Initiatives & partnerships

Approach

Nextensa engages with its stakeholders and has established various partnerships and dialogues within the community to reach its sustainability goals. By collaborating with local associations to foster co-creation and by actively supporting initiatives in the neighbourhoods of new and ongoing projects, Nextensa strives to create a rich and varied programme for young people and their families through social, cultural, sporting, and educational activities. To promote a sustainable and circular economy, Nextensa sets up projects and business relationships with organisations that share the same values. The organisation works for clients that are in agreement with its mission to develop new multifunctional neighbourhoods through responsible co-creation. Tenderers are selected based on their ability to integrate sustainability and emphasise local anchoring in the context of the contract.

Moreover, Nextensa is constantly looking for synergies and partnerships for the implementation of energy projects to respond to local needs, utilising local renewable sources, with the aim of generating added value for the wider local communities.

Creating synergies with other organisations

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a question of connectedness. Through innovative and co-creative partnerships, government, industry, social actors and knowledge institutions are increasingly working together in the pursuit of a more sustainable world.

It is essential for Nextensa to foster connections with organisations that have a common objective to create a meaningful ecosystem. It looks for like-minded co-creation partners to exchange knowledge and experience. By communicating clearly and openly about the ESG strategy, Nextensa sharpens awareness among its clients, tenants, tenderers, and suppliers about its sustainability goals and requirements. Before entering into a new business relationship, Nextensa assesses the party based on criteria including its vision of sustainability, local anchoring, and partnerships. With this approach, it ensures that all projects contribute to the goal of developing green and inclusive environments promoting a circular and sustainable economy.

One example among many others was the creation this year of the energy community, an energy-sharing pilot project on the Tour & Taxis site in collaboration with WeSmart.

Partnerships with associations and cooperatives

Nextensa supports projects and organisations that are active in sustainable food, the circular economy, the social economy, or cultural and well-being projects, by welcoming them to Tour & Taxis or other locations in its portfolio.

Nextensa’s many actions, partnerships and initiatives enable the creation of local dynamism. These actions help to form a sense of community and actively involve local people in inspiring activities.

To stimulate social cohesion and active participation of neighbourhoods, Nextensa makes new collective facilities available. Spaces are made available (for free or with a considerable discount) for organisations with a positive impact on society. One of the organisations supported this year by Nextensa is TADA vzw (ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir) - a learning network that involves citizens and the business community in the emancipation and integration of socially vulnerable teenagers and their environment.

TADA exists thanks to countless people and private organisations. They selflessly harness the power of society to encourage as many people as possible to take more individual responsibility, for the sake of a more inclusive society where there are equal opportunities for development for everyone.

TADA has supported the children of a class from Molenbeek together with professionals from the film world to make their own short film. The project concluded with a film festival in the Maison de la Poste cinema (Tour & Taxis) which parents were invited to attend in order to admire their children’s films.

Nextensa also regularly organises open-door events, giving the opportunity to small businesses, pop-ups, or startups in the neighbourhood to promote their projects. These attract hundreds of visitors, from local residents to tourists of all ages and nationalities.

Providing opportunities

Nextensa not only puts residents, building occupants and visitors at the centre of its sustainability ambitions, but also understands the value of genuinely supporting the community at a broader level.

Nextensa strives to create prosperity and offer opportunities to the local community by providing job opportunities to young people and local entrepreneurs, contributing to a better living environment, and offering collective facilities.

This year, Nextensa supported the “Building Beyond Borders” project by the students of the University of Hasselt, which aims to modernise the Parckfarm greenhouse located in the extension of the Tour & Taxis park. The Building Beyond Borders postgraduate certificate is a bi-annual learn-and-act programme for graduates and professionals who want to become change-makers in the built environment.

The programme includes a series of theoretical sessions, lectures, workshops, hands-on experiments and design explorations.

This year, Nextensa far exceeded its goal of supporting at least 25 initiatives with a positive impact each year, including both ongoing and new projects:

NUMBER OF INITIATIVES SUPPORTED IN THE CATEGORY OF:

• SUPPORTING ASSOCIATIONS
• STIMULATING URBAN MICRO MOBILITY
• PROMOTING JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
• INTEGRATING ART, CULTURE & SPORTS
• PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES