For decades, the Marineterrein used to be a military base that was closed off from the rest of the city. Due to budget cuts, the Ministry of Defence decided to gradually leave the Marineterrein in 2011 and return the territory to the city of Amsterdam. The Marineterrein has been undergoing area development since 2013, gradually opening to the public and business activity since 2015. In recent years, an important focus has been on weaving the area into the urban fabric of Amsterdam.
The Marineterrein now offers values to many different target groups, as more and more Amsterdam residents are finding their way there for recreation, sport, and business. I believe that the Marineterrein’s values of inclusiveness is the most important values, given that these core values of the city of Amsterdam and have been eroding in recent years.

However, exactly this value is under pressure due to the decision to turn the Marineterrein into an innovation district. An innovation district is a city area designed to bring together innovative companies, start ups, and knowledge institutions to stimulate innovation and economic growth. While the decision to convert the Marineterrein into an innovation district is well-founded given its history, research indicates that such districts tend to rapidly gentrify both economically and socio-culturally. The emergence of an incomprehensible monoculture, as innovative companies mainly attract the “knowledge class,” deters many other target groups and results in innovation districts becoming enclaves.

Citizens engagement might be the solution to maintain inclusiveness in the innovation district Marineterrein. By involving citizens a sense of ownership and affection can be stimulated. Collaboration and understanding of diverse perspectives are crucial for mutual tolerance and social cohesion. Within the context of the Marineterrein, a opportunity lays in involving citizens in “open innovation.” Open innovation is a participatory method of innovation. At the Marineterrein, the primary issue for involving citizens in open innovation the lack of effective communication interfaces between citizens and companies. Companies tend to operate behind closed doors, leaving citizens with no space to provide feedback or engage in a dialogue about innovation. The undesirable scenario of the Marineterrein drifting away from the rest of the city seems to become a reality. Therefore, the design goal of this project is to develop an interface that demystifies the innovative character of the district and stimulates citizens to engage in open innovation.

My.I.D. is a design concept that might be a first step to engage citizens in open innovation. Visitors can choose from eleven innovations routes to explore the innovative nature of the Marineterrein. Along the routes, visitors encounter inspiration points that tell stories of innovative projects or experiments that the companies are working. Visitors get the opportunity to not only listen to the story but share their own thoughts, concerns or wishes regarding the innovation. Besides they can listen to the responses of or visitors. The responses are shared with the companies for a better understanding of citizens’ opinions and ideas. This cross-pollination might lead to the emergence of new collaborations or synergies. In that way, My.I.D. aims to improve the mutual understanding and relationship between citizens and innovators.