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Project Summary Project Description Application of Tools Opinion of Tools Decision making process Contact Details

Opinion of tools

Name of the case study
Pedestrian Master Plan for the city of Liege


Name of tool
Pedestrian Master Plan

Opinion of tool - argumentation for choosing the tool
The Federal Plan for Large Cities in Liége is the initiator and coordinator of the tool.

Their motivations for choosing the tool are:
administrative: provide a framework to organise information (data collected, etc), to plan urban developments, etc.
social: provide a coherent and visible plan for citizen needs of mobility, health, well-being, etc.
environmental: promote non-motorised mobility, improve the public spaces quality, green spaces, etc.
development of the city: sustainable tool to promote the city, argument to get funds for development projects, etc.

The Department of Federal Plan for Large Cities in Liège is the initiator and coordinator of the Pedestrian Plan.

The tool has been developed to promote soft mobility according to environmental and social concerns.

The qualitative objectives are defined as such:
• Promote walk
• Development and connection of public pedestrian spaces
• Link different city´s entities
• Create new short cuts through the city
• Improve the pedestrian environment quality
• Improve the integration of reduced mobility persons
• Improve the access to public transport and services

Prior to the tools implementation in Liége The pedestrian plan of Geneva, its realisation and promotion was known of.

For the diagnosis preceding the development of the Master Plan, quantitative data from different sources were used:
• Enquiries about mobility practices, every 5 years, made by the Wallonian Region.
• Surveys on particularised thematic (students, customers, etc.), 4 times per year, by "urban stewards" for the city Liége.

Opinion of tool - barriers for the tool implementation
The main barrier that impeded the setting of such a Pedestrian Plan is the time required, particularly to gather data, etc.

Once the Plan finished, there is still the difficulty to find financial and human resources to develop concrete projects to give it visibility.

Public awareness is also a main thought. The promotion of the plan via different kind of actions (thematic brochures, selective developments, etc.) is the main objective for 2004.


Opinion of tool - assessment by tool users
There were no measurable improvements as a result of the tools implementation and this is a weakness of this Pedestrian Plan as it is supposed to promote sustainability! In additon, the indicators considered to measure progresses are not really comprehensive and do not encapsulate the whole problem.

Things learnt as a result of using the tool include (i)The Master Plan drawn up, human and financial resources have to be found to insure it a tangible future (promotion, projects´ developments, etc.). (ii) The Pedestrian Master Plan gives the municipal objectives a way of expression, promotion and negotiation. For example, the Plan enables better communication and more balanced issues between respective stakes regarding planned federal/regional infrastructure developments.

For 2004, the objective is the promotion of the plan via different kind of actions (thematic brochures, selective developments, etc.). The tool is recommended by the actors because at least it is a means to organising existing resources and making things change.

Opinion of tool - reviewer\'s assessment
Liége has one of the highest ratios of unemployment in Wallonia, and still a grey image due to its earlier glorious industrial past. The city needs new investments, and solid strategies to frame them.

Prior infrastructure developments cut the urban centre into disconnected districts, setting up physical and social barriers. Yet, the city has a very interesting, public spaces and footpath heritage.

The Pedestrian Plan takes these own characteristics into account developing more then a conventional green network.

Till now, the Pedestrian Plan has any lawful weight. To make it a concrete strategy for the city it will be useful to insert it into a legal procedure. Developers of the plan are thinking of it concerning options and principles, technical points are to stay more flexible.

What tools were used to assess sustainability?

Pedestrian Master Plan

More information

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