BIDs in Belgium

BIDs in Belgium are a fairly new concept in Belgium, so here is some new of Gent, being our ‘best practice’ BIDs in Belgium.

Gent – Puur Gent

We followed Puur Gent, since it started and have seen how the BIDs have influenced everything from the aesthetics of the City Centre, to the local campaigns. The City invested within the BIDs structure and we’ve seen this initial investment grow year by year.

Puur Gent is a member of BIDs Belgium and we’re proud to have Bart Ingelbrecht, the BIDs Co-ordinator, in our BIDs Committee.

It’s been a showcase for some of our European neighbours, such as Silkeborg Municipality, who visited Gent earlier in 2017.

The below was via our our Facebook post from Summer.  Check out the photos via our Facebook post from July 4th 2017.

“We welcomed our Danish delegation, from Silkeborg Municipality and our EU contact from Central Denmark to visit Gent, Kortrijk and Koekelberg! Here in Belgium to talk/learn about the benefits of creating Business Improvement Districts, with social innovation and civic engagement, from a top-down/bottom-up approach and presenting the local and national strategy.

Finding solutions together for socio/economic regeneration, by sharing, collaborating and connecting. BIDs Belgium arranged visits to Ghent, Kortrijk and here in our own home Commune in Koekelberg/Brussels. Super interactive discussions re the challenges and immense creativity and passion that civic society creates through collaboration with the public sector, through community driven projects, here in our commune!

Aiming to create synergies with public administration, private sector and civic society and share with other countries/ cities! It’s been nearly a year since we first shared our vision at the Business Club Koekelberg, in September and one and half years since the BIDs first event we planned on March 22nd 2016 in the centre of Brussels, that didn’t go ahead due to the attacks. We continued in April.. Now we will implement some of the projects we have been developing in September/October and keep building on the relationships. The work continues!”