Arcadis and Techstars join forces to dream up 'City of 2030'

Tomorrow’s cities will need to be more sustainable places, focused on meeting the needs of their residents as well as reducing the impacts they have on the environment. To support start-ups in the development the technologies of more holistic cities, consulting firm Arcadis has joined forces with entrepreneur network Techstars to launch the "City of 2030 Accelerator".

As a growing population, dwindling global resources and a changing climate lead to mounting problems facing the cities of the future, the metropolis of tomorrow will require new thinking to maximise quality of life for its inhabitants, and minimise its environmental footprint. The current focus of city planners in this regard is on a built environment, as with the celebrated HAUT project in Amsterdam, although that change will in part require entrepreneurs to develop innovations of their own, including everything from ‘green walls’ to reduce pollution and offer relaxation, to developing methods of reducing water use, improving mobility and supporting physical well-being.

As part of their support of a new generation of entrepreneurs that will work on the development of new, and the remodelling of old, cities, in light of key global risks and challenges – from water shortages to climate mitigation – entrepreneur network Techstars, and engineering and environment consulting firm Arcadis have joined forces. Arcadis is among the top five environmental consultancies in the UK, alongside RPS, WSP, AECOM, and Jacobs, a collective which presently lays claim to almost 30% of the market total.

Techstar’s new relationship with Arcadis aims at creating a host of mutually beneficial outcomes, by supporting start-ups as they bid to innovate the shape of future cities. The consultancy will support start-ups across the Techstars’ network, develop and roll out built environment innovations to clients, through the new accelerator programme named ‘Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars.’

Stephan Ritter, Arcadis Group Executive Innovation and Transformation, commented, "The relevance of our partnership with Techstars is significant for our industry. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a company in our space gets together with a market leading start-up accelerator to exponentially improve value creation for our clients. There is so much change happening around the world. We want to make sure we are at the very forefront, innovating outside-in and bringing to market some of the brightest and most innovative ideas to improve quality of life."

David Brown, founder and co-CEO of Techstars, added, "As the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, Techstars is proud to expand our European presence with a new mentorship-driven accelerator in Amsterdam. Through the partnership with Arcadis, entrepreneurs in the program will have access to Smart City experts who can help the start-up companies scale their businesses with an eye on the future of cities."

Late in 2017, Arcadis was also selected to lead a joint carbon emission reduction scheme of Chile and Canada. The built environment consulting firm is now leading the four-year project, which will include, among others, leveraging more than 500 scientists and environmental professionals working for the firm in the country.