History

How the park came to be

After the municipality of Tilburg purchased the (former) Van Gend en Loos site, a “management team” was established in July 2014. They worked on requirements, a combination of greenery and leisure, described in the Coalition Agreement 2014-2018 under the term “citizen participation”. On July 14, 2015, the City Council approved the Plan of Approach developed by them in April 2015. It was an extensive plan with requirements, conditions, weighing criteria, and assessment frameworks, ranging from cleanliness and safety to a green space where people can work, exercise, recreate, play, and meet. Furthermore, park management and maintenance were also addressed.

Ideas

Between January and April 2016, a total of 82 very special citizen initiative ideas were submitted. Based on existing successful city parks, the management group selected potential success factors and criteria, on which all plan submitters were given the opportunity to personally explain their idea in a short pitch.

The criteria were:

• Cultural-historical qualities
• Ecology and green structure
• Facilities for recreation and sports
• Realization of general facilities
• Restoration of living water
• Attention to points such as: how does it contribute to the city, how are local residents and city dwellers involved, and in what form.

Development & Realization

The management group developed a well-founded vision on the closure of the park, maintenance (intact, clean, and safe) of the park, and energy supply with the aim of achieving an energy-neutral function where self-generated (solar) energy is used. Objective aspects such as the enthusiasm of the idea creators, the goodwill, willingness to cooperate/knowledge sharing, and proven expertise played a role in the final selection.

From the 84 ideas submitted, a choice was made for 8 trailblazers, the current park partners.

To realize the plans, a project team was assembled with the task of implementing the project within the established framework.

Governance Code

The principles of the Spoorpark are outlined in the Charter. The board of the Foundation, along with the park partners and the park manager, are jointly responsible for the realization of the charter. The board appoints a park manager who takes charge of the daily implementation and facilitation of the charter. The park manager is thus primarily responsible. Collaboration with all stakeholders is crucial for the realization of the charter. These are the parties directly involved in the success of the charter or its implementation. Current stakeholders include, besides the board, park manager, and park partners, the residents, visitors, the municipality, volunteers, and advisors.