Coding the Curbs

Smart Zones in Bucharest, Riga, and Groningen 🎥 We're excited to share the outcomes of our projects in Riga, Primăria Sectorului 6 Bucharest, and Gemeente Groningen, conducted under the EIT Urban Mobility Call for Innovation 2023. This video offers insights into 💡 our journey 💡 the city ambitions and 💡 highlights the positive changes achieved The lessons learned from launching in such distinct cities were invaluable, enabling us to scale and customize our platform to the specific needs of various users and cities. We're proud that each pilot got extended, paving the way for continued efforts in 2024. 🚚 🇪🇺   Watch our recap here: https://lnkd.in/exqpMyKr Thank you for the great collaboration to Lucian Veresciaghin, Jorn Wildering, Armands Jukums, Sjouke van der Vlugt, Antonia Necsulescu, and Catalin Constantin. Excellent camera work by George Liu PhD 🎬 Who is next to try out dynamic curbside spaces and improve city life? City of Amsterdam, Gemeente Utrecht, Gemeente Leiden, Gemeente Rotterdam, Gemeente Den Haag, Gemeente Maastricht, Gemeente Zwolle, Gemeente Eindhoven, Gemeente Almere, Gemeente 's-Hertogenbosch, Gemeente Tilburg, Gemeente Breda, Gemeente Nijmegen, Gemeente Apeldoorn, Gemeente Amersfoort, Gemeente Haarlem, Gemeente Arnhem, Gemeente Leeuwarden, Gemeente Dordrecht, Gemeente Middelburg, and Gemeente Hoorn. Coding the Curbs Jaap Tjebbes Iskandar Tange Fenja Beeke Günther Alwin Bakker Martijn Pater Delia Mitcan - Neagu

The holidays are here, the nights grow long, We gather in warmth where we belong. Gifts and laughter, hearts full of cheer, The day we've awaited is finally here! 🎊 Obviously, we are talking about…. ...drum roll please... 🥁 ...De Dag van de Vrachtwagenchauffeur (Truck Driver's Day)!!! 🚛 🎄 On Saturday, we salute and thank the hardworking drivers who keep our world moving. You brave all snow storms and weather conditions, travel before the sun rises and through the night, lifting heavy and precious packages. The festive season would not be the same without you: no present, no feast and sad kids.   You really are the backbone of logistics. We celebrate all your hard work! 🙏

Codam Talent Day! Yesterday, we attended Codam Coding College Talent Day— a match-making event designed to bridge the gap between students and tech companies. 🎓 💼 It was inspiring to experience Codam's innovative approach to education: NO teachers, NO college fees, NO qualifications required. Result: highly skilled and social students. Our software team (Jaap Tjebbes, Valentino Boerenstam, and Divya Shanmugasundaram) enjoyed the speed-dates with the students, sharing insights into coding, life in the tech industry, and career opportunities. 💻✨ A big thank you to Maarten Naaijkens, Sush G., and Victoria Ous for the invitation and organisation! We hope we could help providing the students a glimpse into the exciting world of coding for the public space. 🌍 P.S. Rumor has it... our software team will be opening up a new developer position soon! 👀 Stay tuned by following our page! Iskandar Tange Martijn Pater Alwin Bakker Fenja Günther James Veenhoff Joop Veenis

Loading zones for logistics is a global challenge and we see cities exploring diverse solutions. The “laad- en losplekken” (loading zones) are a familiar feature in the Netherlands. They’re designed to reduce congestion and streamline deliveries. But how do these compare with solutions elsewhere? In this week’s #CurbsideCompass, we take a closer look at Loading-Unloading Zones (LUZ), in Zapopan, Mexico. Camilo Mora (Tecnológico de Monterrey), Jan Fransoo 🟥 (Tilburg University), Josue Velazquez Martinez (MIT), Leopoldo Eduardo Cárdenas-Barrón (Tecnológico de Monterrey) and Rafael Escamilla (ASU) explored the impact of LUZs in a vibrant neighborhood of residential and commercial activities. Check here to access the full article: https://lnkd.in/ex5Y68mj. The findings are compelling: Having dedicated spaces for loading and unloading like the LUZs reduced CO2 emissions in the air by a significant amount during morning deliveries. Noise pollution is reduced by 14% and drivers save a significant amount of time. Using tools like QR codes and mobile apps, the study demonstrated how curb space optimization can reduce urban pollution and improve livability—benefits we aspire to as well in the Netherlands. The research also shows that users, logistical companies and drivers, are open to using digital tools. In contrast, the Netherlands still largely relies on static loading zones which have been proven not to be effective. There are only a few cities experimenting with dynamic tools like real-time reservations. This raises an important question: how can we scale innovative solutions to build more sustainable cities?

