Becoming the Most Accessible City of Europe
09/09/2026 - 15:27
- Uncover
From the network
Breda’s journey to become a hospitable and accessible city started with the personal urgency of a hotelkeeper who proposed to use tourism tax revenues to that end. So, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the city had been closely involved right from the start. In 2017, there were already 100+ ambassadors (entrepreneurs, organisations) who signed a letter of intent, aiming to reach 1,000 ambassadors. This led to the emergence of a growing group full of passion and ideas, but still lacking direction. In the Breda network structure, three organisations (see text boxes) soon assumed a leading role: 1. Breda voor Iedereen (Breda for Everyone), 2. Breda Gelijk (Breda Equal), and 3. Breda Marketing. The close cooperation between these organisations and their underlying networks has been essential to enable a broad action plan for accessibility in Breda.
Prizes
In 2019, Breda won the European Access City Award. The city was thus recognised as the most accessible city of Europe for the disabled and the elderly. Breda also won the Smart Tourism Award in the category Accessibility in 2020. And the Beter Bereikbaar Application (Better Accessible App.), about which more later on, has won two important prizes: a top 10 ranking as Best Government Innovation and the Living & Inclusion Award during the World Smart City Awards, both in 2023. Although prizes are not an end in themselves, working towards and winning prizes proves important in the process of fostering shared ambitions and staying on course together.
Working on the foundations
Breda began by laying the foundations, which involved both creating conditions and largely focusing on back-office activities. A great deal of attention was paid to building a diverse network of entrepreneurs, study programmes, NGOs and volunteers who wanted to be involved in making Breda more accessible. In addition, the current situation was mapped out through more than 800 surveys of local businesses and 200 inspections of public spaces and buildings. There was also a strong focus on raising awareness through workshops and annual events such as Accessibility Week and Digital Accessibility Day. Breda also trained frontline employees, such as bus drivers and hospitality staff, paying attention to hospitality and flexible support. In addition, the municipality of Breda appointed an Accessibility Advisor to assess designs and event plans, and developed Digital Twin technology to simulate the accessibility impact of urban planning decisions before they are implemented.
Rising visitor expectations
However, as the city won awards, visitors’ expectations also rose. Despite all the valuable behind-the-scenes work, visitors to Breda expected to see that ‘award-winning’ accessibility in practice. The fact that the Access City Award was won primarily because of the city’s extensive active network in this area means little to the visitor. Moreover, it did not help that the lift at the railway station, the gateway to the city, was out of order for a long time or that all the kerbs and bumps in the historic city centre cannot simply be removed. The accessibility policy was intended to deliver more visible improvements in accessibility and, above all, more accessible experiences.
In terms of physical accessibility, a major challenge was to make the historic city centre accessible whilst preserving its character. However, interventions were certainly possible: at Grote Markt, the traditional cobblestones were levelled; obstacles along the route from the train station via Park Valkenberg to the city centre and the main attractions were removed; and tactile paving and sensor-controlled lighting (for safety) were added. At the moment, 98% of bus stops have ramps and tactile paving; stops are announced both visually and audibly on buses. The first ‘good pavement route’ (accessible walking routes to central locations in residential areas) was completed in Princenhage in autumn 2025. A quick-win list was also drawn up, containing easily implementable improvements for businesses and organisations, such as ramps, markings on glass doors, access for assistance dogs, etc.
A key factor in this was the launch of the Toegankelijkheidsfonds (Accessibility Fund) by the local council. Through this fund (managed by Breda Gelijk), businesses and organisations can obtain funding to improve accessibility. Investments of up to €1,000 require no personal contribution; larger amounts of up to €3,000 with a 50% co-investment are also possible. The fund has already been used around 50 times, with scope for further initiatives. The improvements range from installing ramps, such as at De Krag sports centre, and applying clear markings to the windows at De Nieuwe Veste, to a wheelchair-friendly path and a multi-sensory experience at Leonie’s Paradijstuin (Paradise Garden).
Focus on experience
To attract visitors, it is important that everyone, including those with special needs, feels welcome and sees that a city has plenty to offer them. Breda Marketing, for example, developed an Accessible City Route taking in the city’s most beautiful spots, with a focus on accessibility for visitors in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility. Another great initiative was the wheelchair-accessible canal boat on Breda’s canals, which is, unfortunately, (temporarily) out of service due to maintenance. Good examples in the fields of culture and sport include the wide range of activities offered by the Sprint Athletics Club for various groups, such as Running Blind and Clubthrow; the tactile model of Breda Castle at the KMA; and, of course, the performances by the Tiuri theatre workshop and their study programmes for people with limitations to become actors or theatre makers. Recently Breda Grote Kerk and Blind Walls Gallery started with multi-sensory tours.
Breda hosts many events where accessibility is explicitly on the agenda. The Vuelta stage in Breda in 2022 was significant due to the launch of the Beter Bereikbaar App (more on that later), and the large low-stimulus zone—free of promotional vehicles or audible signals—which can now also be seen during the carnival parade in ‘Kielegat’. In addition, during the Vuelta stage, there was a stand with Braille signage and specialist commentators describing both the race and the atmosphere, wheelchair-accessible areas near the big screens, and the ‘Unlimited Vuelta’ side event – a cycling event for people with limitations who use handcycles, tandem bikes or wheelchairs. Almost all festivals in Breda now regard accessibility as standard practice: apps providing reliable information, improved crowd management and outbound accessibility, harder surfaces on grassy areas, and a focus on active participation, such as at the Singelloop in Breda, which this year attracted nearly 1,500 athletes with limitations. It is hoped that last year’s Accessibility Week set a new standard with the introduction of the mobile Changing Places toilet. Breda is currently working with Marianne Dijkshoorn to draw up the guidelines entitled ‘Accessibility through hospitality at events in Breda’.
