Masterplan for the redevelopment of the Stiemer Valley - Genk

The Masterplan for the Redevelopment of the Stiemer Valley is a strategic policy document dedicated to the redevelopment of the green-blue Stiemer creek and valley that crosses the city of Genk in Belgium. The masterplan presents an integrated vision, which was developed through a co-creation approach, to tackle the multiple challenges of the valley. The overarching objectives are to tackle the severe water issues of the valley (e.g. the overflow of sewage water into the canalized creek during heavy rainfalls), increase ecological values, improve accessibility and connectivity and increase citizens' quality of life. The masterplan was published in 2019 and is used as a backbone and framework to guide and plan future developments in the valley.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Overarching/cross-sectoral strategy, plan, or law

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Besides a strategy for ecosystem restoration, the masterplan proposes strategies to address other local city challenges by redeveloping the valley. First, to improve the water related issues, the masterplan proposes to create a parallel watercourse which should restore the dynamics of the valley in the long-term. Furthermore, actions (technical or natural solutions) are proposed to mitigate the negative effects of sewage overflows. Second, a focus is on improving connectivity for the inhabitants so that they can use the valley more easily to travel between neighborhoods or neighboring nature areas. The strategy proposes to improve infrastructure that connects various neighborhoods with the valley. Furthermore, neighborhood walks, informal routes through the valley that pass particular locations or objects, are proposed. Third, for the theme public culture, the strategy proposes to strengthen the relationship between the valley and the inhabitants. This is intended to be done by improving public gardens that invite people to stay, use and meet. Furthermore, management and architectural actions are proposed to increase the experiences and interactions with the valley. Moreover, the strategy proposes to upgrade the borders of the valley (between green and gray) so that they become multi-purpose, for culture and nature.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Blue areas

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Municipality of Genk

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The multiple issues that are present in the valley acted as a starting point to launch a call in 2015 for proposals to develop a masterplan for the redevelopment of the Stiemer valley. The call asked to develop a strategy to restore and improve the valley into a meaningful green-blue backbone, improve the value of the valley for the community and to improve accessibility and connectivity. The city was able to participate with a procedure of the 'Flemish Government Architect' (Vlaamse Bouwmeester) to launch the call. The result was that international renowned organizations participated in the call and submitted a high quality of proposals. The winning consortium involved a wide range of stakeholders in the process of developing the masterplan; there was cooperation between government agencies at different scales (regional, provincial and local) and from different sectors (e.g. Flemish Land Agency, Flemish Environment Agency, a water agency, the province, city services such as Environment & Sustainable Development, Neighborhood Development, Mobility, Economy), with the inclusion of civil actors (e.g. a nature organization, local residents) and market actors (e.g. a sewage company, an engineering firm). The collaboration resulted in an integrated vision and a strategy for the valley on four main themes: water, ecology, connectivity and public culture.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Private sector, corporate, business

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Coalition

Governmental administrations (province and regional (Flanders))

Type of actor involvement:

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

Civil society consultation through e.g. workshops, surveys

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Various initiatives emerged after the completion of the masterplan, all with the aim to support the implementation of the masterplan. Some of these initiatives are pilot projects initiated by the city in which the strategies of the masterplan are applied, often in co-creation with the same parties that were involved with the design of the masterplan. Partners also initiate their own projects that are in line with the framework and strategy of the masterplan (e.g. a water company working on the overflow issues or a university of applied sciences initiating citizen monitoring of the water). Furthermore, new policy instruments were created to involve different target groups, such as the citizens panel 'Friends of the Stiemer' which is created to keep citizens involved after finalizing the consultation rounds for the design of the masterplan. The local community is also engaged and activated through the StiemerHUB. Through this governance model the city is a partner, but not the lead facilitator. The aim is to increase the connection of citizens with the valley through workshops. Also, they are able to organize activities such as a concert, gardening activities, a children's party, etc. Moreover, the city organized a training for management of wet nature to train citizens who want to contribute through management activities. Finally, the city created the Stiemerdeals, a governance model to involve and collaborate with local entrepreneurs and organizations to realize socio-economic win-wins for the valley.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

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

Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Citizen monitoring and review

Private parties, including citizens, contribute to the management of the valley in collaboration with the management body

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Coalition, please specify

Governmental institutions, such as the municipality/city council itself as well as regional public institutes

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public regional budget

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

100 000 € 500 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The development of the masterplan was funded by the Flemish Land Agency, the LIFE project Green4Grey and by the city. The total budget was €200.000 of which €120.000 was funded by the city and €80.000 by the Flemish Land Agency through the LIFE project.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

The city applies reflexive monitoring to evaluate their approach, in which they define learning questions in order to learn lessons and make motivated decisions on how to further develop the Stiemer programme. Staff of the department of environment and sustainable development who work on the Stiemer programme have a meet on reflexive monitoring every two months.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

A profound understanding of the complexity of the valley and the project was created through the development and implementation of the masterplan. The mobilization of and collaboration between stakeholders (including citizens) enriched the explorative process and ultimately the masterplan. Furthermore, the collaborative process increased public support and involvement for the development of the valley. Furthermore, the ambitions and goals of the masterplan were taken up in municipal policies which helped to prioritize its implementation. Various NBS pilot projects emerged from the masterplan to create added value on an ecological, social and economic level. Finally, the masterplan acted as leverage to receive subsidies. The clear framework and vision of the masterplan made it easier to apply for subsidies.

Success factors and lessons learned:

Multiple problems and opportunities of the Stiemer Valley were considered, discussed and included from various domains, such as the environment (water, nature, climate), socio-cultural (mobility, recreation, social cohesion) and economy (entrepreneurship). The design process was set up to allow relevant stakeholders (including citizens) to participate from their own point of view and to learn from each other and bring their various values, interests and visions together. This resulted in a strong integrated vision that mobilized stakeholders around a shared cause, contributing to the further development of subsequent supporting strategies. Strong project coordination promoted trust and cooperation among the involved stakeholders resulting in a strong coalition. Due to a strong coalition, partners remained involved and in certain cases initiated their own actions (in line with the masterplan). The Stiemer Valley redevelopment is well embedded in the municipal policy plans and is strongly endorsed by the mayor and the city council. However, the city also encountered several challenges. Firstly, it was a challenge to explore, stimulate and realize economic opportunities. Furthermore, consideration should also be given to a balance between permitted economic activities and environmental and natural disruption. Secondly, achieving diversity in citizen participation is a challenge, both in terms of diversity in age, culture and the involvement of vulnerable groups. Finally, it is a challenge to implement all elements of the masterplan, especially financially.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Hill, A.V. (ed) (2022). Process Design: an Explorer's Guide, Nature-Based Solutions, Connecting Nature, Genk. Osmos Foundation, Amsterdam

Tas, A., Dekeyser, L., Leone, M., Verheyden, W., Turkelboom, F., Mortelmans, D., Carmen, R., Wanner, S. & Jacobs, S. (2021). Onderzoek voor Groene Infrastructuur in steden: Het voorbeeld van de Stiemerbeekvallei in Genk. Rapporten van het Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek 2021 (27). Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek, Brussel. DOI: doi.org/10.21436/inbor.37421014

Tractebel, ADR architectes/ George Descombes, IMDC. (2019). Stiemervallei Masterplan.

Interview(s):

City of Genk

Further documents

Weblinks:

http://stiemervallei.be

Photos

@Ciudad de Genk