Co-creating Breda's new park

Breda uses the old army barracks in the city centre as an opportunity to develop new urban areas. A few years ago for example, Breda has started with the redevelopment of the Gasthuisvelden (former bleaching meadows).

The Gasthuisvelden consist of various development locations bordering the historic centre of the city, which together comprise more than 16 hectares. A hitherto closed and gated area, guarded by sentries and security guards where you can enter by invitation only. The development of this area offers unique opportunities to add houses in a popular city and for the realisation of new green-blue areas. The new city park ‘Seeligpark’ will be located in the Gasthuisvelden in conjunction with the New Mark river, extending the course of the river Mark through the centre of Breda.

This new green area on a new stretch of river will make a major contribution to the cities ecological, recreational, health and climate-adaptive ambitions. The plans for this new park are drawn up in a process of co-creation: a planning process in which the municipality works closely together with the inhabitants of Breda.

It’s principals are:

- Involving people from all different scale levels; from local residents in the neighborhood to the residents and experts from the rest of Breda;
- Ensuring people stay engaged during the different phases of a five-year process;
- Looking for parties who are willing to invest, realise and manage;
- Ensuring that financial frameworks become part of transparent assessment; thus ensuring that everyone benefits from the development.

The process to realise this new part of the city will take about five years. The first phase of the development consists of jointly determining a vision of the ‘character’of the Seeligkwartier. The municipality has asked an external agency (Open Kaart) to direct the co-creation process in the form of an open dialogue. In this process, a broadly supported image of the future of this area should be created, whereby as many people from Breda as possible can contribute together to this beautiful new part of the city.

Watch this video to get a feel of how Breda's new park is being cocreated!

Written by Peter Jeucken from our partner city, Breda

Photos by Peter Jeucken and from gasthusivelden.nl