Hilvarenbeek

Hilvarenbeek is a rural municipality in the Kempen region in the south of the Netherlands. To address several societal, economic and environmental issues a service organisation called ‘Tussenheid/Hilvarenbeek Smart Village’ (HSV) was created in 2014.

It brings together residents, the government and various organisations aiming to address these challenges. HSV focuses on sustainable local development and supports bottom-up community initiatives through connectors and platforms with local experts. The support is linked to financing, strategy, communication, entrance governments and matching volunteers.

Results

This approach has led to several successful projects, including repurposing of a church into a school, providing horse riding for disabled children, building houses with youngsters, energy-production with wind, water and sun, and promoting local digital communities and education programmes related to regional development. These initiatives are largely driven by dedicated residents who share their knowledge and experience with new projects.

Beyond these tangible achievements, the initiative has injected a deeper sense of local self-confidence, self-reliance and social cohesion, fostering a robust community spirit. The direct beneficiaries of these efforts number in the hundreds, yet the indirect influence goes throughout the entire community, benefitting approximately 15 000 residents.

The resulting projects have made a substantial contribution to the transition and rejuvenation of the rural area, concurrently increasing municipal government awareness and commitment. Notably, the approach garnered European recognition through the European Parliament (EP) programme ’Let the Stars Shine’, attracting a delegation from the EP and EU Commission to visit the village and witness the positive impact of the endeavours.