The preservation of nineteenth-century industrial buildings near historical city centres: the case of Ghent

Many nineteenth-century industrial buildings in Flanders in general and in Ghent in particular are still waiting for (permanent) users and functions. At the same time, renewed economic and residential interest represents a threat to the built-up heritage as well as to the structure of the traditional working-class social fabric of such areas. Additionally, little is known about the expectations of the residents of such neighbourhoods or the extent to which they identify with this industrial heritage. Ghent, with its strong industrial past, resulting in many nineteenth-century textile factory buildings and characteristic working-class housing (including cités and alleys), can thus offer interesting insights as a case study. However, field work about the relationship between the industrial heritage, identity and preservation as well as about the attitude of local authorities revealed that practice sometimes differs from theory

Geographies of Ageing in Flanders (Belgium)

In line with other regions and countries in Europe, Flanders (Belgium) is characterized by an ageing population. The share of population older than 65 will increase from approximately 20 percent in 2018 towards 25 percent in 2030. Of course, this goes together with several challenges, not only related to the sustainability of the healthcare and retirement system, but also in terms of housing, mobility and planning. Although ageing-in-place is stimulated from a policy perspective, there is very limited insight into which neighbourhood characteristics stimulate or limit the possibility to get older at home and if family networks are capable of taking up a bigger role in informal care. Although several indicators point to less potential informal caregivers in the future, a geographical perspective on informal care and the importance of distance in informal care provision are largely lacking. For tackling this a clear view on patterns of ageing can be seen as a precondition. Therefore this paper sheds more light on the relation between ageing-in-place and informal care, both from a theoretical as from a policy perspective. Furthermore it tries to set the scene in terms of geographies of ageing in Flanders on which future research can build. In this way more insight can begathered in the tensions mentioned above and in factors that can potentially contribute to age-friendly care environments, as well as more insight in neighbourhoods that are suitable for ageing-in-place. In other words, this paper tries to disentangle geographies of aging by following a multiple-scale approach making use of national population databases (2002 – 2017). It looks into patterns of ageing on different spatial scales (ranging from NUTS 2 to statistical districts). The results clearly indicate that there is not a single ‘wave’ of ageing characterising every locality in the same way. Although regional differences are relatively easy to interpret and straightforward, on a lower level patterns become more complex and less clear. A clusteranalysis re-arranges the data in an attempt to get better insight in different ageing profiles on the level of municipalities and statistical district

Commodification of contested borderscapes for tourism development:Viability, community representation and equity of relic Iron Curtain and Sudetenland heritage tourism landscapes

Tourism can symbolically underpin policies for economic and political cross-border cooperation but the resulting rhetoric may not be supported by all tourism-related stakeholders. Our research on the viability, community representation and ethical components of the Iron Curtain Trail and the European Green Belt in the German-Czech borderlands shows that these tourism projects commodify conflictive borderland histories to gain support for a European-wide cross-border cooperation discourse. Despite these efforts, both projects are contested on local levels. The contestations result from the selectivity of EU-inspired memory politics and lacking participative governance across the border. This combination undermines the capacity to deal with (i) different socio-spatial identities, creating challenging encounters between commodified borderland histories and locals with their memories; (ii) development and promotion challenges of the tourism projects, potentially undermining their viability as tourism products. In the light of these contestations, defining when EU-inspired borderland tourism projects are successful becomes a political issue with important moral questions regarding whose memory should be commodified, and for which purposes.<br/

Tourism development through landscape theming: Exploring Art Nouveau experiences in Brussels

Purpose: This study aims to present and explore the landscape approach as an innovative management model for heritage tourism, applied to the case of the Brussels Art Nouveau heritage. The main objective of this paper is to gain insight in discrepancies regarding visions on the tourism potential of the Brussels’ Art Nouveau and the Art Nouveau patrimony’s integration within a (themed) tourism landscape. Methods: The research used an appropriate methodological approach for each of the stakeholder groups. The survey among visitors (N=105) was organized in the heart of Brussels and analyzed with statistical techniques (cross tabling and associations). Interviews (5) were conducted with key informants (policymakers, heritage managers and the Brussels DMO), after which content analysis was applied to the transcripts. Results: The research resulted in an innovative perspective to increase common ground between a landscape centered perspective with a focus on heritage and a tourismscape centered approach. The research deduced several hidden mismatches in perception and appreciation of the Art Nouveau and showed that there are major information and promotion problems, fostered by politically influenced fragmentation and lack of collaboration. Implications: By gaining insight in the visitor experience of a tourism product’s potential, valuable knowledge is created for DMO’s. The implementation of a themed landscape approach has the dual potential to increase the consistency of the heritage while developing a higher level of tourist experience

Determinants for tourist destinations\u27 international markets access: The case of Southern Ecuador and Germany

Many destinations aim at accessing international markets to generate income from abroad, stimulate innovation and develop new skills. This paper examines the determinants – conditions that may represent barriers or enhancers – for tourist destination\u27s international markets access. We contrast various sets of determinants from: 1) tourism literature on internationalisation, 2) two extensive studies from the exports sector covering 48 years of data, and 3) empirical work on 30 cases at the destination and the source market, considering Cajas Massif\u27s – Southern Ecuador – access to German organised groups. We found that tourism literature focuses on more specific conditions, such as distance or macroeconomic indicators; while exports\u27 literature deals with a more complete range of conditions to explain determinants. We conclude that determinants such as collective initiatives, defined target markets or efficient processes play a priority role in tourist destinations; and that although exports\u27 literature is useful, it is not totally transferable to tourism. Therefore, adding input from the empirical cases, we triangulate the data to consolidate a comprehensive overview of 46 determinants specific for tourist destinations\u27 international market access. This work has implications for decision makers, firms, governments and educators