Rigorous greening of Mariarade gets underway

Collaboration with residents, neighborhood foundation, and housing associations

In order to arrive at a definitive plan that is supported by the neighborhood, several walk-in sessions for residents were organized this summer. The neighborhood foundation and Woonpunt were also involved. The residents indicated what the neighborhood needs, and the municipality then looked at the possibilities. This process demonstrates the power of collaboration: residents, the neighborhood foundation, and the housing association are working together on a plan that is truly supported by the neighborhood. Roger Bruggeman, on behalf of the Mariarade Neighborhood Foundation, said: "We are pleased that Mariarade is being included in the rigorous greening process. As a neighborhood, we have been involved in the municipality's plans from the outset. We are very curious about the end result."

Neighborhood transformation

Alderman Marco Peters Management and Maintenance) explains: “Strong and livable neighborhoods are our number one priority. By adding greenery, but also facilities and encouraging mutual connectedness among local residents, we want to ensure that every neighborhood in Heerlen is a pleasant place to live. The rigorous greening of the neighborhoods is part of that. We started in Lindeveld, then Eikenderveld, and now we are going to give Mariarade a makeover. In these three neighborhoods, we have removed a total of 10,000 m² of tiles and replaced them with greenery, upgraded 5,250 m² of greenery, and planted 326 new trees. In this way, we are creating a neighborhood where our residents want to continue living."

Figures

More than 3,000 square meters of green space will be added to the Hoensbroek neighborhood. More than 100 new trees will also be planted throughout the neighborhood. In addition, thousands of square meters of green space will be upgraded, for example in the context of biodiversity. Wolfshoofdplein and Bergplein are examples of this. At Wolfshoofdplein, 1,000 square meters of green space will be upgraded and 20 trees planted. Bergplein will have 675 square meters of upgraded green space and 10 new trees planted.