Amsterdam 2040: A gas free city

Sharing knowlegde and inspiration to accelerate the energy transition

September 2021 - Amsterdam has announced its ambition to become free from natural gas by 2040 - which is a decade earlier than the rest of the Netherlands. The reason behind this ambition is twofold: to reduce its carbon emissions and to break free from the energy dependence on the city of Groningen.

The change process is laid out in a strategic document – the Heat Transition Vision, developed in accordance with the requirements of the National Climate Agreement. Amsterdam is the first city in the Netherlands to draft its own Heat Transition Vision. The vision helps property owners to make decisions on the most suitable and affordable technologies to make homes more sustainable, which is complex as there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. In order to inspire property owners to join the energy transition, appealing showcases are essential. 

Public-private real-estate partnership NV Zeedijk acquired an 18th century monumental canal house at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 136 in order to present it as the prime example for the sustainable renovation of the many monumental buildings in the historic city center of Amsterdam. Klimaatkantoor provides NV Zeedijk with communications, thought leadership and media strategy for Oudezijds Voorburgwal 136. The aim of the communications strategy is to share the knowledge gained and to inspire property owners in joining the energy transition. More information about the sustainable renovation of the monumental property can be found here. The City TV Network AT5 recently made this item and Parool recently covered the sustainable renovation, which can be found here. 

NV Zeedijk is a public-private real-estate partnership between the Municipality of Amsterdam, several banks and a housing cooperation. NV Zeedijk takes a social purpose to real estate and manages its property with social impact by creating a social infrastructure in the area consisting of individuals, organisations and the community. In accordance with city policy, NV Zeedijk aims at keeping the rents as affordable as possible, while still generating sufficient income for reinvestment in new properties and more affordable housing in the area. As such, NV Zeedijk considers longer tenancies important in building a local community.