Collaboration between cities

Posted on by Christophe
FR / NL
POC DESIGN IN

Collaboration between cities

“When I was young, all the shops were busy… today, everything is closing, you can’t find a thing! People go to shopping centers or order online now.” How might design intervene and change this situation? What good practices might other cities be able to share on the issue?

Re-designingcitycentres

The projectDESIGN IN is based on the collaboration and exchange of practices between the cities of Mons, Tournai, Kortrijk and Lille Métropole. Its aimis to strengthen and stimulate the development of city centrebusinesses throughdesign.

3 formsof action are explored and experimentedwithinthe 4 cities:

  • DESIGN’IN SHOP encourages collaboration between merchantsand design professionals in order to enhancebusiness competitiveness, such asrearrangingdisplaywindows, reorganising retailspace, promoting the establishment’svisibility or through the integration ofa creative process.
  • POP’IN STORE deals withthe provision,forartisans-designers, of temporary retailspacesalternating betweenthe 4 cities,in order to test their activity on the other side of the border.
  • DESIGN’IN TOWN aims to enhance urban spacesby responding to issues previously identified by users. The goalis to attract citizens to the city centre, whether they are residents, potential local shops’ customers or tourists.


Cross the borders

DESIGN IN is part of the European INTERREG programs,aimed at promoting cooperation between European regions and the development of jointsolutions within the economic developmentfield. Thus collaboration developson various levels between the stakeholders of each territory: municipalservices, city-centremanagement associations, businesses, designers, merchant associations, neighbourhood associations, student associations, etc. But above all,the project enhances exchange between cities by sharingthe merchants’ experiences, all the different design practices and the best ways to use design as a developmentfactor and a tool for territory attractiveness.

  • Holders : IDETA, Maison du Design, CCI Grand Lille, lille—design et Designregio Kortrijk.
  • Designer :  Designers de wallonie, flandre et des Hauts-de-France
  • Stakeholders : INTERREG V – IDETA, Maison du Design, CCI Grand Lille, lille—design et Designregio Kortrijk
  • Photo credits: IDETA, Maison du Design, CCI Grand Lille, lille—design et Designregio Kortrijk.