled by the need for affordable workplaces among the creative enterprise community. Where this demand does not exist, similar projects would be impossible.
Obtaining planning permissions and safety standards was difficult for Kinetisch Noord project developers. It is likely that overcoming the bureaucracy associated with building developments would be a challenge to transferring this model.
