Creating vibrant places for happy people

Welcome to the dynamic city

Determining the compass of a city or a region, that is what drives us. This compass provides direction and perspective to all parties involved, both public and private, and allows all stakeholders to further explore and follow the chosen path. Doing so we work together to create resilient cities, centres and regions.

CityD strengthens local and regional dynamics based on targeted research, clear visions and, above all, a feasible package of measures. Our work focuses on city marketing and centre management, trade and hotel&catering industry, spatial economy, tourism and leisure, real estate and area development. Our ultimate goal is to make your and our environment attractive for residents, visitors and companies.

Passion, expertise and commitment… that is the lubricant.

City Marketing and Centre Management

It is clear that the gem of CityD lies in city marketing and centre management. The manager started in 1999 as the first centre manager in Flanders for the city of Genk. The inner city bug never faded. The first assignment was to draw an inner-city marketing plan for the non-profit organization Centrummanagement Genk. Today, CityD guides many cities in strategic communication and city marketing and often implements approved plans. This translates into targeted city or center management, depending on the chosen focus. The essence is always the same: together we can do more and vision without execution is a dead letter.

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Trade and hotel & catering industry

Trade, hospitality, catering industry and services are often the beating heart of every core, municipality and city. Besides their economic function, they are important for meeting, relaxing and experiencing. Find out how your local economy can flourish here.

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Spatial economics

CityD can help shape spatial policy as a partner of local governments. From its background in consultancy on spatial-economic issues, it is the ideal partner to define strategic policy visions for the area and develop instruments. Doing so, CityD contributes to achieving the spatial-economic objectives of the administration.

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Real estate and area development

Buildings and spaces that are being developed today require the use of sustainable raw materials and substantial financial resources. Development is therefore best thought through from a long-term perspective, taking into account the needs of the market and of future generations. CityD helps you limit the risks of your real estate project or area development through thorough research and clear future-proof visions. This for developer, government and investor alike.

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Keynotes

CityD consultants are regular guests at various events as keynote speakers. During these talks, various topics are addressed such as Smart City, core strengthening, trade, mobility, business parks, trade policy, local economy, interweaving,....

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Tourism and leisure

How do you ensure that tourists, residents, visitors, culture lovers, conference guests and recreationists find their way to your city or location? And how do you deal with redevelopment, MICE actors and supra-local collaborations, also for locations without government exploitation? With a strong strategic plan you make your location, city or region more than attractive.

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Our work

Local economy in Flanders: challenges and opportunities for cities and municipalities

The local economy not only shapes employment and entrepreneurship, but also influences quality of life, the quality of the built environment and social dynamics. In Flanders, the local economy is currently under pressure. At the same time, it offers opportunities for those who dare to opt for a well-considered, evidence-based approach. Interconnectedness, experience, sustainability and economic prosperity are vital for the development of a dynamic city or municipality where people enjoy living, working and visiting.

Collaboration as the key to strong city centres | CityD

Cooperation is one of the most important drivers for vibrant, sustainable and economically attractive city centres. However, in many cities and municipalities, it appears that the parties involved are not always on the same page. That is precisely why the "Platform Binnenstadsmanagement" (Inner City Management Platform) has developed a practical digital Toolbox for Strong Inner City Connections. CityD, a partner of the "Platform Binnenstadsmanagement", was also involved in this exciting project.

Supra-local land allocation policy

Scarce business space requires more than local policy. A supra-local policy for the allocation of business parks helps Flemish authorities make choices that are legally, administratively and economically sound. Discover how CityD guides this process from vision to applicable decision-making framework.

Supporting the local economy in Overijse

Since 2022, CityD has been assisting the municipality of Overijse in optimising the local economy. Vision and implementation go hand in hand in this process. The integrated approach aims to strengthen urban and, by extension, regional dynamics through targeted actions in line with policy guidelines.

City marketing Eeklo

City marketing literally means “promoting a city”. This time, we are ensuring that the city of Eeklo gets the image it wants and that this image is also communicated. We will be turning the positioning to be developed into reality in the coming years, as the city has also entrusted the two-year support process to CityD.

Diepenbeek Retail Vision 2023

CityD assisted the municipality of Diepenbeek in drawing up a retail vision: from analysis to action plan. Not as a theoretical exercise, but as a strategic translation of figures, trends and local reality into a workable compass for the future.

Centre management Heist-op-den-Berg

CityD has been supporting the municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg as town centre manager since 2022. The new council is also continuing to strengthen the supply chain. The residents of Heist are now proud of their municipality, because ‘everyone wants to live, work and shop in Heist-op-den-Berg, because you can find everything there’.

Quality scan and supervision of conference venues within Flanders Heritage Venue network of Visit Flanders

CityD has been assigned since 2018 to support Visit Flanders Convention Bureau in the development of the Flanders Heritage Venues network, a network of experiential and quality conference venues.

Repurposing of Poeke Castle in Aalter

After Visit Flanders became the owner of Poeke Castle in Aalter, the castle needed to be redeveloped. CityD was commissioned to investigate various ideas for feasibility, desirability and other factors.

Support for local economy in Zaventem

CityD has been involved in trade support and city-centre support projects in Zaventem since 2020. We are continuing our work to further strengthen local trade.

Research on publicly accessible spaces

VLAIO (the Flemish Innovation & Entrepreneurship Agency) builds the lively centres of the future. What policy is needed around public-oriented functions to build resilient commercial and providing centres? CityD analyses the public-oriented offer, tests existing policy, examines developments and formulates recommendations.

Policy plan for the hotel&catering industry in Beringen

With the policy plan for the hotel&catering industry in Beringen, a balanced policy has been developed for all hotel & catering entrepreneurs and hotel&restaurant lovers. Not only in Beringen centre, but also in the surrounding areas.

Centre management and combatting vacancy in Aarschot

CityD has been active in the city of Aarschot since 2019 and is still active as city centre manager today. This year the emphasis is mainly on a thorough approach to combatting commercial vacancy in Aarschot and Aarschot recently came into the spotlight with the 'Win je zaak (Win your business)' AZ initiative.

City marketing Oudsbergen

Oudsbergen is a young merged municipality in Limburg. In the city marketing plan we shaped the powerful and connecting identity during positioning workshops.

Master plan centre Oostkamp

The development of the Oostkamp centre master plan by CityD in terms of retail vision.

Office market study for city of Kortrijk and Leiedal region

The 'offices' market segment is an important segment in Kortrijk and the surrounding area, but it is also a market that is constantly changing. The city of Kortrijk and the intermunicipal company Leiedal asked CityD and JLL (Jones Lang Lasalle) to examine this market segment.

ENA Cluster (Economic Network Albert Canal) West Limburg

We prepared the study 'Spatial-economic strategy for the "ENA cluster West Limburg' on behalf of the Flemish government, Environment Department.

De Vitrine – inspiration platform for busy centres

The Vitrine is VLAIO's inspiration platform for everyone who helps build the bustling centers of the future.

Reallocation of Colen Monastery

How can a monastery from 1438 remain relevant? A contemporary re-use of an authentic building

Town planning regulation in Schoten

Schoten already had a strategic-commercial plan, so it knew where to place the emphasis and decided to take the next step towards implementing its policy, namely drawing up of a town planning regulation.

Tongeren is looking for AmbioriX factor

With the new project 'Entrepreneurship with character', the city of Tongeren connects the characteristics of the inhabitants of Tongeren with its traders.