Liège, Belgium
The Vesdre River Greenway plan was intended to give the town of Verviers the opportunity to reconnect the local residents and businesses with the river and to create new functions, such as recreational and economic activities, around the river Vesdre. The development of the plan was part of a research project called VALUE, Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban Economy, which was funded through the European Union Interreg IVB programme for North West Europe. It aimed to demonstrate the economic value of Green Investment (GI) at the site scale, showing how to target investments to maximise the competitive benefits to communities. "To serve this purpose, the Economic Development Agency of the Province of Liege in collaboration with the University of Liege planned developing a cycle and pedestrian path in the Pré-Javais District, near the city centre, on the left side of the Vesdre River in Verviers, linking the centre of Verviers to the suburbs" (Ref. 5). The green and blue infrastructure was planned to allow the creation of a true link between natural wildlife, inhabitants and businesses, and will offer a new development strategy for the whole town (Ref. 3).
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