{"id":204885,"date":"2025-07-15T17:26:38","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T17:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=204885"},"modified":"2025-07-15T17:26:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T17:26:38","slug":"utrecht-the-netherlands-on-its-way-to-becoming-a-smart-city-a-walk-reveals-everyday-surveillance-and-what-other-cities-could-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/utrecht-the-netherlands-on-its-way-to-becoming-a-smart-city-a-walk-reveals-everyday-surveillance-and-what-other-cities-could-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Utrecht, the Netherlands, on its way to becoming a smart city \u2013 A walk reveals everyday surveillance and what other cities could expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article is based on the detailed article \u201cA city tour through the shadows of Utrecht<\/em><\/a>\u201dfrom the independent weekly newspaper De Andere Krant,<\/em> published on July 1, 2025. It describes an unusual city tour \u2013 the so-called \u201c10-minute walk<\/em>\u201d \u2013 in which initiators such as Robbert Recourt, Dirk Plat, and Rens van den Bulck guide visitors through Utrecht’s digitalization.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At key points, topics such as camera surveillance, 5G masts, ANPR systems, urban surveillance, and the architecture of the station square are critically reflected upon. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the ambivalence between the sustainable ideal of a smart city and the gradual restriction of freedom of movement and privacy.<\/p>\n

Utrecht: A walk through the smart prison \u2013 criticism of the technocratic \u201c10-minute city\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Utrecht presents itself as a pioneer of the urban future \u2013 as a \u201c10-minute city<\/em>\u201d and a \u201csmart city<\/em>.\u201d But behind the supposedly sustainable ideal of a city where all necessities are within walking distance, critical citizens are discovering another face: that of a creeping surveillance and control structure. An unusual city tour through Utrecht aims to make precisely this visible \u2013 with humour, costumes, and puppets, but also with clear words and data.<\/p>\n

Organized by Robbert Recourt, Dirk Plat, and Rens van den Bulck, the so-called \u201c10-minute walk<\/em>\u201d led around 40 participants past key points of digital control \u2013 from cameras with QR codes and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) systems to 5G transmission towers and an unmanned police station. The aim was to raise awareness of a development that many perceive as an \u201copen-air prison<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The walk was not only analytical but also creative: Recourt appeared as a fictional PTT postman, and researcher Maartje van den Berg interacted with a talking hand puppet \u2013 a crow. Playfully yet critically, they demonstrated how the city is becoming a data-driven, controlled space in which freedom of movement is increasingly restricted and every action is potentially recorded.<\/p>\n

Particularly striking: the evidence of the almost invisible radiation exposure from 5G. Artist Frank Zweers, founder of 5Gisnietoke.nl<\/em>, presented measurement results that, according to him, far exceed acceptable levels for health. Co-initiator Lizzy Weeber warned of potential risks such as insomnia, headaches, and even cancer \u2013 citing a database from the University of Aachen containing tens of thousands of studies, two-thirds of which allegedly indicate health risks. According to Zweers, studies funded by industry have produced significantly more benign results.<\/p>\n

The heart of the surveillance is the station square: cameras, sensors, transmission towers \u2013 and a new digital police station without real officers. An innovation borrowed directly from Dubai. The architecture of the station itself \u2013 bare, forbidding, hostile \u2013 becomes a symbol of alienation. Benches are missing or unusable, the greenery disappears \u2013 social warmth gives way to the logic of technocratic efficiency.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the group encounters a so-called \u201crestricted zone<\/em>\u201d: a street where only certain vehicles with a permit are allowed. The rest are recorded and excluded by cameras. The idea of living in an open city begins to crumble. Participants report how they increasingly feel like they are being \u201cpersecuted<\/em>\u201d \u2013 not by people, but by systems.<\/p>\n

Despite the serious subject matter, the walk ends on a terrace, in conversation with people who share similar points of view. It’s more than just reasoning \u2013 it’s an attempt to preserve humanity and creativity in an increasingly dehumanized environment. Robbert Recourt sums it up: \u201cWe live in a theatre. So let’s make something creative out of it. Not forced inclusivity, but genuine expression. That’s what makes us human<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will there be a sequel? That depends on the response \u2013 but demand seems to be there. What remains is the feeling: This city tour was also a glimpse into the future of many European cities \u2013 and a wake-up call.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

yogaesoteric
\nJuly 15, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following article is based on the detailed article \u201cA city tour through the shadows of Utrecht\u201dfrom the independent weekly newspaper De Andere Krant, published on July 1, 2025. It describes an unusual city tour \u2013 the so-called \u201c10-minute walk\u201d \u2013 in which initiators such as Robbert Recourt, Dirk Plat, and Rens van den Bulck […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1093],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-censored-news-social-5127-en-censored-sensational-news-3480-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204890,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204885\/revisions\/204890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}