EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Heerlen: District consultant stimulates neighbourhood economy

Heerlen: District consultant stimulates neighbourhood economy

Introduction

The municipality is appointing a district consultant who will actively search for (potential) small-scale entrepreneurs and support new and existing entrepreneurship. The neighbourhood consultant will operate from a so-called enterprise shop.

Problem

To stimulate small-scale enterprise in neighbourhoods with socio-economic and physical disadvantages.

Description

At this enterprise shop people from the disadvantaged neighbourhoods, who often have difficulty finding their way to the official services, can seek help with specific questions on entrepreneurship. In this way, procedures regarding starting a business can be made more understandable and more straightforward.

The project is a pilot for two of the six neighbourhoods. A neighbourhood consultant is being appointed, with the following tasks:

Strengthening and stimulating new entrepreneurship/starters.
Strengthening existing enterprises and improving the organisational abilities of the entrepreneurs.
Ensuring there are sufficient small-scale adaptable business units in the neighbourhood.

Approach

The spearheads within the Heerlen programme document are:

Innovative neighbourhood philosophy: links between policy levels (regional and local level) in the approach to problem areas.
Neighbourhood development programmes: promoting self-activation in the neighbourhoods.
Following on from and fitting in with the developments and innovation pilots from government.
Station district Centrum-Noord: station district is pilot point between the privileged and the under-privileged.
Working on self-awareness and improving one's image.

Results

The number of starter enterprises will increase.
Minimum of 100 new jobs.

EU involvement

URBAN II is an initiative of the European Commission. The aim is to support innovative projects in the field of urban regeneration in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The URBAN II projects will set an example for national urban policy. In the Netherlands, areas in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Heerlen have been allocated for the period 2000-2006. In Heerlen the URBAN II project involves six neighbourhoods with a total of 43,806 inhabitants, in the north and east of the city.

Financing

European subsidy: € 199.672
Total cost: € 453.800

Contact info

The local programme management, tel. +31 45 5604209

Project start date

01/01/2000

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment

Keywords

Urban economy