WUR and the municipality of Wageningen are working on the neighbourhoods of the future together

Social challenges

Wageningen faces major challenges: getting rid of natural gas, a changing climate, sustainable, healthy and local food, increasing biodiversity and building new homes. The municipality and WUR are jointly looking for solutions to these issues, which come together in neighbourhoods. Mayor Floor Vermeulen: "How can we build a neighbourhood of the future in Wageningen? Where residents like to live, work, move and which at the same time provides answers to difficult problems we encounter together? By continuing our collaboration, we want to achieve innovative and sustainable solutions for the neighbourhood of the future: and that neighbourhood is in Wageningen, of course."

Research in practice

WUR students and researchers work on issues in their own city via the City Agenda and gain valuable knowledge in practice. Rens Buchwaldt, member of the executive board of WUR, agrees and says: “The city and the university have been connected for more than a century. Our knowledge can make an impact on the society of Wageningen. The insights from that impact are important in taking our research to a higher level.”

What now?

From the City Agenda there are continuous WUR projects on the territory of the municipality with research methods such as citizen science and living labs. The municipality of Wageningen and WUR want more cohesion between these projects for a visible contribution to the 'Neighbourhoods of the future'. Knowledge is actively shared from the 'City Deal Kennis Maken' with bblthk, Thuis Wageningen and Regio Foodvalley. A group of Wageningen students and residents has started a new Wageningen art and culture magazine ‘Uitwaaien’. Current projects are highlighted on wur.nl, the municipality's website and social media.