💡📚 #MEDCOLOURS suggested readings for a more resilient and sustainable #UrbanLogistics! ✨ 👉🏼 Can digitising the #curbside make #logistics loading and unloading more efficient? 📦 ❗ Logistics is vital for a thriving #CityEconomy. However, the management of urban logistics must urgently evolve as #congestion, #pollution and increasing pressure on #UrbanSpaces reach critical levels. ✅ One of the issues to be managed is certainly the space required for loading and unloading at the curbside, which often leads to chaotic and unsafe situations. Cities must manage scarce public space in a sustainable and efficient manner. For logistics, this requires a shift from the ‘first come, first served’ approach to a system of booked and guaranteed spaces and ‘pay-per-use’ models. 💡 The solution: in 2023, Coding the Curbs (an EIT Urban Mobility project 2023) implemented 3 #SmartZones together with the cities of #Bucharest (Romania), #Groningen (Netherlands), and #Riga (Latvia), marking the arrival of Europe’s first-ever bookable and multifunctional loading and unloading bays. 🎯 Through a custom-built booking application, logistics companies can now reserve curbside space in advance. This system ensures that goods are loaded and unloaded safely, without delays or unnecessary driving, reducing the risks posed by illegal parking and enhancing the sustainability of the #LogisticsChain. 🔍 Eager to discover all the lessons learnt and deepen this pioneering project? Visit https://lnkd.in/dJdNc_dv. ℹ️ #MEDCOLOURSproject involves 6 cities (Livorno, Cesena, Thessaloniki, Koper, Lisbon, and Lyon) in the implementation of 5 #PilotsActions and 6 #SustainableUrbanLogisticsPlans with the objective of upscaling towards a new generation of logistics and urban planning that allows the transition towards decarbonised and smart cities. 🌐 Find out more about our project: https://lnkd.in/dVt-PCmS

We agree transport is at the heart of our cities, and we’re seeing real progress—especially in logistics. Zero-emission zones are expanding, and supply chains are being optimized for efficiency and sustainability. 🌍 But let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. With climate targets still out of reach and the recent COP29 reminding us of the urgent need for action, it’s clear we have a long way to go. Let’s make sustainable transport the standard, not the exception, all year around. Happy World #TransportDay! 💪

🚛 Fact is: Delivery drivers in Seattle spend nearly 30 mins of their trip searching for legal parking. This problem doesn’t just affect them—it spills over into the entire city. Frustrated drivers double-park, blocking bike lanes, bus stops, and even intersections. It’s a recipe for road rage and endless honking that just adds to the city's stress.🤬 Our Smart Zones make sure there’s a spot available, creating smoother streets for everyone, not just delivery drivers. Imagine a Seattle where deliveries run as smoothly as coffee pours on a rainy day. Bike lanes stay open, buses aren’t delayed, and pedestrians can actually cross without dodging parked trucks. If you’re interested in bringing some calm to your city streets, send us a message! 🙌 [Source: CityMonitor, 2020] #UrbanMobility #StressFreeDeliveries

Three times introduced as a “logistics expert” in one week 🎤 Who would have thought? 1.5 years ago, at least I didn’t. As a strategic designer, I’m used to diving into new challenges, but this deep and this fast? That’s startup life! Big thanks to Coding the Curbs—and especially Iskandar Tange, Alwin Bakker, and Martijn Pater—trusting me with real responsibility from day one. It’s been a fast-paced learning curve, and last week, I saw where it brings you: 📚 Guest lecturing at MSC - Master in International Supply Chain Management, exploring how smart curbside logistics can create flexibility in cities. 💡 Organizing a session at MRA-platform Smart Mobility Congress on intelligent access as a crucial puzzle piece for future urban mobility systems. 🦒 Ruimte Safari with Gemeente Utrecht to showcase our trial setup as part of the Uitvoeringsprogramma Goederenvervoer 2023-2026. Big thanks to Stefan van Dorp MSc for being my co-presenter, and Ton Geuzendam, Ewoud Moolenburgh, Tarik Amrhar amhrar for the invite! And to anyone considering joining a startup: just go for it! 🚀

𝗠𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁.  And yes, the city is never finished. I see this as positive, do you know why? Great cities continue to grow and develop. They learn from the past and adapt for the future. Whether it's creating more space for cyclists, increasing the climate resilience or future proofing the quays and bridges. One space that has not changed but desperately needs an update are loading zones. It's clear that they don't work. On my way to a meeting with City of Amsterdam, I came across some of the issues. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸.  It could be a finishing touch for logistic unloading in the city. Wanna learn more? Let's connect! 💬 #last #mile #logistics #loading #curbside #management Coding the Curbs

A few confessions from a startup founder. The last few years have been exciting, and very demanding for team Coding the Curbs. A startup, created by The Future Mobility Network and Fronteer, solves inner-city logistic problems through digital loading zones. We launched officially in 2022, exactly two years ago. We are now active in eight countries, fifteen European cities, and counting. We developed an inhouse proprietary software and hardware platform and launched the world’s first digital landing zone. A success by some standards, but it has not been an easy ride. What have I learned over the past few years? - Product and technology development are straightforward - Talking to innovators en believers is no problem and is stimulating  - Finding paying customers in a B2G market is hard work - Keeping a startup afloat is a big job altogether With that knowledge Iskandar Tange and myself decided to take another plunge into the deep. Last week we visited Lisbon for WebSummit LLC 2024. Our goal was to find more and new customers and connect with investors, so we could realise our ultimate goal: > Being the global operating system for digital loading zones. We were lucky to talk to many interested cities who all shared a similar challenge: how to run logistics (vans, trucks, etcetera) like clockwork while cities become more congested and citizens demand a better space to live and work in. Through staring our core belief (loading zones don’t work currently) and introducing our phased digital solution we connected to new partners. We basically validated our core product/market fit. What did I take out from Websummit? - Like us, many (many!) startups struggle to find their niche (focus) and the specific customer profile who is willing to pay for that - A perfect pitch gets people within 5 seconds into the problem or vision that you have and makes them want to hear more - Technologically, anything is possible, especially when you believe in the AI promise (90% of the thousands of startups present sold a version of an AI-based solution) - Startups benefit most from talking to other startups and founders, because we all go and have gone through the same cycle of hope and despair Thank you to all the people we have met, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency mission, the cities we have talked to and to our team back in Amsterdam (best urban coders in the world) who make this all possible. Are you keen to work with us?  Please reach out and let’s connect. www.codingthecurbs.com #freethecity