LOFT

Is it possible to stimulate sustainability by rewarding desirable behaviour in residents with digital currency? This question, initiated by TJIP Innovation Lab, forms the basis for an experiment in cooperation with SamenDoen at The Green Village.

TJIP, The Platform Engineers, sees various chances in the built environment to expand on social cohesion and interaction, make houses more sustainable and create awareness regarding living opportunities. For this reason the Delft-based company, together with SamenDoen at The Green Village, is going to research how digitalisation can play a part in the housing market which is becoming increasingly more sustainable.

With a test setup, the experiment will assess if a new application can have a positive impact on the energy usage by residents. Their behaviour will be rewarded with a digital currency, which can be spent on local entrepreneurs. By doing so, this system contributes to the local economy and assists residents in their daily lives. The goal is to strengthen neighbourhoods by involving more people in clubs with an important social function, such as schools, housing corporations, municipalities and health institutions.

Haverkamp: “The components reward residents when they demonstrate ‘positive’ behaviour and prepare them for the energy transition. By testing and demonstrating this concept with the residents of The Green Village in an early stage, we can monitor the usability of the solution to validate the business case. By combining our expertise we hope to create a service that can really make a difference.”

A lot of innovations come across countless barriers during their upscaling process, including in the field of rules and regulations. Haverkamp: “By identifying and solving these bottlenecks early on, we can speed up that process. A lot of projects at The Green Village share these same questions. By cooperating we can more explicitly put the effort in to eliminate these types of barriers.”

According to Haverkamp, various innovative suppliers from the financial sector, corporations and municipalities have already expressed their interest in this project. These parties would gladly join and assist in the next steps. Besides exploiting the unique test facilities that The Green Village has to offer, TJIP is also aiming to build a bridge to science and work together with a network of professors and lecturers to reach new sustainable insights and innovations.

© Roel Dijkstra Photography