AquaLens - About Us

Welcome to AquaLens

This platform was crafted by the AquaLens team in collaboration with the City of Amsterdam. AquaLens is a group composed of final-year students from the University of Amsterdam's BSc in Computational Social Science.

💧 Water quality challenges seem overwhelming, but individual action creates ripple effects of change.

The name 'AquaLens' reflects our belief in viewing water quality through the eyes of aquatic life.

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Our Foundation

📚 Research-Based

AquaLens extends research from "Integral Design Method Public Space", a publication exploring Amsterdam's urban transformation challenges in the face of climate change and resource scarcity.

The book introduces integral programming methods where public and private parties collaborate early to reserve subsurface space for essential systems while creating attractive public spaces above ground.

Discover three Dutch case studies that prove water quality action can be woven into daily life, creating impact while building community.

De Ceuvel

🌱 Circular Community

Imagine a fully circular community built on a former shipyard in Amsterdam's north. De Ceuvel isn't just sustainable, it's a living laboratory where every drop of water tells a story.

Helophyte filters naturally purify wastewater. Community pumps deliver crystal-clear drinking water from captured rainwater. Struvite reactors extract valuable nutrients from human waste, creating fertile soil.

Helophyte filters + rainwater harvesting + struvite reactors = closed-loop perfection

The café's produce grows in an aquaponic greenhouse where fish waste feeds plants, plants filter water, and fish thrive again. Compost toilets replaced sewers entirely due to soil pollution, turning constraint into innovation.

Find out more here.

Lake Lowlands

🎵 Festival Power

The Netherlands hosts over 1,100 festivals annually, one of the world's highest festival densities. Each event typically means water pollution. Lowlands Festival flipped the script.

Instead of resigned acceptance of pollution, preserving the lake became interactive entertainment. Festival-goers competed and collaborated, pedaling filtration bikes to maintain water clarity throughout the event.

Festival-goers became water warriors, competing to clean "Lake Lowlands" with custom filtration bikes.

This breakthrough contributed to critical research on smaller water bodies, often overlooked but equally important. Water quality management integrates seamlessly with recreation, not against it.

Find out more here.

De Grachtwacht

🛶 Canal Heroes

Every Sunday, volunteers unite to canoe through Leiden's historic canals, armed with nets and unshakeable determination. Anyone can join, from canal banks or in canoes.

They don't just clean; they investigate. De Grachtwacht traces pollution to its origins, making prevention possible. Their most fascinating finds are preserved for ongoing research, building knowledge that protects wildlife.

Tracking plastic sources + studying wildlife impact = systematic change.

Clean water becomes community building. De Grachtwacht creates civic pride that can't be replicated any other way. Protecting water connects people.

Find out more here.

Join the Movement

Water management isn't just for experts; it's for everyone. The public can contribute actively, passively, and everything in between. Your involvement matters more than you think.

Despite these innovations, the Netherlands has Europe's worst water quality. These initiatives are fighting to change that trajectory.

Ready for more inspiring projects? Connect with other like-minded individuals and discover how small actions create change.

Join the LinkedIn Group