NEBA introduced to relevant ecosystem players in Geel

NEBA project aims to integrate the principles of beauty, sustainability, and togetherness into regional planning, focusing on climate adaptation. The core principles guiding this initiative include multi-level engagement, a participatory process involving citizens and stakeholders, and a transdisciplinary approach. Thus, the city of Geel organised the first local stakeholder meeting to introduce relevant ecosystem players to NEBA and its activities.

The city of Geel, as a project partner, focuses on the strategic vision for the "green veining" of the city, encompassing areas like residential arteries, the city centre, and the campus. The green veining project in Geel covers five sub-zones: green residential artery, green military vein, green city centre, green edge of care, and green campus lobe. Stakeholders in the first meeting in Geel raised questions about expanding the project’s scope to include other city projects and redeveloping the public domain.

Several key points were discussed during the meeting:

• Stakeholder Participation: There was a call for greater clarity in the role and expectations of stakeholders, emphasising the importance of participation to foster broad support.
• Integration with Other Projects: The City of Geel is involved in another Interreg project, MaaSolutions, focusing on innovative mobility, which could be integrated with NEBA. Mobility issues, especially in the city centre, might become a common focus for both projects.
• Policy Instruments: The spatial policy plan, rainwater and drought plan, and green-blue veining design were highlighted as crucial frameworks for NEBA. The group discussed leveraging these to create a cohesive vision.
• Long-term Vision and Short-term Gains: The challenge of aligning long-term visions with short-term goals was raised, and collaboration across legislative terms was proposed to maintain continuity.

The upcoming months will involve clarifying the project's scope, timeline, and relationship with other initiatives like MaaSolutions. The selection of stakeholders for future engagements will be determined once the scope is finalised.