Parckdesign 2012 radically reassesses what we can understand by a park. It is so much more than a traditional park or other forms of cultivated nature. Urban wastelands are central to this outdoor event. Bits of the city where nature, not man rules. A series of artistic interventions show the value these kinds of places have to offer, both for the city as an ecosystem and for local residents. → more

The fact that care lies at the heart of our society needs no further explanation since the covid-19 pandemic. The initiative for the studio series ‘Take Care! Invisible care as a social-spatial issue’ came about just before the outbreak of this global health crisis. Representatives from different policy domains, knowledge institutions, care organizations and architects sat down together. They had discussions for five afternoons on how space can be a lever to integrate care in our society in a ‘normal and natural way’. → more

Citizens are once again demanding right of way on the streets. They are outraged: the quality of the air their children breathe every day at school is downright bad. Parents are joining forces and take action every week, all over the country, under the name ‘Filter Café Filtré’. What is special is that this citizens' movement doesn’t get mired in criticism, but suits the action to the word. Committed architects develop alternative design proposals on how the design of school environments can be different and better.    → more

Open space is vitally important. We need open space to safeguard our food supply and biodiversity. The open space also provides our urban society with many other services. It mitigates the effects of climate change, has a cooling function, offers buffer capacity for water shortages or excesses and is needed to generate renewable energy. What’s more, the open space affords us moments of calm, silence and experiential aspects that serve as an essential counterweight to hectic urban living. Over the course of the past century, the open space has been under pressure. We are increasingly eroding the open space for additional urbanisation, for living and working, for recreation or infrastructure. Open space has become a scarce commodity. In Flanders, seven hectares (or ten football pitches) of open space disappear every day. Despite the ‘concrete stop’ – or ‘construction shift’ – announced in the Spatial Policy Plan for Flanders, we continue to swiftly devour the open space.  → more

As far as urban renewal is concerned, Kortrijk has long been known as one of the best students in the class. Nevertheless, the city is struggling with a stagnating population growth, while currently houses are steadily being built and open spaces still being taken over. Kortrijk decided to convert the need into a virtue, and opted for a radical upgrade of the existing urban fabric. The urban development of the grandiose - with large-scale infrastructure projects - is no longer central. It is an 'urban development of the everyday', with a lot of attention for the improvement of the daily living and working environment of the Kortrijk residents. Hundreds of residents debated with each other for a year and drew a bold vision for the future of their city.  → more