Winschoten promotes sustainable social interaction

8 January 2009, Winschoten (Netherlands). The citizen community of Winschoten ranked 7th in the Dutch competition “Het Beste Buurtplan van Nederland” (the Best district plans of the Netherlands). Being selected among 250 plans from all regions of the country, the community of Winschoten highly values this success. The project generated a lot of attention in the press, radio and TV, both locally and regionally. That’s why the community has decided not to give up and has already rolled up its sleeves to raise funds to implement the project.

The project presented at the competition envisages the creation of a sustainable meeting place for the youth and elderly in the Parkwijk in Winschoten. It will involve local nature clubs, schools and social organizations. The idea is to enhance social interaction among the local population by guaranteeing a low impact on the environment. To this end, special measures will be taken in the arrangement of the area.

The “Het Beste Buurtplan van Nederland” competition is structured in two phases. The initial 250 proposals submitted were brought down to 35 by a jury. Consequently, the best 12 plans were chosen through a web-based voting system. On 21 November the winner was announced in Utrecht. Surprisingly, two proposals were awarded the first prize: the districtplans of Wijk aan Zee and Maasdonk. € 25,000 each will help the two communities implement their ideas.

Read more about the competition

View ClubWinschoterGroen’s page on Countdown 2010 website