"Arnhem is a town with two faces”, Esther Ruiten states, an advisor to the town council on economic development. “On the one hand we have some very privileged areas and business sectors that are experiencing full growth, such as renewable energies and the design industry; on the other, there are areas facing major social problems which do not benefit from this dynamism." Located on the outskirts of Arnhem town centre, the Klarendal area (7,418 inhabitants) belongs to the latter category. Since January 2008, the town has been developing its Local Action Plan in conjunction with the URBAMECO project."Arnhem is a town with two faces”, Esther Ruiten states, an advisor to the town council on economic development. “On the one hand we have some very privileged areas and business sectors that are experiencing full growth, such as renewable energies and the design industry; on the other, there are areas facing major social problems which do not benefit from this dynamism." Located on the outskirts of Arnhem town centre, the Klarendal area (7,418 inhabitants) belongs to the latter category. Since January 2008, the town has been developing its Local Action Plan in conjunction with the URBAMECO project.

Fashion as a factor for social diversity and revitalisation

Twenty workshops, outlets and homes for designers opened in May 2008 in Klarendal. Twenty more will complete the programme between now and early 2010. A central building houses a restaurant and a café, which add to the appeal of this new commercial area.

The next phase aims to break down barriers between Klarendal and the town centre by renovating the public spaces around its two main access roads. Furthermore, the project is planned to be extended to the neighbouring districts of Sint Marten and Spoorhoek, which were involved in the Local Support Group.

"Local people support the development of the Fashion Quarter”, continues Chris Zeevenhooven. “They probably won't have the money to buy anything in the designer shops, but they see that this energy is a way of transforming their area, opening it up to the rest of the town."

The URBAMECO partner towns and cities run projects that focus on revitalising the economic tissue in the area with the goal of achieving durable improvement.

The Arnhem team decided to pursue an integrated urban development programme launched in 2005 by the town council: the creation of a Fashion Quarter. With its ArtEz Academy of Arts campus, Arnhem is now home to one of the most important fashion production and design schools in the world. The initial aim of the project was to renovate the premises and build workshops, outlets and housing for recently qualified young entrepreneurs.

The Arnhem social housing authority, Volkshuisvesting, which manages 90% of the Klarendal housing stock, pledged to contribute a share of the investment required.

An URBACT Local Support Group (LSG) was then created to find the additional finances and to incite young designers to move into Klarendal. It prepared a Local Action Plan as a detailed road map with 17 precise goals assigned to one or several LSG members.

"URBAMECO gave a real injection boost to the Fashion Quarter project," explains Chris Zeevenhooven, Head of the Klarendal district in the Arnhem town council. “The fact that we hold status reviews 6 or 7 times a year means that the different players with sometimes quite divergent goals can build up a common ambition for the area."

Validated before summer 2008, the Local Action Plan has achieved some significant steps. The network of fashion sector entrepreneurs has been consolidated, by strengthening existing professional associations (new members have joined) and organising regular meetings. A new association to promote entrepreneurial activity has also been formed.

The Local Support Group developed training and coaching programmes to stimulate the creation of new companies.

The Arnhem social housing authority Volkhuisvesting invested 25 million Euros to finance new infrastructures and improve spaces for public use. When Gelderland Province, the Management Authority for the URBAMECO project, joined the partnership, they were able to obtain European funds from the ERDF. Arnhem also benefited from a 3.3 million Euro investment from a programme to promote the attractiveness of Dutch towns, as approved by the European Commission in July 2007.

Finally, regular surveys are run by the LSG in parallel among the entrepreneurs on the ground, in order to reduce insecurity in the area.

01/01/2007

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Urban Policy