EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Utilising long-term unemployed to improve neighbourhood image

Utilising long-term unemployed to improve neighbourhood image - Utrecht, the Netherlands

Introduction

The Noordwest Neighbourhood Service Team is a project that is aimed at improving the appearance of three neighbourhoods in the Utrecht Westflank district (Zuilen, Ondiep and Pijlsweerd), in which job seekers from the neighbourhoods are provided with work to improve the appearance of the neighbourhood. This is being done by carrying out additional maintenance work.

Description

The aim of the project is to improve the appearance of the neighbourhood and to offer job opportunities to a number of job seekers.

Approach

In the neighbourhoods Zuilen, Ondiep and Pijlsweerd (Westflank) a neighbourhood service team is being employed to carry out additional maintenance work, with the intention of improving the appearance of the neighbourhood. Both employers and inhabitants will benefit from the improvements. The neighbourhood service team will consist largely of job seekers from the three relevant neighbourhoods.

Results

There are a number of expected effects, namely:

the project will contribute to a cleaner urban environment;
the project will contribute to a reduction in criminality
in the three neighbourhoods;
the project can lead to stronger involvement of the
inhabitants of the neighbourhood;
the project will promote a better housing and
social environment and thereby attract more new businesses and inhabitants;
the project will to a limited extent contribute to a reduction in
long-term unemployment (4 additional (temporary)
jobs are being created).

Resources used

European subsidy: € 45.468
Total cost: € 115.607

EU involvement

This project has been partially funded with Objective 2 funds. Since 2000 nine cities have been eligible for the Objective 2 Urban Areas in the Netherlands programme, which forms part of the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) of the European Union. EFRD is one of the four Structural Funds of the European Commission. The programme helps cities to carry out projects that benefit disadvantaged areas.

In the Netherlands, total European Objective 2 subsidies concern 192 million euros. 4.25% of the Dutch population lives in the selected areas.

The European Commission prescribes that for every euro from the EFRD, a minimum of one euro must be contributed from the government. The cities must therefore add their own public or private funding to the European subsidy. The European programme is linked to the urban plans agreed within the context of the urban policy of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For this, the cities can make use of funds that have been allocated to them in the context of the national urban policy.

Contact info

Utrecht Westflank - local programme management
Phone: +31 30 2861603

Project start date

01/09/2000

Links

City of Utrecht

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Competitiveness