Vision of Geldrop-Mierlo 2040: Vitality and inclusiveness of residents

Geldrop and Mierlo are intertwined and together have the strength of urban country.

Geldrop-Mierlo, two villages with their own identity, together a powerful municipality
For centuries, the textile industry has been the main source of income in Geldrop. As a result, it became an industrial village, tending toward the urban.

Mierlo originally has an agricultural character. In the past, the emphasis was on cherry growing and cottage industries; over time, more livestock farms have come up. Mierlo is a real village, where people know each other and with an active club life.

Towards the future we see Geldrop and Mierlo each maintaining their individuality and growing further into a powerful couple. Urban country in the Brainport Eindhoven, where living happiness of residents is paramount, with many amenities in the community or nearby and plenty of recreational opportunities. Two beautiful villages between two cities, making Geldrop-Mierlo a quieter, green place in the midst of urban activity.

Living together in a fine living environment

We go for vitality and inclusiveness

We choose a healthy lifestyle: we pay attention to a healthy weight, exercise enough and think about our mental health. We have the ability to adapt to new circumstances and are able to take control of physical, emotional and social challenges in life. As a result, we can cope with health issues and setbacks. Our living environment is attractive and well-suited to our healthy lifestyle.

In addition, we are a resilient community that lives, copes with adversity, recovers and develops itself. In Geldrop-Mierlo everyone can participate, regardless of one's limitations, background, orientation or financial situation, Everyone is equal and is approached equally. In our municipality it's all about the people. We have it good together and can live, exercise and recreate in a pleasant living environment. It is a place with heart where people feel at home and are intertwined with each other through families, circles of friends, clubs, neighborhoods and other connections. We are able to take care of ourselves and each other, participate, develop, cooperate and meet.

Strong neighborhoods and networks

Through our choice of small-scale neighborhoods, we have been able to maintain or strengthen the village character. We meet each other and know each other. As a result, we are proud of where we live and we feel at home and safe in our own living environment. We feel part of the community and participate in it. We expect the same from each other, regardless of who you are, what you do or where you come from. We take each other seriously by maintaining an open and curious attitude and actively delving into each other's views, backgrounds and worldviews. We choose dialogue and cooperation and look at things from different perspectives. We also learn from each other by embracing the difference in visions, experiences and competencies.

Our approach to health and social cohesion in terms of living environment is supported by green neighborhoods and space for meeting. We have a variety of lively meeting places in all neighborhoods and meet in all kinds of networks, such as within associations, school, online, the neighborhood festival, and so on. Neighborhood residents can organize their own low-threshold activities and recreational initiatives. Each neighborhood or district has its own dynamics, needs and possibilities. Together we build and ensure livable, safe neighborhoods, with an active role for residents and entrepreneurs based on citizenship and (joint) ownership. This makes us resilient as a community and we help each other. Many volunteers contribute in all shapes and sizes and are the backbone in the neighborhood.

Contributing to an attractive region through residential and recreational functions

Living in Geldrop-Mierlo

Within the region, Geldrop-Mierlo has an important residential and recreational function, which contributes greatly to making the region an attractive environment to settle and come to work. We provide within the region a substantial number of homes, in all shapes and sizes, fitting the people who want to live in Geldrop and Mierlo. Geldrop-Mierlo has a good mix of housing, with something for everyone. As a result, there is also a good mix in terms of target groups in all neighborhoods. In residential neighborhoods where there were outdated houses, the housing supply has been renewed, for the most part with lifelong housing. The residential neighborhoods are slightly densified by placing multi-story buildings, especially in the centers and in places where basic services are concentrated. We did limit urbanization and high-rise buildings, in order to preserve our village character. To be able to switch continuously, we work with modular construction for affordable temporary housing. All new construction is immediately sustainable and natural gas-free, but existing housing is also sustainable and natural gas-free.

In all neighborhoods there is a good variety of affordable housing, appropriate to the composition of the population and its development. When renewing neighborhoods, we invariably search together for the combination of housing, traffic, greenery, meeting each other, sustainability, safety, etc. Moreover, our neighborhoods are to a large extent designed sustainably in terms of energy consumption and generation. In the residential neighborhoods and the centers there is a lot of greenery and the green structures are connected to each other, providing a natural connection between the neighborhoods. The greenery contributes to the quality of life and invites walking, sports and exercise. The greenery in residential areas and centers also provides shade in hot summers and precipitation absorption during heavy showers.

Many amenities nearby

The residential and living climate in Geldrop-Mierlo is pleasant, partly because there are so many facilities. Cozy centers, a hospital, a swimming pool, extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities, many recreational opportunities, an extensive arts and cultural offerings, and so on. We have an elementary school in or near every neighborhood and we also have a high school in-house. The great thing is that in terms of facilities within the Brainport Eindhoven we find everything: theater, cinema, large shopping centers are within easy reach in Eindhoven and Helmond. The municipalities in Brainport Eindhoven complement each other in terms of facilities. Geldrop-Mierlo offers the region many recreational facilities, within a village and rural atmosphere.

The centers are residential areas for residents, where various amenities are at hand. Outdated or vacant sites have been restructured and thereby utilized for housing construction and green space creation. As a result, the centers have been densified in favor of affordable housing. Both the center of Geldrop and the center of Mierlo are multifunctional . Shopping, recreation, living, accommodation, culture and entertainment come together. With their beautiful squares, they both form the shining center of village life and the starting point for a recreational visit or visit to an event. The activities and facilities also provide visitors. In Geldrop, the culture square, hospitality square, castle square and shopping square are nicely connected.

