The Province of Liege between Now and 2020.An Exercise in Regional Planning to Choose Options for the Future

In 2001 the Development Commission set up by the Agency for Development of the Belgian province of Liege launched a two-year exercise in regional planning which brought together 50 local personalities, drawn from both public and private spheres, along with the collaboration of Futuribles. In 2005, this resulted in a very useful report on the possible scenarios for change in the province between now and 2020. Benoît Collet and Éric Winnen, who took part in the exercise, present its main features. The situation was first assessed and then several factors with crucial importance for the future of the province were identified (its human capital, land-use planning system and infrastructure, industrial base, social dynamism, natural and cultural resources, governance). For each one, a range of variables was chosen to be used in drawing up microscenarios offering different prospects of change for each factor. These microscenarios were then combined to create four major scenarios for the future of the province of Liege between now and 2020. After presenting these scenarios (ranging from the situation deteriorating to an interventionist policy of economic renewal), the authors provide details of the six main issues for the future of the province (in particular, mobilizing the population, turning the province’s geo-strategic position to good account, rationalizing the land-use planning and mobility, etc.) and make a variety of recommendations for ways of achieving the “phoenix” scenario, synonymous with the revival of Liege. Unfortunately, now that several months have passed since the results of the “Liege 2020” study were made public, it is all too clear that the decision-makers have not given the study the welcome that was hoped and that the area needs. Their reluctance could well favour the scenario of steady decline, as so often happens.