Create improved relations between
parks and gardens and their regions:
economy, environment, culture and people

This action will demonstrate and communicate the vital contribution gardens can deliver for sustainable development. While innovative measures will be implemented within EGHN, the five anchor gardens already are good examples to show that parks and gardens are more than protected heritage sites. Their economic, environmental, cultural, social and educational activities were subject to case studies.

Central to this action is the development, implementation and evaluation of pilot projects to enhance the values of gardens and to use them for sustainable spatial development. Parks and gardens as starting points or gateways will have an active role in such projects.

Each partner will - as a pilot project - design and implement at least one regional route to highlight the very specific features and qualities of the regional garden resource and the regional landscape, culture, architecture, economy, heritage or social life. Each route will include five parks and gardens and up to ten other sites (e.g. areas of natural beauty, museums, historic villages, modern architecture). The promotion of these routes will profit from an informative and attractive website (on-line with the first route since June 2005) and information packages demonstrating the distinctiveness of cultural landscapes and inviting to experience this diversity. This will guide garden visitors to and pick-up visitors at other attractions by providing links - physical and documentary - between gardens and other regional attractions.

While the regional routes will have a strong tourism effect (promote the sites, keep people in the region) each single route will also adhere to a specific regional development approach. To achieve this, the composition of the route needs to consider existing or future development strategies and resources. Each regional route will have a specific theme and bring together the relevant stakeholders and key players from various sites, sectors, organisations etc. This also has to be the opening (opportunity or gateway) for follow-up activities and cooperation.

By doing so the Regional Gateways will be a regional development approach led by parks and gardens. By addressing different themes and by following different development strategies in the partner regions, EGHN activities and experiences will be amalgamated to create Inter-Regional Gateways: a transferable model for sustainable development based on best practice in Northwest Europe.

For first results of this action please refer to " Reports "

Main responsibility: Stiftung Schloss Dyck

Major supporting partners: CRT Pays de la Loire, Surrey County Council, Somerset County Council, Cheshire County Council, Friends of the National Trust in Germany

Contact person: Christian Gruessen
gruessen@planplus.net