Cooperation between Brainport and surrounding communities

The Brainport region is currently undergoing a major expansion. This growth can be felt both within and outside the region. That is why the region wants to work more closely with Weert, Meierijstad, and Venlo. Three cooperation agendas have been drawn up setting out how they intend to tackle the themes of housing, mobility, economy, and talent in the coming years. This can help the Brainport region to ease the pressure on the major and rapid developments in the region. At the same time, it can help the municipalities of Meierijstad, Weert, and Venlo to realize their growth ambitions. The three cooperation agendas will be presented to the municipal councils after the summer.

The region's economic growth means a significant increase in the number of jobs and residents in the coming years. This growth in economic activity, jobs, and prosperity presents joint challenges: sufficient space for new work locations, sufficient talent, sufficient and affordable housing, good accessibility, and appropriate facilities. The daily urban system, including the labor market, the housing market, care areas, and traffic movements, is now also expanding beyond the Southeast Brabant region.

Shared opportunities

This interconnection creates opportunities. The ambitions of Meierijstad, Weert, and Venlo are in line with the challenges facing the MRE. By working together as partners and making concrete agreements, it is expected that they will strengthen and complement each other.

MRE, Meierijstad, and Weert want to make agreements on the programming and allocation of high-tech work locations, among other things. Economic activities on the east-west axis need to be better aligned with Venlo. New or growing companies that are unable to find space in the Brainport region in the short term could potentially remain in Weert, Meierijstad, or Venlo for the Brainport ecosystem, thereby adding value to these municipalities.

Housing and mobility

There is a significant housing shortage in the Eindhoven Metropolitan Region. This has made it difficult for people looking for a home to find suitable and affordable housing. The region is therefore working hard to build more than 62,000 homes and 2,280 independent student units by 2030, and 100,000 homes by 2040. Weert, Meierijstad, and Venlo have also expressed clear growth ambitions. Meierijstad wants to build 10,000 additional homes by 2040, Weert 4,650, and Venlo 6,500. MRE, Meierijstad, Weert, and Venlo want to better coordinate their housing programs and accelerate housing construction.

Good accessibility is an important prerequisite for effective cooperation. That is why MRE, Meierijstad, Weert, and Venlo are working together to improve mobility connections and mutual accessibility. This includes faster or new public transport connections with express buses, buses in the emergency lane, or trains. It also involves the creation of fast cycle paths, joint action with the national government to address bottlenecks on the motorways or railways, and coordination of mobility hubs. As with the agreements on housing and the economy, the provinces and the national government have an important role to play in this.

Brainport seeks formal affiliation with Weert, Meierijstad, Belgian Limburg, and the Antwerp Kempen

"The spatial tasks in our region are large and have an effect beyond the region. We must therefore cooperate with neighboring regions," said Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

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Meierijstad

Due to its location in East Brabant, Meierijstad not only plays an important role in the Northeast Brabant region, but also borders five MRE municipalities and is part of the MRE's daily urban system.

Meierijstad has traditionally had a strong entrepreneurial climate based on the cooperative idea of collaboration. The Meierijstad ecosystem focuses on agri-food and manufacturing. The corresponding labor market is mainly focused on vocational education and fits in well with the Brainport ecosystem. The Meierijstad Vision for the Future expresses the ambition to further strengthen the entrepreneurial climate, among other things by providing more (physical) space for the development of existing and new businesses that fit in with Meierijstad's economic ecosystem. In addition, the municipality of Meierijstad has expressed its ambition in its Future Vision to build 10,000 homes by 2040, with a focus along the A50 development axis and the major centers. Meierijstad has an interest in good alternatives to cars, such as (high-quality) public transport, bicycles, and more goods transport by water.

Weert

Weert borders the MRE to the southeast and is a 16-minute train ride from Eindhoven. It is the ‘gateway to Limburg’, but at the same time part of the daily urban system of the Brainport region. The MRE region and Weert are historically linked by the A2 motorway, the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal, and the railway line. Weert is an attractive place to live and work for employees and companies from the Brainport ecosystem. This presents various challenges and opportunities. Weert therefore wants to grow in a way that is appropriate to its unique character and is working on urbanization across the board. In doing so, Weert offers space for new residents and entrepreneurs and ensures that Weert remains feasible, affordable, and livable for its own residents and businesses.

Venlo

Venlo is working on spatial, economic, and social development. The aim is to secure the future growth, livability, and economic position of the city, villages, and region. This involves themes such as housing, connections and mobility, the economy, knowledge infrastructure, and sustainability. Venlo is a strategic border region for cooperation with North Rhine-Westphalia, the logistics corridors and connections and trade between Rotterdam and the Ruhr area (Greenport and the Trans-European transport network) and innovation in the agri-food sector via the Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.