PURE HUBS
Using shared values to connect cities to the countryside
What are PURE Hubs?
Cities are congested places with their fair share of social and spatial problems. Traditionally, they have tended to look inwards to try and find solutions to the challenges they face.
It has been easy for those living in cities to overlook a valuable resource right on their doorstep – the countryside. Beyond the boundaries of every city is an area of green space: space to move freely, to grow food, to learn…
But just as in the past, cities may not have fully exploited rural potential, so have people and businesses in nearby rural communities not always found it easy to interact with the city. Both sides lacked the knowledge and the networks to make the necessary connections.
That’s why we’ve created PURE Hubs. A Pure HUB is a place where city residents - in search of healthy food, energy to heat homes, space to play and learn - can meet rural entrepreneurs whose businesses will blossom with the extra stimulus city dwellers can provide.
These could be farms, who can eliminate wasteful transport costs by selling their produce more locally; or earn additional income by providing a learning environment for the elderly and disabled. Or rurally located Arts Centres, that can provide both leisure facilities and educational opportunities for city residents. Or any business or organisation that links the countryside to the city.
Heffen Community Centre
Heffen Community Centre in Mechelen, Belgium will create a link between the city and the nearby green space of the Hombeeks Plateau. It will focus on selling local produce and organising farm visits for both leisure and educational purposes.
The city of St Helens
The city of St Helens in Northern England plans to create a Forest Park, providing city residents with easily accessible green space for leisure, enjoying nature and tasting local food.
Rijk Van Dommel Van A
The area of Rijk Van Dommel Van A, an officially recognised green belt around the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, is exploring how it can generate green energy for the city, as well as host much needed care farms for the urban elderly and disabled.