The VISP project focuses on a) the global processes of urban and economic change that are creating new challenges for all cities and towns, and b) future EU spatial policy responses that are looking to promote polycentric urban development as a means of achieving balanced and sustainable futures.

The aim of VISP is to develop a new trans-national planning strategy, new methods and new ways of working for the creation of attractive and competitive physical, social, economic and environmental areas in the periphery of large cities in the North Sea Region through combi-ning social, economical and environmental vitalization within spatial planning and by building on life-long learning, networking and complementarities and increased citizens? involvement.

Expected Outcomes

The intended outcomes include increased citizens participation, a state of art description after benchmarking of partners situation with information and one-stop shop officers, on-line opinion pole and evaluation reports, transnational cross-sectoral field studies and reports a VISP-manual, dissemination by means of an innovative interactive network portal, newsletters, leaflets, a dialogue with ESPON, and evaluation through transnational benchmarks, a synthesis report, a set of standardized baselines and progress measures and a current identification scheme of transnational and transferable experiences.

Activities

VISP partners have chosen to focus on four key actors: people, places, environment and democracy and therefore activities will be implemented in four thematic areas and with four key tools: i) Integration (physical, social, economic and environmental; integrated pilots with new approach, and a new integrated spatial planning strategy); ii) life-long learning (VISP specifically addresses the role that multi-functional learning centres and ICT can play in creating new ?public realms? being inherently trans-national e.g. distance learning); iii) networking: The project is based on increased trans-national co-operation and comple-mentarities between the partners, not only for present performance but also creating the foundations for future co-operation, identifying opportunities and fostering awareness; iv) increasing citizens? participation in spatial planning and enhancing democracy, good governance and transparency (with focus on young people, un-employed, women and immigrants).

Reported Outcomes

VISP takes a transnational approach to developing better cities. The project has helped empower local communities in their fight against economic decline and depopulation: more attractive and competitive cities in a transnational environment where the cities have been able to further develop their capacities and be more pro-active with regards to their own future city development con-cepts and strategies. Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Norway and Belgium participate in this project. The project is centred on six transnational co-operation fields: forecasting and city modelling, life-long learning, citizens participation, networking, project management, and dissemination. VISP has triggered some follow-on activities underlining the self-sustaining character of the partnership. The European Design Cities Network is an example of a spin-off from the VISP project. The project partners from Kortrijk, Mölndal, Göteborg, Lathi and Eindhoven have submitted a Sixth Framework application, aiming at establishing a knowledge platform in urban design management. This also serves as a model for linking valuable transnational INTERREG ex-periences with other European programmes. The network portal, which was demonstrated during the Article 4 visit, appears to aid the efficient and effective management of the project. Promoting urban regeneration and revitalisation: The project has jointly developed a method to integrate social, economic and environmental development and revitalisation into a common sustainability strategy. The method has been tested in various project partner regions in order to create more attractive and competitive cities. Linked to this, the VISP partnership has developed a business plan for the expansion of trading links between the partners. This enables the regions to build on their individual strengths and at the same time profit from complementing functions. This again directly contributes to increasing the cities? attractiveness for investments and living. Facilitating Co-operation: VISP has created a virtual multi-functional meeting place and opportunities for common life-long learning for the participating cities. These tools serve the project as integrated project communication system to strengthen the transnational learning dimension and process management of the project. This shows that social capital is built through the project and knowledge is gained on how to manage complex transnational partnerships and govern new institutional structures. In conclusion: VISP has provided significant added value to the partners involved in the project and also to those benefiting from its results and findings. Joint meetings and co-operation have enabled the transfer of good practice between the project partners. Partners have been able to jointly develop solutions; exchange ideas; present jointly elaborated results; and consequently formulate common objectives in developing sustainable, attractive and competitive cities in each of the partner regions. VISP has also managed to jointly develop a spin-off project, with a potentially significant impact.