Province of West Flanders

The city region 't West-Vlaamse hart, consists of the city Roeselare and 8 surrounding municipalities. This has formed a typical urbanscape (stad-land-schap) with high spatial dynamics in open areas and less intensive dynamics in the centres - 60% of firms are situated outside industrial and business centres and 45% of the housing outside city centres.

Currently, regional governance on spatial planning for this typical urbanscape is non-existent. There are policy plans for urban development and for rural development, but until the founding of Stad-Land-schap there was no regional governance dealing with spatial quality in the urban, peri-urban and rural areas, with attention for the interaction/link between those areas of this urbanscape.

The founding of the Stad-Land-schap, the province and the 9 municipalities brings a unified approach to rural and urban areas. Stad-Land-schap partners want to bring this issue to a higher political level and to draw attention towards sustainable investment in urbanscapes with its city centres and fringes.

The project aims to:

Increase the overall spatial quality of the landscape in the urban area of the city Roeselare, in connection with the surrounding municipalities. This should lead to a better interaction and link between urban areas and countryside.

The municipalities, the province and several organisations will investigate how they can work together on enhancing the attractiveness, recreational potential and landscape nature of the region.

This will be done through:

• Creating a platform for cooperation and networking in Stad-Land-schap 't West-Vlaamse hart.
• Working out a green-blue recreational network.
• Reconversion of an old railway track into a safe, green cycle track.
• Implementing innovative green management techniques.
• Realisation of business plans on landscape, especially targeting farmers.
  
• Establishing a landscape and/or heritage warden service.
• Website and landscape journal.
  
• Improved access to green space.
  
• Forum for spatial quality.