I suppose it begins with an anxious wait for a taxi at 4.30 am, but really it begins four hours later on a packed flight from Brussels, where I speak half French, half English to my neighbour, who has just taken on a role as urban designer for the Brussels region: 1.1 million people, same size as Tyne and Wear, but divided into 19 municipalities, of which Brussels itself is the largest, and the same size as Newcastle.
My new acquaintance tells me he thinks the crisis between Flemish and Walloon regions is not as intense as it was, but relations with neighbouring regions, different in politics, nationalisms, and language, remain difficult.
It is easy to take partnership for granted in Tyne and Wear. A reminder, then, that we shouldn’t and it is one of the strngest selling points when I speak to developers.
David
Tags: MIPIM, Newcastle, regeneration