Urban energy systems are the key elements of combating the climate crisis as the energy transition is crucial to curb greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, one of the main drivers of climate change. As such, there is a great effort in Amsterdam to phase out natural gas use by 2040, and to become carbon neutral by 2050. It is a great challenge since the existing centralised energy systems are specifically built on the transportation and use of large amounts of fossil fuels while renewable energy has many limitations due to the volatility of its sources, lack of capacity for energy load and storage. Yet, since renewable energy sources are locally available everywhere, the establishment of decentralised renewable energy infrastructures based on local sources can help overcome these limitations. On this basis, this research explores the possibility of developing such systems through a case study in the historic centre of Amsterdam where many local challenges like urban monumentality pose risks for the energy transition. The research is structured around the use of Smart Urban Isle approach as a methodological tool to reveal local potentials for energy reduction, reuse and production, and to design energy concepts based on these potentials to reduce the reliance on external energy input. The results of the case study show that it is possible to cover the heat and cold demand with local sources and to cut almost half of the external energy input into the site without bringing any significant pressure onto the power grid. This outcome is highly promising as it proves that such local interventions can make great contributions to the energy transition process by significantly reducing the tension on the regional and national energy systems for the replacement of fossil fuels. As for the field of architecture and urban planning, the results implicate that the bioclimatic design principles, mixed-use of buildings and urban spaces, and small-scale and decentralised urban infrastructures based on the circular economy and self-sufficiency principles are crucial to achieve higher energy efficiencies and more local energy inputs.

Over the last decade, summer recreation in urban green-blue open spaces has become increasingly popular in Amsterdam, but so has the amount of reported nuisance because of summer recreation. In this thesis, the nuisance that has been reported by citizens during the summer recreation season from 2020 has been analysed by coding the reports in Atlas.TI, and using a survey from the Muncipality of Amsterdam as a verification. There are two locations where large amounts of nuisance reports have been filed, the Bogortuin and Park Somerlust, and several smaller locations with quay walls in the Oostelijk Havengebied and on the Amstel river. The content on the individual nuisance experience in the reports has been separated in observations, providing the nuisance causes, and evaluations, providing the nuisance impact. Recreation in it self is not problematic per se, but the presence of large groups of youngsters and recreation during the evening hours and at night is. This impacts local residents because of noise nuisance, especially at night, and pollution of waste and public urination. The character of summer recreation nuisance can be classified as both physical and social nuisance that is experienced during the evening hours, on weekend days and when it’s dry and warm. Implemented interventions have been evaluated and together with proposed interventions been analysed with the prevention pyramid. The measures that deal with the physical nuisance, temporary public toilets and an increase of waste capacity are in general reviewed positively. One successful intervention on social nuisance is the anchoring ban with a buoy line in the water to prevent noise nuisance from boats. None of the measures has been designed in an integrated way, using all the levels of the pyramid.