The Kortrijk Community |
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| Venning neighbourhood. |
 View the whole picture |
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The city |
| Kortrijk
is located in the Flemish province West Flanders. The wider
municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and 7 surrounding
towns with 74,700 inhabitants and is as such the 7th largest city in
the Flemish region. Together with the north of France (Lille) it
belongs to the French-Belgian metropolitan area, containing almost
1,900,000 inhabitants. The city is situated on the River Lys, 42 km
southwest of Ghent and 25 km northeast of Lille in France. Kortrijk is
a city with a historical patrimony; it counts about 200 protected
monuments, two of which have a world-heritage title. |
Conditions of the buildings
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A
large number of the housing units in the city of Kortrijk date from
before 1960. They are not adjusted to the actual living and higher
energy standards. For the council of Kortrijk, in its striving for
innovation in general and qualitative living for its citizens, it is
not only important to dispose of new low-energy dwellings as inspiring
examples, but also to lift up the existing dwellings to a higher level.
This is
especially important for the low-income people for whom the living
costs weigh most in terms of percentage. Even though they can rent a
social house for a social, income-related renting price, the other
living costs (energy, transport, etc.) take a big part in their living
budget. |
Affordable houses
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| The
social housing association 'Goedkope Woning' (HOUSE-BE) currently owns
1,427 social houses and apartments; in this way, 1,427 families find an
affordable place to live in Kortrijk. HOUSE-BE is planning to expand
the building stock by 100 or more living places in the next two years
and is in negotiation for more projects in the future. |
Social neighbourhoods
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existing social neighbourhoods were at the time built as separate
entities. The well-meant 'social character' (affordable renting houses
for the low-income people) has - in people's perceptions - evolved
towards bearing the hallmark of 'social ghettos'. The renovation and
the creation of inhabitable houses must at the same time go hand in
hand with the restructuring of the neighbourhood and its public space
and with a better integration into its wider district area. |
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PROJECT AND SUBCOORDINATORS |
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