Nature Fabric Planning (Natuurweefselplanning) - Flanders

Nature Fabric Planning is a voluntary policy transition process that is currently in development in Flanders, Belgium. 'Nature fabric' refers to connecting green, blue and gray elements as a means to increase biodiversity and the quality of life of citizens in cities and towns through co-creation processes. In essence, this agreement-based instrument is a framework to create and facilitate multi-stakeholder arena's for horizontal decision-making. Any local stakeholder (e.g. citizens, community groups, municipal departments) can apply in a coalition as long as it includes a (local) governmental agency. These coalitions determine the socio-ecological development, management and quality of a neighborhood for 24 years and create a framework for development and collaboration based on a common vision, goals and ownership. A long-term vision on the design of the neighborhood is developed, which includes area-specific nature objectives. Actions defined through the co-creation process can include, for example, placing a tunnel for hedgehogs to de-sealing streets or creating a retention basin with an adventurous natural playground. Every six years, the neighborhood development plans are to be evaluated and revised.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Human health, comfort and well-being
Other, please specify

Challenges are context dependent per neighborhood

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The instrument emphasizes that urban nature immediately has a positive impact on the well-being and health of the local community as well as gives a boost to biodiversity and lowers pressure on nature outside of the city. Furthermore, the instrument aims to contribute to a local circular economy. If possible, it also wishes to contribute to edible urban nature (urban agriculture). At the very core is the vision that people and the environment share the same habitat and are a part of '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

Derelict areas

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Other

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

(Flemish) Agency for Nature and Forest in cooperation with the (Flemish) Department of Environment, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), provinces and 3 municipalities (for testing).

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The instrument is designed through a co-creative and iterative process within existing and concrete processes of urban nature development projects. A lot of knowledge is already available in these processes and feeds into its design. The projects are studied and assessed where there are opportunities and where difficulties are encountered. Since national and regional nature administrations have traditionally focused on ‘pristine’ natural areas, nature reserves and habitats of high ‘ecological value’, the question was whether and how existing legislative, economic and management instruments as well as their authority, could offer an essential but untapped potential to realize a paradigm shift. Insights were used to develop the framework and manual.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

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

Private sector, corporate, business

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Coalition

Type of actor involvement:

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

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The instrument aims to link citizen initiatives and government resources in a 'bottom-linked' (i.e. a (local) governmental agency is participating) governance arrangement to ensure the long-term viability of the initiatives. Co-creation is an essential element, which facilitates a democratic process of collectively ‘making’ urban nature. Where feasible and wanted, an external trained facilitator guides the process. Any local stakeholder (citizens, community groups, municipal departments, etc.) or coalition can apply to start the process. The coalition also takes an active role to investigate the available budgets and how or who co-finances the proposed actions.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Citizen monitoring and review

Citizen science

Targeted actors:

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

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Coalition, please specify

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public regional budget

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The instrument does not offer any financing of projects. However, knowledge networks and a pool of facilitators are set up to support and facilitate initiatives. Budgets to implement actions (as a result of the process) are to be determined by and negotiated among the local coalition. To initiate the test cases in the preparatory phase, 50% of the budget is provided by the regional government and the other 50% by the municipality.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

Reflexive monitoring is an important element during the preparatory phase of the instrument and is applied in the projects and test cases that are part of the development process.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

There is no evaluation planned yet for the instrument itself. An element of the instrument is to evaluate the neighborhood plans every 6 years and re-adjust them where necessary. Also, the test cases will be evaluated during the first few years of implementation.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Currently, the instrument is in an experimental phase. A manual is in development which contains the (theoretical and practical) framework and a step-to-step guideline with various ambition levels. A course is in development to train facilitators to apply and guide local coalitions. A knowledge network and a pool of facilitators need to be built to support local processes. Although the manual is not fully finalized yet, it will be tested on three pilot projects in Genk, Vilvoorde and Antwerpen-Berchem in order to re-adjust the guidelines where necessary. Through this approach, significant impacts are expected in the coming years.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The programme acts as a basis and a methodology which facilitates a shift on three dimensions important to the development and management of urban nature, i.e.: (1) Policy: from top-down to bottom-up policy making; (2) Science: from mechanistically driven to a holistic worldview which embraces the chaos of the urban context, and (3) Citizenship: to conscious citizens who steer from "inside", are mature and with a sense for responsibility, facilitated and framed by policy and science. In line with these principles, a prerequisite to applying for the programme is that a coalition must be formed with local stakeholders and be 'bottom-linked' (i.e. a (local) governmental agency is participating). This ensures the long-term viability of the development plans and helps to frame the proposals within the local governmental context, including e.g. within available budgets. An added value is that local stakeholders are informed, involved and support the actions and can take stewardship. These policy experiments include innovative ways of empowering citizens and neighborhoods to introduce numerous small changes and crucial outcomes in and for urban nature, create more involvement and participation, and instill ownership of urban nature, as opposed to the current mainly top down approach generating passivity, resistance and even fear.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

ANB. (2022) Stedelijke natuur. Available at: https://www.natuurenbos.be/stedelijkenatuur (Accessed: 07-07-2022)

Interview(s):

Agency for Nature and Forest (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos)

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.natuurenbos.be/stedelijkenatuur

Photos

@Y.Adams (Vilda)