thousand jobs in the past two years (Dealroom report, 2019). which seeks to support initiatives stemming from the LGBTI Additional key findings include (Dealroom report, 2019): community effectively. It additionally focuses on LGBTI •Around sixty-nine thousand jobs have been identified at seniors, and healthcare institutions have been asked to be 1,600 Amsterdam-based tech companies; vigilant about equal access and treatment. The first same- •Young companies are driving growth; sex marriage in Amsterdam took place in 2001. It made the •The sector has overtaken the financial sector (forty-six city active in human rights on a global scale and gave it a thousand workers) and the hospitality sector (thirty-nine lighthouse role on these matters in Europe. thousand workers). • Empowering Women: Amsterdam isintensely engaged in empowering women. The Women’s Empowerment Foreign tech companies, including Uber and Amazon, have Memorandum 2015-2018 aimed to: provided up to thirty-two thousand jobs in Amsterdam 1. boost sexual resiliency among vulnerable girls; (Dealroom report, 2019). The report maps out the sector’s 2. enable women and girls to make their own choices; growth based on two years of analysis, showing an annual 3. ensure financial independence; growth rate of 12 percent (Dealroom report, 2019). By contrast, 4. promote female entrepreneurship. over the same period, the real-estate sector added four thousand jobs, and the financial sector added one thousand The city believes that empowerment is for everyone, and sexual (Dealroom report, 2019). Female startup founders are still harassment is now discussed at schools. too rare within the city, with only 12 percent of all startups in Amsterdam being set up by a woman. 5. Housing and energy 4.5 Welcoming of minorities In metropolitan areas, housing and energy are strongly linked to CO emissions, and they offer many opportunities for a city2 Amsterdam is known in Europe as a “hyper-diverse city.” to innovate and lead the transition to a carbon-free world. In It is home to over 180 different nationalities, and around 45 2020, Amsterdam was experimenting with different energy- percent of its population belongs to an ethnic minority (City production sources. For example, solid waste was burned to of Amsterdam Website, 2020). The City Council’s strategy produce energy within the city (public lighting) and also steam focuses on inclusion rather than on diversity (City of Amsterdam for household central heating. A better use of waste starts to Website, 2020). The City Council believes that ensuring all create a circular economy. Between 2013 and 2020, the City citizens can participate and be heard in the city will create a Council increased the number of homes connected to district more vital dynamic for city growth. heating from sixty-two thousand to 102,000, and it provided eight million euros to subsidize retrofits of around a thousand Therefore, to ensure inclusion at all levels, the City Council apartments so that they meet net-zero energy standards (City implemented the Multi-Year Policy Plan for Social Issues 2015- of Amsterdam Website, 2020). 2018, which focused on: 5.1 Amsterdam’s energy objectives •Shared History: This focus aims to foster mutual understanding between all residents. Indeed, the program Since Amsterdam’s energy mix is very similar to the Dutch energy is designed to show that Amsterdam’s story is made up of mix, we will adopt a national perspective here. Perceptions of the the contribution of every single Amsterdammer’s history; Dutch energy situation vary widely. Many believe the Netherlands • Antidiscrimination: The bedrock of Amsterdam’s is outperforming other nations in this area, while various antidiscrimination efforts is the antidiscrimination reports state that the country is lagging far behind.8 According policy that the city established for the 2015-2018 period. to the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), approximately This specific policy states the critical focus of teaching 90 percent of the Netherlands’ energy-consumption mix tolerance in schools. Another aim is to prevent and corresponds to fossil fuels. A little over 40 percent of it is natural combat discrimination and reduce violence in the city. A gas; just under 40 percent is oil, and around 10 percent is coal. complementary plan established by the city is called Diverse The remaining 10 percent corresponds to other energy sources Talent: It Works!. It aims to demonstrate the importance of that include renewable energy, nuclear energy, waste, and net diversity in companies; electricity imports (CBS, 2019). LGBTI Rights:7Amsterdam has established the Pink Agenda, • (7) LGBTI: abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex. (8) Deloitte (2015). European energy market reform – Country profile: The Netherlands. International Energy Agency (2020). The Netherlands 2020 - Energy Policy Review – IEA Country report — September 2020 (accessed on 13 July 2021). 70 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021