Wondering About Our Region?
This target area concides with the Arrondissement of Mechelen (NUTS code BE212), situated in the province of Antwerp, Belgium. The area boasts a population of nearly 300,000 residents, accommodates 140,000 jobs, and educates over 60,000 pupils, students, and learners, with projections indicating further growth. The pilot area comprises 10 municipalities with a total surface of 390 km². The region extends predominantly from east to west, intersected by north-south traffic infrastructures such as railways, canals, and highways between Brussels and Antwerp. Despite the presence of significant attraction centres, there's notable internal mobility towards Mechelen and various other hubs, catering to healthcare, recreation, shopping, work, schools, institutions, culture, and more.
What's Our Purpose?
The mission of IGEMO is the sustainable development of our region. IGEMO is closely connected to the local authorities and different relevant stakeholders for the project in this area. For this project our relevant activities include :
- Deliver services, e.g., in enforcement of environmental and building codes
- Develop housing projects and business parks
- Run projects on climate plans, together with local stakeholder groups
- Have experience in sustainable mobility projects (e.g. shared cars), and in greening of municipal vehicle fleets
- Staff publicly accessible service counters in several municipalities, where we provide information on housing and energy
- Execute house visits to advise inhabitants on energetic renovation of homes
- Organise consultations with the general public (particularly in spatial planning)
- Are involved in the regional mobility council, where we have recently supported local authorities in drafting a mobility plan for the region, which includes work on target groups
All of these activities have a strong link to mobility and target groups. We always aim to put sustainability at the heart of our services and projects.
What do we want to achieve within the project?
Throughout the Interreg project MOVE (2018-2022), in which we successfully executed pilots introducing an on-demand bus service and car-sharing initiatives. A pivotal takeaway from our endeavours is the heightened awareness among policymakers and mobility professionals regarding the challenges, risks, and potential solutions concerning sustainable mobility. However, a noteworthy observation is the general public's resistance to change, and the undeniable social status attributed to private cars.
Therefore, our general objectives within the project is to assist inhabitants of the taget area in establishing sustainable mobility behaviour by addressing their needs in terms of:
- Knowledge and skills (e.g., regarding options, usage, costs, taxation)
- Breaking habits (e.g., due to relocation, new workplace or school, and road works)
- Motivation (e.g., financial incentives, time savings, convenience, reduced stress)
- Perception (e.g., trust in services and safety, status, sustainability)
- Opportunity (e.g., availability of transportation services, accessibility, quality bike storage).
Do you want to stay in touch?
Our website: https://igemo.be/
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IGEMO.intercommunale/?locale=nl_BE
Or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igemo