From 2007 Aremark has been member of the Innovation Circle Network which focuses on how smaller communities can transform and become attractive for new settlements, business, trade and visitors. The IC network organised a team of experts from Norway and Latvia and entered Aremark last week. The workshop which was a part of the Transinform project in Østfold county started out with the provision of background challenges and information from the municipal leaders.

Then the expert team started to map and analyse the situation at Fosby village. The team included Michael Fuller-Gee, town planner in Arendal, Ieva Kiesnere and Lilita Lazdane from Jelgava university, Mathilde Dahl from Oslo School of Architecture and Design and Alf S. Johansen from TiF management team.

After 48 hours intensive work the diagnosis and proposals were presented to the council. Aremark center (Fosby) consists of 2 parts, north and south. The main message was to link the 2 parts together by new housing and also to densify and strengthen the southern part (administrative and shopping center) by attractive flats, new library, new shops, new paths and improved connection to the river and to the Aremark lake.

The main idea is to develop Aremark center, build on the strengths like the waterways, to become an attractive hub for rural tourism and to take advantage of the short commuting distance to Halden and other towns. Aremark can in the future offer both attractive houses for families and attractive and reasonable priced flats for persons who would like to stay in Fosby village. In this process Aremark could work together with Østfold county council,the neighbour communities and international partners.