Lecture for http://3td.lv/index.php/en/par/3td/ Riga, 5 december 2012

1. How partnerships of local
governments and public libraries
foster sustainable development
(Kortrijk Region – Belgium)
5 December 2012, Riga, Latvia
Bart Noels
External Relations, Communication and eGovernment

2. Kortrijk Region
Part of the Eurometropolitan area of Lille
Amsterdam
London
Köln
Brussels
Lille
Paris

4. Leiedal
Inter-municipal Development Agency
• Established in 1960
• 13 municipalities of the Kortrijk region (inh. 320.000)
• service association for regional development:
• Extension of the associated municipalities
• Organizer of the inter-municipal co-operation
• Co-developer of regional projects
• Testground for new developments

5. activities
10 fields of activity:
1. Development of business parks
2. Development of housing
3. Revaluation and redesignation of ‘brown fields’
4. Local and regional economic development
5. Urban planning
6. Mobility
7. Development of environment and nature
8. e-Government (in many domains, including LLL)
9. Cross-border cooperation (eurometropolitan area Lille)
10. European and international cooperation

6. activities
Business Parks
• Project in development: Evolis

7. activities
Revaluation and redesignation :
• Revaluation of existing industrial areas:
canal Bossuit-Kortrijk
Urban Quays N391
- Site Vetex - Bekaert Steelcord
- Spinnerijkaai (Zwevegem)
- Site KTM/KTS
- Stoopsfabriek
Interfluvium
- Site Hanssens
(Knokke)
- Bekaert Textiles
(Moen)

8. Redevelopment
Inter-municipal development agency Leiedal
• Redevelopment of former industrial sites

9. activities
Urban Planning: big-size spatial projects
• Requalification of the Transfo power station in Zwevegem

10. activities
Urban Planning: big-size spatial projects
• Passage of the Leie (Kortrijk)

11. activities
Open-space policy, rural development
• Integrated regional vision for the Leie-valley

12. activities
Tourism and recreation: cycle network
• In collaboration with Flemish and provincial governments
Primary network: Secundary network:

13. activities
Inter-municipal cooperation
• Development of an inter-municipal association for
the management of a crematorium in the south-
west of the Province of West-Flanders
(°22/03/2005)

14. Building multi-
stakeholder partnerships
on e-government

15. E-Government
• Service-delivery of local authorities
• Regional ICT initiatives
• Let’s-do-it projects (on e-care, incident reporting,
child care, …)
• Training and education

16. E-Government
Solutions & platforms
• GIS
• Online communication
• Online transactions
Training & awareness
• E-participation
• E-government

17. Library automatisation

18. iAge Goals in the Kortrijk region
Two major goals:
1. Labour Market
2. Livelong living
Approach:
1.Looking at the whole picture (organisation, vision,
procedures, technology, training)
2.Linking together all required organisations
3.Bring in best practices from all over Europe and
translate to regional situation
4.Sustainable solutions

19. Smart Cities
Creating an innovation network between cities
and academic partners to develop and deliver
better e-services to citizens and businesses in
the North Sea Region.

20. Opening Up
Open and sociale ways to transform local
government

21. Building multi-
stakeholder partnerships
on e-inclusion

22. Case 1: De wwwereld is van iedereen
(2005-2006)
City of Kortrijk
- 4.000 citizens
- Free internet
- EU funding

23. Case 2: Local partnership on e-inclusion
(2006-…)
City of Kortrijk
- Inventory
- Publication
- Seminar
- Regular budget

24. Case 3: Regional partnership on e-
inclusion (2011-…)
Kortrijk region (13 municipalities)
• Inventory
• Partners: education, culture, social welfare,
local and regional authorities
• Targets: network, communication
/awareness, guidance, train the trainer

25. Building multi-
stakeholder partnerships
on culture and urban
planning

26. Kortrijk – Buda – island for creativity

27. Zwevegem - Transfo

28. New library Waregem as part of city
development

29. New library Waregem as part of city
development

30. Rethinking libraries
Registered lenders
Library visitors

31. Rethinking libraries
Transition – open process
Elements for the future:
- Why libraries? > empowerment
- How? > collection > connection
- How? > human capital (professionals and users)
- How? > location (a public place ‘where things are
possible’)
- How? > creating context and sense > have a role in
local society
- Condition: smart library (IT, knowledge, professionals)

32. Lessons
Map your network
Map experience and competences
Work together (subventions,…)
Added value needs to be recognised by
everyone involved
Work personalised: different needs of different
people >> personalised route map
Libraries: be there!