Integrated neighbourhood development
The city is opting for social and environmental development of these areas. In practice this involves the creation of a park in Antwerp North, the recreation of the Falcon square, an integrated neighbourhood development of the Atheneum district and a leverage project on the Kievit square. In addition to investments there is also room for reinforcing the social fabric in these neighbourhoods by way of recruiting and participation-promoting projects and activities.

Social cohesion
Various projects should contribute to a better quality of life in a number of so-called hotspot neighbourhoods in the city with consideration for specific target groups as the homeless, senior citizens, foreigners and the underprivileged or people in another problematic situation such as drug users and young people at risk. An integrated approach must also increase safety in these neighbourhoods. Examples are the Buurt aan de Beurt [Neighbourhood First] Project that sets up and supports projects for promoting a clean, pleasant and safe city, a project for entertainment on the square and an activation project in which hard-core drug users are involved in initiatives for the benefit of the neighbourhood and the environment. There are also various neighbourhood mediation, assistance or prevention and integration projects.

Improving health situation
The city wishes to extend a guidance and care offer to two specific target groups, particularly prostitutes and underprivileged residents in the neighbourhood with specific medical problems. For the first group, the project aims at accessible health care, the second group will receive specific assistance following discharge from hospital.

High quality accommodation
Enforced residential inspections and motivating measures (renovating premiums) are two elements in the fight against abandoned and decaying properties.

The 2005-2007 multi-year programme is initially aimed at consolidating four neighbourhoods in the area of social and environmental development: Schipperskwartier, the Atheneum district, the railway yard and around the railway station/Kievit square. These are all densely populated neighbourhoods with several foreigners and people living alone, high unemployment and low education.

Attention is paid to specific target groups within these focus areas depending on the objective and the project.

An evaluation of the program will be made by the end of its duration.  

Funds from the Federal Urban Policy will be used in the neighbourhoods that score high on the Antwerp Databank for the Social Planning underprivileged index. Just like other city development funds such as the City Fund, the City Renewal Fund and the European Objective 2 and Urban II programmes, the Federal Urban Policy is also included in a global urban policy plan.
All the funds are managed by Autonoom Gemeentebedrijf Vespa. AG Vespa is also responsible for managing and evaluating the city’s real estate, carrying out the slum policy and supervising city projects based on public-private cooperation. Specialist organizations, residents’ groups and neighbourhood residents as well as the various city services and non-profit organizations are some of its partners.

The city also incorporates various transversal focus points into the multi-year programme. These are elements that recur throughout the various projects. The city thus aims specifically at participation, sustainable development, interculturalism and diversity.
The total subsidy for the multi-year policy amounts to EUR 30,900,440.

AG VESPA
55 Generaal Lemanstraat
2018 Antwerp
Belgium
http://www.agvespa.be
Mr. Jos Goossens (Administrative Coordinator:), tel. 03 259 28 59

//2005

case

Urban Policy