Communication & Apps
Access to reliable information is crucial. In terms of digital accessibility, municipal platforms meet clear standards; tourists with limitations get support via platforms such as Zorg-voor-elkaar. In addition, Breda encourages the development of useful apps, such as the Beter Bereikbaar App. For people with limitations, this app displays essential facilities such as car parks, toilets, rest areas, drinking water points and shelters from the rain in different colours. Users can click on locations to view details such as addresses and specific available facilities; guided tours and events can also make use of this app, which has already been downloaded more than 35,000 times.
Plee list
Having easy access to publicly accessible toilets is a basic requirement for many people to take part in city life. Together with cultural and sports institutions, restaurants, shops, educational and government institutions, Breda created an appropriate ‘Pleelist’(Plee – pronounced as ‘play’ – means Loo). Their aim is to realise 200 toilets open to the public and 40 public wheelchair-friendly toilets in the municipality of Breda by the end of 2027. To improve findability, Breda will use the UrgentNeed app. The app shows a map with available toilets in an area, gives information about facilities and addresses, and offers directions from your current location to the toilet.
Intensive cooperation with education
In Breda, there is a widespread belief that accessibility can be taught. That’s why various activities are organised at all levels of education. A good example is the Actief Tour organised by Breda Gelijk, where children from mainstream education and special education spend a day playing sports together. The cooperation with the Academy for Leisure & Events (BUas) is valuable. Since 2020, various co-creative research and design projects are organised at museums, city tours, sports facilities, events, and attraction parks with several Sterkplaatsen (Strong Places) of LFB (the national interest organisation for and by the mentally impaired), in which students and experiential experts cooperate as equals during the entire process. In this way, students, the future professionals, are becoming more sensitive to accessibility, and are working together with the people concerned on solutions. Since 2023, experiential experts of Breda Gelijk and Breda voor Iedereen have also joined them.
In 2023, when the presidency of Breda voor Iedereen was transferred, Wilbert Willems handed over the ten-point plan entitled Manifesto for an inclusive Breda to his successor Jos Koniuszek. This manifesto sets out the ambition to make Breda Europe’s most accessible city once again in 2030 – and this time, not only on the basis of the strong network, but specifically because of its exceptionally accessible infrastructure and recreational offerings. The aforementioned co-creative educational projects contribute significantly to the ambition of creating accessible, meaningful experiences for everyone, along with associated positive values such as happiness, social interaction, and personal development.
Future steps
Recently (May 2025), the local council presented the Accessibility Agenda for the period 2025-2026, outlining concrete actions to make Breda more accessible. The key priorities here are raising awareness in society, making public spaces and buildings accessible, and organising accessible events and recreational opportunities. During the presentation, municipal executive councillor Jeroen Bruijns emphasised pragmatism and realism, as well as expanding and improving upon what has already been set in motion.
Physical obstacles are still being removed in many places in the city, and recreational facilities are now undergoing a thorough review for accessibility. Levelling the cobblestones was a good start, but now attention must be paid to the joints between the stones, because wheelchair users with small front wheels get stuck. The modifications require guidelines for a more universal design, in which it must be clear that not only the beautification of the street, but also marking and safety deserve attention when constructing stairs and crossings.
The Chassé and Bloos theatres have applied to install a public Changing Places toilet. With every improvement, the awareness of all users is essential: for example, even if a location is made accessible, it becomes unusable when delivery vans block the pavements or bicycles obstruct the guide strips for the blind.
Finally
The Breda model has achieved a great deal, but remains vulnerable. Ten years after the ratification of the UN Convention in 2016, its implementation still relies primarily on the individual commitment of decision-makers and volunteers. The question looking ahead to 2030 is therefore how we can move beyond voluntary measures towards enforceable regulations with mandatory requirements and enforcement. Everyone agrees on the importance of broad social awareness. To be accessible to everyone, you have to do it together with everyone. True accessibility requires collective responsibility!
Breda Gelijk
Breda Gelijk is a knowledge centre and advocacy group for an inclusive Breda where people with limitations can participate as equals. The organisation relies on volunteers, many of whom are people with limitations who are experiential experts themselves. Their approach includes providing information, training courses, assessments, advice, and managing the accessibility fund.
“According to Breda Gelijk, everybody is equal, belongs here, and can participate. That’s why accessibility must always be a priority and be incorporated into, for example event policies. We are proud that, after years of hard work, a 24/7 accessible wheelchair-accessible toilet is finally coming to the city centre. Then you can join in!”
Gwen van de Meer, coordinator.
Breda Voor Iedereen
This platform is a collaboration between the hospitality sector, retailers, the local council, healthcare providers and organisations for people with limitations. Its aim is to make Breda the most accessible urban region in the Netherlands, with a focus on inbound tourism for people with limitations, by raising awareness and recruiting ambassadors.
“It makes me proud that the European Commission is taking Breda’s efforts seriously. The biggest challenge is to make all residents realise that everyone has a part to play in creating an accessible city, and also to encourage all experiential experts to work together, with a positive attitude, to make Breda the most accessible city in the Netherlands.”
Jos Koniuszek, chairman.
Breda Marketing
Breda Marketing helps to make Breda more accessible by developing, advising on and promoting accessible routes, events and information for visitors and residents – via explorebreda.com, the Explore Breda app and the physical Explore Breda Store – based on the belief that everyone should feel welcome and be able to experience the city.
“I’m proud of Breda’s ambition to focus even more strongly on accessibility in the coming years. Because only then will Breda be the welcoming city where everyone is truly welcome. The challenge is to get everyone on board with this and to involve experiential experts in new projects right from the initial design stage.”
Marielle Houben, staff member
Photography
Breda Marketing
Rosa Meininger