[Themaintainers] Amsterdam's canal crisis

Tue Sep 1 14:03:14 EDT 2020

Hi all,
This happened today:
https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/kade-in-centrum-van-amsterdam-met-lantaarnpaal-en-al-ingestort~a2f44086/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
A canalside collapsed, taking a lamppost with it (for some reason, all the
news outlets mention this lamppost, as if it makes it even worse).
😱

On Fri, 28 Aug 2020 at 23:28, Don Goodman-Wilson <don at maintainerati.org>
wrote:

> Also an Amsterdam local (Paul, nice to meet you!)
>
> Agreed that the public here has been ignorant, whether willful or not I
> couldn’t say. This barely makes the Dutch-language news that I monitor, and
> has absolutely not been reported on in the English-language news (although
> the current state of English-language news here is an entire topic in
> itself).
>
> Over the past couple of years, there have also been a number of pretty bad
> wind storms here that have blown over trees in older parts of the city,
> sometimes taking out a bridge or historic building with them. I wonder how
> closely related these phenomena are?
>
> Paul, I would very much love to read your blog post.
>
> I can’t find a link at the moment, but there’s another issue with our rail
> infrastructure. On one hand, almost none of it is rated for high-speed
> trains (despite high-speed connections to Belgium, France, and
> Germany—those trains just travel quite slowly inside the Netherlands!), but
> also the projections for needed capacity have been amazingly low, to the
> point that the network is currently at full saturation, yet facing (from
> pre-COVID estimates) continued year-over-year growth. There is currently no
> plan (as I recall) for improving this situation (although NS did just
> announce that they can shave a whopping 20 minutes off of the 6.5 hour
> train ride to Berlin!)
>
> Don GOODMAN-WILSON
> Board, Maintainerati Foundation
>
> On 27 Aug 2020, at 17:47, Paula Lackie <plackie at carleton.edu> wrote:
>
> While only tangentially related, I loved this story of a
> characteristically innovative solution From Amsterdam.. in this case to
> Wild Peeing.
>
>
> https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/08/mind-your-ps-amsterdam-installs-plant-pot-street-urinals-to-improve-toilet-behaviour/
>
> On Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 9:50 AM Paul Mignot <paul at withthegrid.com> wrote:
>
>> HI Andrew, and fellow maintainers.
>>
>> As an Amsterdam local, happy to share some insights.
>>
>> I don't think the public has fully acknowledged yet the magnitude of the
>> amount of deferred maintenance.
>> Out of the 1800 bridges 850 need urgent repair and from the 600km quay
>> walls 200km need repair! (source:
>> https://www.amsterdam.nl/parkeren-verkeer/bruggen-kademuren/)
>> Here a link to a dashboard
>> <https://atosborne.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Dashboard.pdf> with
>> more figures (I think google translate can also do PDF)
>> The city has asked the market for options on how to monitor the bridges
>> and quays more extensively as they cannot repair everything at the same
>> time
>> With Covid severely impacting the cities financials (as well as
>> inhabitants wanting fewer tourists and Airbnbs and thus less tourist taxes)
>> I expect this to be a big challenge in the coming years.
>>
>> As a matter of fact I am writing a blog post now regarding the
>> maintenance of critical infrastructure and using this as an example. The
>> Netherlands is every year rated one of the countries with the best
>> infrastructure (2nd place after Singapore according to WEF). However whilst
>> patting ourselves on the back we forgot to monitor our own infrastructure.
>> If interested, will be happy to share my blog when done.
>>
>> Regards, Paul
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 4:25 PM Andrew Russell <arussell at arussell.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I thought you all might be interested in this story that connects the
>>> maintenance of canals to long-term perspectives (both looking back and
>>> looking forward).  I know we have at east one or two people on the list who
>>> are locals in Amsterdam - I’d be curious to hear their reactions…
>>>
>>> http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/amsterdam-collapsing/index.html
>>> Amsterdam has been collapsing for years. Now it's paying the price
>>> Cracks and sinkholes are appearing alongside the waterways of Amsterdam.
>>> Bicycles are tumbling into the swirling water as the canalsides vanish
>>> beneath their wheels.
>>> Quay walls are collapsing against houseboats. Bridges are in trouble.
>>> While
>>>
>>> the recent Covid-19 restrictions have relieved the Dutch capital from
>>>
>>> the more superficial blight of overtourism, it seems the city has a more
>>>
>>> pressing existential crisis.
>>> It's in danger of crumbling into the water it's built upon. And only a
>>> makeover of enormous proportions can save it.
>>>
>>>
>>> Fortunately, no one has
>>>
>>> been hurt yet, but unless it can work out how to carry out the millions
>>>
>>> of dollars' worth of delicate repairs needed, some of the beautiful
>>>
>>> medieval infrastructure that makes Amsterdam such a popular destination
>>>
>>> could be lost.
>>> Amsterdam's day of reckoning shouldn't really have come as a surprise.
>>> The
>>>
>>> city's children grow up with a verse: "Amsterdam, die grote stad / Die
>>>
>>> is gebouwd op palen / Als die stad eens ommeviel / Wie zou dat dan
>>>
>>> betalen?
>>> Loosely translated: "Amsterdam, big city / It is built on piles / If the
>>> city would collapse / Who would pay for that?"
>>> The city is now collapsing -- and the Dutch are paying.
>>>
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>> http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/amsterdam-collapsing/index.html
>>>
>>>
>>> Andy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> — — — — — — — — — — —
>>>
>>>
>>> Andrew L. Russell, Ph.D.
>>> Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
>>> SUNY Polytechnic Institute
>>> Donovan Hall - 2123B
>>> 100 Seymour Road
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/100+Seymour+Road+Utica,+NY+13502?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> Utica, NY 13502
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/100+Seymour+Road+Utica,+NY+13502?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>
>>> The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted
>>> the Work That Matters Most <http://www.prh.com/innovationdelusion>
>>> Available Sept 8, 2020 | Pre-order now!
>>>
>>> t. 315-792-7317
>>> w. https://sunypoly.edu/
>>> e. arussell at arussell.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> *Paul Mignot | Founder & CEO | view my LinkedIN profile
>> <https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmignot>*
>> Atoomweg 7 | 3542 AA Utrecht | The Netherlands
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/Atoomweg+7+%7C+3542+AA+Utrecht+%7C+The+Netherlands?entry=gmail&source=g>
>> | tel: +31 6 26 414492 | paul at withthegrid.com
>> www.withthegrid.*com* <https://www.withthegrid.com/>| CoC: 66591880 |
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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