Amsterdam IJ is a busy waterway, attracting diverse users, from pleasure boats to commercial barges. However, the increasing shared use of the river can pose safety and accessibility issues if not managed effectively by authorities and users. Collaborative measures are needed to maximise societal value and ensure safe and responsible use.
Key Challenge
How can we make the IJ-area, with its diverse, growing and changing population, a safe, sustainable and economic viable shared space?
Realised Experiments
- Pink signs have been placed at the entrances to the IJ to encourage people to take safer alternative routes through the city centre
- A prototype navigation app has been developed that could be helpful for events such as SAIL 2025
- Together with students a serious game has been created that introduces the rules and risky events at the IJ
- A co-creation program with Waag Futurelab has been created involving recreational skippers in developing new communication concepts on the water
Latest News
Find out more about the pilot area in our latest Project News.
What is your objective within Connected River?
The IJ is a busy waterway connecting the port of Amsterdam with Belgium and Germany, yearly about 100,000 barges are passing. It is also at the heart of the city.
The project partner Rijkswaterstaat starts with the first experiment in the pilot area IJ Amsterdam. Their aim is to find out whether they can influence recreational boaters to choose a different route by using signs with a positive message and to make the waterways safer.
In July, the Amsterdam IJ pilot team came together for a Design Sprint-workshop at the innovative Marineterrein in the citycentre of Amsterdam.
In the inspiring IJzaal of the Tolhuis Tuin overlooking the Amsterdam IJ on March 28th, the Interreg project Connected River kicked-off a 3-day event with a 10-minute count down and a loud sounding ship’s horn.