- Towards a stronger Interaction of Planning and Realization of strategic Projects in Flemish spatial Planning    515 kb by    Stalenhoef, Gerard & Geldof, Charlotte | gerard.stalenhoef@rwo.vlaanderen.be    Short Outline Implementing strategic projects in Flanders' planning practise is not only a theory. Flanders is more and more orienting its tools and means towards a professional coordination and implementation of strategic projects in an ever earlier stage. Abstract The spatial structure plan for Flanders (1997) identifies a series of planning processes that have to contribute to the realisation of the desired spatial structure for Flanders. The outcome of these processes consists in a social and political consensus over a spatial implementation plan (destination plan) in which strategic development areas have been pointed out and actions agreed. A destination plan, however, is only a step towards concrete change. The planning practice in Flanders learns that an extra incentive might be needed in order to keep actors interested in the effective project realisation. Today a growing consciousness is appearing on the fact that project realisation is to be taken into account in an ever more early earlier stage in planning processes. The Flemish government possesses since 2004 of a resolution on the subsidization of strategic projects that contribute to the implementation of the Flanders Structureplan. By this means the project coordination of innovative and catalyzing projects are subsidized: seven projects have already been acknowledged and subsidized by the Flemish government. Complementary to this, sector instruments are being used for the realization of strategic projects. This paper will overview recent investments of the town and country planning department of the Flemish government and show that achieving mutual commitment for the implementation of strategic projects is not only a theory. It will also show that Flanders is more and more orienting its tools and means towards the same goal: a professional coordination and implementation of strategic projects. Some cases will illustrate the statements. Keywords Instruments, tools, Flanders, Strategic projects, spatial planning Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2007: Urban Trialogues   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper