2.5 billion is coming to Brainport through Operation Beethoven. This is badly needed: the region is already squeaking and creaking, how will it soon be with even more growth? GroenLinks tabled a motion in the Eindhoven city council that has broad support: the Brainport Balance Check. The idea is to take an annual look at the state of pressure on facilities and social cohesion.
Cursor spoke with Groenlinks parliamentary leader Eva de Bruijn shortly before the capital injection for the region to keep the high-tech industry here was officially announced. So no specific questions were asked about this, but the region's growth has been a topic of discussion for some time and the motion had also been tabled well before the capital injection.
De Bruijn is in no way against high-tech in the region. "It is the economy of the future, but growth is squeaking and creaking in this region. I see people struggling to find affordable housing, a school or a GP. And there is still a divide in the city of people who benefit a lot from economic growth and people who mainly experience the burden in the region."
Brainport etiquette
"The Balance Check is there to keep an eye on whether the growth - which will now therefore pick up additional momentum - is still in balance with climate, broad welfare and amenities." If it shows that this is not the case, De Bruijn still sees concrete knobs she can turn.
"Take the public-private funds in which companies help pay for housing in the region. As a municipality, we must ensure that such housing is not only for employees of the big companies - fortunately, this is also the approach of the companies themselves."
"I want to move towards a Brainport etiquette, that as a company in the Brainport region you are a social employer and what that means in concrete terms." De Bruijn then thinks of a good salary - especially also for catering and cleaning staff - , preventive care to prevent debts among employees and balance in facilities as a condition for being allowed to grow.
Urban poultry
Eva de Bruijn is happy with the broad support in the council: "Like us, many parties want more control. We want to prevent it from happening to us and becoming an urban plump chicken. We need to see in time where things are chafing and make choices to adjust. Eindhoven is now just out of balance in terms of housing, facilities and social cohesion."
No more data centres or distribution block boxes
De Bruijn sees that, as a municipality, you can also do more than just add more houses or social institutions. "There is scarcity in space, in personnel. That requires choices and you have influence on that as a municipality. You can choose not to allow data centres or large distribution block boxes in your municipality. Or to phase out the most polluting and nuisance companies on industrial estates, such as the Hurk, in the long run, to create more space for social and green businesses, housing and facilities."
"To get away from unwanted industry, you can choose to retrain unemployed people in a targeted way, for example from flash delivery driver to bus driver. That is in line with keeping out large distribution centres and reduces the shortage of drivers in public transport, an important community amenity."
According to De Bruijn, it is also important in the annual check to look beyond the 'general figures'. "The average income in Eindhoven may be quite high, but that says little about the gap between Eindhoven residents. And there may be a high school density, for example, but if they are all full, that's of no use. We hope to give some more 'filler' to the Balance Check in the coming months so that we have more to discuss next time."
Source:Cursor News
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