Antwerpen, Belgium
City population: 499254
Duration: 2014 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Other
Last updated: October 2021

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 projects (Ref. 3). This large city plan contains green spaces along the Ring, green corridors between those green spaces and with existing parks, a new green park, neighborhood green spaces, restoring the historical city wall and so on (Ref. 3). The plan also contains measures to improve water storing capacity (Ref. 4).

An aerial image of a road surrounded by vegetation
https://cgconcept.be/antwerpen-herinrichting-landschap-turnhoutseknoop/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Nature on buildings
  • Green walls or facades
  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley and street greens
  • Railroad bank and track greens
  • Green playgrounds and school grounds
  • Riverbank/Lakeside greens
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Green corridors and green belts
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Lakes/ponds
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
  • Green areas for water management
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Noise reduction
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promotion of naturalistic urban landscape design
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for relaxation and recreation
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Strategy, plan or policy development

Project objectives

The main goal of the Green Ring is to transform the unused space surrounding the Ring into a 'new centrality' by creating a connection between different parks in and around the city, which will benefit air quality, reduce noise, improve biodiversity, improve water management, improve recreation ability and improve the quality of life of Antwerp citizens (Ref. 2, 3, 6). Additional goals: water purification (Ref. 3), aesthetic value (Ref. 4) and restoring cultural heritage (Ref. 2).

Implementation activities

Green corridor and green spaces: consisting of multiple green spaces with green connections between them, a new park, road dividers and road verges, neighborhood green spaces / pocket parks, green river banks, vegetation islands, green playground, green bridges on the Ring and planting trees (Ref. 2-4,6-8,10). Blue spaces: addition of a canal that connects existing blue areas (Ref. 8,9), sustainable ecological water system in new park (Ref. 2), addition of water spaces that capture storm water (Ref. 3), adding meandering ecological waterways (Ref. 4). Cultural heritage: the historical city wall is restored (Ref. 3). Recreation/sport: walking/cycling paths are created (Ref. 4), a natural playground is created (Ref. 2), creating recreational areas (Ref. 9), organizing events such as music festivals (Ref. 9), creating sport facilities (Ref. 9). Creating 'breathing hangars': covered public spaces with trees inside and a green wall (Ref. 9).

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
  • Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The overarching plan which contains all projects regarding the Green Ring is coordinated by AG VESPA which is a municipal public works department for real estate and urban projects in Antwerp (see comments) (Ref. 2). AG VESPA owns the land on which the projects are located, selects the project designers and developers and finances most of the projects (Ref. 2). Most projects are designed by a coalition of architects and developers: TV MAKH, consisting of Marwan A+U (landscape designers), Antea Group (engineer company), Karres en Brands (landscape designers) and HUB (architects) (Ref. 2). One of the sub projects, the new park Brialmont is designed by CLUSTER (architects) and Witteveen+Bos (engineer company) and financed by the municipality of Antwerp and the district Berchem. Citizens were asked for their opinions regarding the design (Ref. 2, 6). Another sub project, 'Spoor Oost' (Track East) is subsidized by the European Regional Development Fund (Ref. 2). Children helped with planting trees in Berchem (Ref. 2).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (The Green Ring is one of the projects of the 'Masterplan 2020 Bouwstenen door de uitbreiding van het Masterplan Mobiliteit Antwerpen' (Masterplan 2020 for mobility of Antwerp) in 2010. In this plan, the national government formulated that the mobility of Antwerp should focus on accessibility, safety and quality of life (Ref. 14). The Green Ring particularly addresses the latter issue. )
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The specific projects of the Green Ring are a result of the 'Durven dromen van een Groene Rivier' (Dare to dream of a Green River), which was the vision of the municipality of Antwerp regarding the development of the Ring of Antwerp specifically focusing on ecological quality (Ref. 3).)

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding or subsidy

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Reduced noise exposure
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Gemeente Antwerpen (2014). Stadsvernieuwing Groene Singel. [online] Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
2. AG Vespa (n.d.) Stadsprojecten. [online] Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
3. Gemeente Antwerpen (2009). Durven dromen van een Groene Rivier. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
4. Gemeente Antwerpen (2016). Beeldkwaliteitsplan Groene Singel. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
5. Gemeente Antwerpen (2015). Overkappingsonderzoek deel 2. Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
6. Gemeente Antwerpen (2016). Park Brialmint. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link
7. Gemeente Antwerpen (2012). Stedelijke visienota Singel Noord. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
8. Gemeente Antwerpen (2013). Singel Noord Antwerpen. Globaal Masterplan Publieke Ruimte. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
9. Gemeente Antwerpen (2017). Spoor Oost. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
10. HLN BE (2017). Hangar 19 in stukjes naar Spoor Oost. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
11. Geerts, P. (2016). Antwerpen/Herinrichting landschap Turnhoutseknoop. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
12. Gemeente Antwerpen (2017). Landschapsontwerp Turnhoutsepoort. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
13. Gemeente Antwerpen (2013). Groenplan Antwerpen. Bovenlokaal Groenplan Analyse Deel 6: Flankerend Groen. Antwerp: Municipality of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).
14. Gemeente Antwerpen (2017). "Groene Singel" [Online] Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 9, 2020).