FUND OF TEMPORARY USE, GHENT, BELGIUM

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The initiative get funded, should:

• Be achieved in a temporarily vacant spot (fallow land, unoccupied premises, vacant buildings…) pending a new destination.
• Be a contribution to an enhanced liveability of the (broad) neighbourhood, the district or the city.
• Succeeds in generating new dynamics or provides a surplus value for future developments.
• Creates new networks and cross-fertilization with various policy domains.

Financing: alternative financing

The annual budget of the fund is 300.000€.

Applying initiatives get supported between 6.000 € and 35.000 €. TU Initiatives applying for this financial support have to go through a relatively simple application process and fill in a template. They are invited to have an interview with a cross-sectorial jury. This cross-sectorial jury consists of members of different departments of our city (social, environmental, urban development, urban planning, cultural, youth, and the policy participation department). This jury approves the application (according to criteria) and decides on the budget.

Mainstreaming : establishing agency

The financial means of the Fund go to support working material to set-up and repair the building, infrastructure works for safety measures (i.e. fire safety, and burglary prevention) and soundproofing, and additional costs of insurance, maintenance and in some cases communication.

The generally economically weak initiative hosted in temporary use have through the Fund the possibility to cope with basic requirement to make the vacant space they get viable and establish their project for the temporary period.