Challenges

Vibrant city squares – CLOSED

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

 

Background:

In the municipalities of Lelystad, Zaanstad and Purmerend, the shared Challenge is how to make public spaces in their town centers more vibrant. The centre should be a place that people enjoy visiting. With ‘vibrant’, we mean that the centre should radiate liveliness: people should take pleasure in going there and want to return again and again. This leads to a lively ambiance in the squares and streets, which in turn attracts more visitors. During the day there already is a pleasant hustle and bustle in the city centres, but after the shops have closed, especially in the darker months, the streets become a lot quieter.The municipalities are looking for an innovative Solution to this problem. In concrete terms, this means that there is a need to attract people to specific locations and to ensure that they keep coming back. In Lelystad, we are targeting the Stadhuisstraat and the Zilverparkweg (a); in Zaandam, the city centre (b); and in Purmerend, the Koemarkt (c).

 

The Challenge:

Find an innovative way to make the city streets and squares named above more vibrant.

 

Criteria:

  • the Solution must be suitable both for visitors and for residents (including younger residents), although this can differ per location;
  • the Solution must be adaptable tothe specific needs of each municipality.
  • it would be an advantage if the Solution involved local businesses;
  • it would be an advantage if the Solution allowed for input from residents;

 

Issued by: the municipalities of Zaanstad, Lelystad and Purmerend.