Dare to Dream of a Green River - Antwerp

Dare to Dream of a Green River (Durven dromen van een Groene Rivier) is a vision for the transformation of the Green Singel area in Antwerp, Belgium that was drafted in 2009 by the municipal authorities. The idea is to transform the space into an accessible area that connects the inner and outer city as well as the five large parks in the city's periphery. Development of the vision started in 2007 and has since been further refined and concretized by a design team and most recently fed into the development of the Flemish Master Plan 2020. The vision aims to promote the use of space in creating green infrastructure, urban parks, and green corridors. Instead of expanding the Ring of Antwerp to improve mobility, the municipality of Antwerp decided to use the space to create a Green Ring of 13 kilometers consisting of a wide range of green projects by implementing planning instruments based on spatial sciences and embracing ecological quality. The instrument also supports the city's initiatives in leveraging its livability and citizens' quality of life by creating new green spaces, corridors, urban forests, and restoring the historic city wall.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Urban planning mechanisms

Challenges addressed

Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Air quality
Noise
Social cohesion

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The vision promotes the enhancement of the citizen's quality of life and public health through an improvement of the green quality. In addition, the overall ecological structure is enhanced by improved connections with adjacent parks and landscape sections: image, management, and ecology go hand in hand. At a glance, the vision strives to improve the biodiversity profile and ability to engage in recreational activities. Restoring water purification, cultural heritage, and aesthetic value is also key to the vision. Overall, the idea to created a central public buffer zone enables sufficiently large spaces to be available in the densely populated urban fabric.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Antwerp

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The municipal authorities in Antwerp came together in 2007 to develop a vision for the Green Singel area, looking at five research areas: functionality, mobility, ecology, design and development strategy. The integration of these results led to 11 concepts, which were transformed into the vision in 2009. This vision has been further elaborated and refined by a design team consisting of f Maxwan Architects, Karres en Brands, HUB, Antwerp University and Goudappel Coffeng.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Private sector, corporate, business

Researchers, university

Type of actor involvement:

Co-planning or co-design of instrument (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Implementation of the vision - i.e. the transformation of the Green Singel area - is gradually being carried out with the city of Antwerp as the coordinator. In practice, this involves a number of implementation projects. The Green Ring, for example, is coordinated by AG VESPA, a municipal public works department for real estate and urban planning projects in Antwerp which owns the land on which the projects are located. Other involved actors include the Green Singel planning group (which includes a vast network of professionals), the city council to integrate insights into the urban development proposals, and the public inquiry into the draft versions of project proposals. In addition, citizens have been asked for their opinions regarding the design in structural consultation sessions and surveys. Civil society organizations such as Boerenbond, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Natuurpunt, Unizo, VOKA, and the University of Antwerp have all been involved. Participation has also included school students supporting the green planting of trees in Berchem.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen councils or consultation for co-planning (e.g. workshops, surveys)

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The overarching figures of the instrument financing are not publically available. However, in the Green ring project, the Municipality of Antwerp financed the project from the local budget. The sub-project of Brialmont's new park is designed by CLUSTER (architects) and Witteveen+Bos (engineer company) and financed by the municipality of Antwerp and the district Berchem. Another sub-project, 'Spoor Oost' (Track East), is subsidized by the European Regional Development Fund.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The vision has supported the city's ambition to create spatially and ecologically fragmented infrastructural corridors surrounding Antwerp and increase the attractiveness and accessibility to green for citizens, flora, and fauna. The implementation of the green river vision included the creation of a multiway boulevard, green and grey bridges, yellow brick road roadside landscape, water landscape, park connectors, parks, peripheral buildings, roadside buildings, and pebbles. No overarching quantitative figures were able to be found on the planted trees, water elements, and urban forests created.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The vision serves as the basis for 12 different interventions which can be labeled as good practices (e.g. Zuidasdok - Amsterdam, Big Dig Project - Boston, Gardens of Turia - Valencia, etc.) which are built on evidence-based needs assessment and accordingly promote multi-functional, context-based solutions. Moreover, the vision can be replicated as it has a place-based orientation—the decision-making mechanism promoted by the instrument is based on ambition versus investment resources assessment. The innovative involvement of governmental actors, research agencies, the private sector, and public participation in the design and implementation of the vision are noteworthy.

Sources and further information

Further documents

Documents:

Summary_note_Green_Singel_(S).pdf

RSPA_1_algemene_inleiding.pdf.coredownload.pdf

Weblinks:

https://una.city/nbs/antwerpen/green-ring

https://www.antwerpen.be/docs/Stad/Stadsvernieuwing/9746949_urbandevelopment_Eng…

https://www.karresenbrands.com/project/groene-singel-antwerpen

https://www.provincieantwerpen.be/lokale-besturen/gemeenten-in-beweging/data-en-…

Photos

@H.Martin