In the residential areas we find basic facilities nearby: a neighborhood supermarket, a pharmacy, a family doctor, meeting places, etc. Nicely within reach, also for the elderly and less mobile people, who can therefore live independently. Meanwhile, the non-daily shopping facilities have all found their place in the centers. Thus, the stores in the centers on the one hand and the residential areas on the other do not compete with each other.

Plenty of recreational opportunities

In our natural and outdoor areas and in our centers we recreate ourselves, in addition to attracting residents of surrounding municipalities. The centers and neighborhoods are green and we have beautiful nature and cultural history. The greenery continues without barriers, inside and outside our municipality. Together with Nuenen and Son and Breugel, Geldrop-Mierlo is the green lung in the urbanized area of Eindhoven and Helmond. The nature areas in Geldrop-Mierlo are biodiverse and vital and connect to each other and to nature areas in the region (such as the Van Gogh national park, Gulbergen and the Dommelpark). The gaps in the nature network have been filled by creating nature in the stream valley of the Kleine Dommel and in the Gijzenrooi area. Besides recreational opportunities, we also provide quiet places where nature comes first. Through our investments in nature and greenery we are also directly climate adaptive, through sufficient CO2 storage and sufficient water storage capacity.

The shopping area in Mierlo is compact. In the approaching streets, retail has given way to housing. The center of Geldrop attracts many types of visitors due to the different functions of the center, for example, in the form of cultural facilities, events, social functions and hospitality. In addition, there is a public transport hub for train, bus and shared transport. The center area is connected to the Dommel valley via a natural park. The castle in Geldrop is an icon in the region and - as one of the pearls of the center - can be experienced from the center, thus highlighting the regional added value. The hospital has an essential function in the center and is actually part of the center.

Mobility

We have good walking and cycling connections. Cycling within the built-up area is attractive because of direct, safe connections between neighborhoods and the centers in Geldrop and Mierlo. Comfortable express bicycle routes to Eindhoven and Helmond connect to the centers and business parks. So within Geldrop-Mierlo and for short distances, residents predominantly use bicycles. For longer distances or to Eindhoven or Helmond, we use bus or train. The car is only used for more distant destinations. The roads in the municipality are therefore primarily designed for residential and slow traffic. Our car accessibility is good. Through traffic goes around Geldrop and Mierlo, so the traffic pressure in the municipality is limited. To this end, we are well connected to the mobility network in the region.

The station in Geldrop is a public transport hub with a high frequency of trains and with bus stops. Scattered through Geldrop and Mierlo are charging stations for charging electric cars, because almost all cars drive electric. There is also a substantial number of residents who use shared transport, as they use the car only occasionally. In residential neighborhoods, parking is generally on private property, in driveways or parking facilities at apartment complexes. In the centers, parking occurs at the edges.

Outdoor multipurpose area

In the countryside, functions and tasks are intertwined: agriculture, nature, water storage, recreation and business activities reinforce each other. There is also large-scale sustainable energy generation. Because of its strong economic basis, the countryside is livable and contributes to the landscape and cultural-historical quality of Geldrop-Mierlo, with each area having its own individuality.

The countryside has a wide variety of functions. At times when land became vacant, recreation, small-scale industry or housing was/is replaced. However, this has not increased the amount of buildings; the changes have provided a landscape quality impulse. Agriculture in Geldrop-Mierlo is economically vital and nature-inclusive.

In cooperation with the municipality of Nuenen, Gulbergen has become a sustainable sports, recreation and nature area. It is a recreational hotspot where the special height differences in the area are utilized for such things as mountain biking, a climbing park and slides. Via a bridge over the Eindhovens Kanaal, Gulbergen is connected to the Molenheide. 't Broek, Gijzenrooi and Sang and Goorkens have their experiential value because they are authentic agricultural landscapes, and therefore valuable cultural landscape in this region. Nature-inclusive agriculture is interwoven with recreational functions on the farms. Gijzenrooi is also an important nature reserve where there is plenty of recreation and where people can experience authentic agricultural culture on the urban farm.

On the northeast side of Mierlo we find various forms of agriculture and agricultural production is combined with water retention in the area. There are also solar fields for large-scale renewable energy generation.

Economic strength

Geldrop-Mierlo has a solid economic base. Both the centers, the business parks and the outlying area are economic carriers in the municipality. On our vital, sustainable and future-proof business parks we see a varied mix of companies, especially within the small and medium-sized enterprises and the recreational sector. Incidentally, the number of business parks has been reduced, in favor of residential development. We cherish our local, in Geldrop-Mierlo rooted companies. With new companies settling down, we mainly seek a connection to Brainport Eindhoven. The companies established in Geldrop-Mierlo contribute to employment with their (relatively) high labor input, without taking up much space. Because of the mix of companies, there is a varied employment, for different fields and education levels. People with a distance to the labor market also have a place there - in their own home town - and there are opportunities for side jobs and internships for our youth.

The limited space in our business parks has been put to targeted use. Companies that add social value have been established and the sites are neat and orderly. Local businesses have sometimes been able to grow despite the limited space by restructuring at the plot level. On balance, business activity has not expanded in 2040; this has happened in places in the region that are more suitable for it. Businesses have become more sustainable due to their limited energy consumption and CO2 emissions and the fact that they will be gasless by 20401. A large number of businesses are also contributing to the circular economy and reducing waste streams.

The strong economic strength of the outlying area is based on recreational activity. Geldrop-Mierlo's location means that many visitors from Eindhoven and Helmond recreate in our countryside and nature. Moreover, this translates into visits to the centers. Hospitality is also part of the activity. Vacant agricultural farm buildings have been used for small-scale activity, especially at farms that are close to the villages and easily accessible. In terms of size and scale, this offers additional opportunities compared to business parks and contributes to the vitality of the countryside.