ProGeo 2009 - Assen

A town among the trees 

Drenthe's provincial capital is situated in attractive surroundings. It is not for no reason that the town describes itself as "Assen - a town among the trees". Assen lies encircled by picturesque villages, with a number of nature parks only a stone's throw away.
Apart from the town of Assen, the municipality contains the villages of Witten and Loon, Rhee, Ter Aard, Ubbena, a part of Vries, Zeijen, Zeijerveen and Zeijerveld. Comfortable living and vitality go hand in hand in Assen. Improvements thus ensure great dynamism; Assen's residents want to retain its leafy character both in and surrounding the town.

Comfortable, accessible and vibrant. These are Assen's most important attributes. Because of its central location, Assen has been designated in the Fifth National Policy Document on Spatial Planning as one of the two cornerstones in the Groningen-Assen urban network. As a result of this, the town has a steering function in developing the economy, infrastructure and the residential and environmental climate in the area. Assen now serves some 200,000 people from the region. They work, shop or spend time in recreation in Drenthe's provincial capital. The shopping centre is particularly in vogue. This is no surprise as the town centre is compact, well provided for and is among the most accessible town centres in the Netherlands.

Growth
Growth is in the ascendant. Assen is the fastest growing centre in the north of the Netherlands. Population is increasing by some 1,000 residents each year. Records currently show a figure around the 60,000 mark. The number of jobs has passed 30,000 and is anticipated to grow to 40,000 over the next ten years. This rapid growth means that space needs to be found to cater for it: for new businesses, for a varied supply of housing and for an expansion of urban facilities. Moreover, the town must remain easily accessible.

Twin towns and municipal links

Bad Bentheim
Since 1959, Assen has been officially twinned with Bad Bentheim in Germany. Both towns have active working groups to promote the interconnection between their respective inhabitants assisted by municipal subsidies. This has led to exchanges between schools and activities relating to sport and culture.

Poznan
For ten years, the municipality of Assen has enjoyed a local government connection with Poznan in Poland. Within the context of Poland's potential entry to the European Union, Poznan has been acquainting itself with many countries and, in the broadest sense of the expression, with areas of policy in central and decentralised government.

Vryburg
Local government contact between Assen and Vryburg in South Africa dates from 1999. Connections between Assen and Vryburg are part of a greater collaborative link-up. Eight municipalities from Groningen and Drenthe and both their provinces are participating within this. Each municipality is targeting a specific policy area. Assen, in its case, is concentrating on the subject of waste management.