Strategic Green Plan Leuven

Felixx, in collaboration with Witteveen+Bos, has developed the Strategic Green Plan for the city of Leuven, in Belgium. This plan serves as a powerful tool to make the city greener, healthier, and more climate-resilient in the coming years. The Green Plan was unanimously approved in November 2024 by both the city council and the municipal executive board.    The historical relationship between city and landscape   “Carte de Flandres - Bruxelles, Louvain, Aerschoot, Malines, Dendermonde, Lier”. by César-François Cassini de Thury (1714-1784) The historical relationship between Leuven and its landscape is shaped by its unique geomorphology and hydrology. Located in a “cuype” — a natural basin between the hills of Hageland and the rolling Brabant Plateau — Leuven developed around the Dijle River. This river, which connects various types of landscapes, played a crucial role in trade, agriculture, and urban development, but also brought challenges such as flooding. The surrounding ridges with steep slopes and plateaus formed natural barriers, causing the medieval city to concentrate mainly in the lower-lying areas. Stream valleys, such as those of the Voer and Molenbeek, create green corridors that extend into the city and strengthen the connection between the urban and natural landscapes. Human interventions, such as the canalization of the Dijle and urban expansions, have significantly altered the landscape. Nevertheless, the geomorphology remains decisive for Leuven's spatial structure. The city increasingly utilizes these natural elements in sustainable policies and climate adaptation, with blue-green networks serving both ecological and recreational functions. Thus, the harmony between city and landscape remains central to Leuven’s future.   Climate landscape for the future   ©Vasily Malygin on Unsplash Leuven faces major challenges: a growing population and the impact of climate change are placing increasing pressure on the city. At the same time, Leuven's unique landscape offers a strong foundation for a green and resilient future. The city is rich in natural features such as the Dijle River and its tributaries, the testimony hills, and the Brabant Plateau. The Green Plan focuses on a high-quality blue-green network, ensuring coherence and continuity in these landscapes. These structures are essential for maintaining livability and provide ecological, economic, and social opportunities for the development of Leuven.   Nature-Based Solutions   The Green Plan combines analysis, vision, and spatial policy to create a robust green-blue network. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are central to this approach: designs and measures that utilize natural principles to shape cities sustainably and resiliently. By adopting NBS as a guiding principle, Leuven can transform into a city that lives in harmony with nature, rather than one that must defend against it. Streets, squares, and parks are integrated into a cohesive urban landscape that seamlessly connects to surrounding green areas and bridges built and open spaces. The landscape framework blends urban ambitions with natural values, enhancing both the city’s climate resilience and its unique identity.    EcosysteM Services     To highlight the value of green spaces, the Green Plan employs the concept of ‘Ecosystem Services’. Services such as air purification, water management, and recreation demonstrate how natural systems contribute to the well-being of both people and society. This approach strategically integrates urban objectives—such as health, mobility, heritage, and ecology—into the green agenda. The ecosystem services framework also provides concrete guidance for finding smart combinations and making well-informed decisions. For example, in the city center, the focus is on cooling and recreation, while in peripheral areas, greater emphasis is placed on food production, nature development, and water management. This ensures that green spaces are tailored to the specific challenges and needs of each part of the city.    In the Green Plan, we distinguish four types of ecosystem services: regulating services, provisioning services, cultural services, and supporting services. Regulating ecosystem services provide benefits by regulating natural processes, such as climate and water purification. These services help reduce risks such as flooding and heat stress, which are crucial for a livable urban environment. Provisioning services deliver food, raw materials, and energy from urban ecosystems. Agriculture plays a key role in our daily food supply. Additionally, nature provides raw materials such as water, wood, clay, and sand, with sustainable extraction being essential for maintaining biodiversity. Ecosystem processes also generate energy and heat through sources like the sun, wind, soil, and water. Leuven has fertile loam and clay soils, where both traditional agriculture and innovative initiatives such as CSA projects at the Parkabdij thrive. Local vineyards can also be found on the surrounding hills. Cultural services represent the intangible benefits of ecosystems that have cultural and social significance. Green spaces contribute to the livability of a city, promote healthier living conditions, and provide opportunities for recreation. Furthermore, they play a social role by encouraging encounters and nature experiences. Outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, running, and playing strengthen the connection between people and their environment, enhancing quality of life.   slider   Four natural urban landscapes   The Green Plan aims to create an urban landscape that functions as an ecosystem with rich biodiversity and optimal ecosystem services. To achieve this, Leuven is divided into four natural urban landscapes: the City Center, the Northern Lowlands, the Southern Plateau, and the Hill Country. For each of these areas, specific challenges, desired ecosystem services, and possible solutions have been identified. The Dijle Valley plays a key role as a green backbone connecting the city’s various districts. The valley enhances ecological cohesion, reduces flood risks, and provides valuable recreational space.    The City Center forms the historic heart of Leuven, where heritage and the integration of green spaces into the urban environment play a central role. Small parks, urban gardens, and—where heritage permits—green facades, enhance the ecological and social resilience of this area. The focus is primarily on cultural ecosystem services, such as recreation and nature education, which contribute to livability and connection with the surrounding environment. These are complemented by crucial supporting and regulating services that benefit the urban climate and biodiversity. The Northern Lowlands are characterized by open landscapes and agricultural structures, making them ideal for large-scale sustainable farming projects and nature restoration. The area offers opportunities to combine food production and biomass with smart water management and the promotion of biodiversity. The focus here is on provisioning services, such as the supply of food and raw materials, complemented by important supporting and regulating services that support ecological balance and climate adaptation. The Southern Plateau is a suburban area that combines vast forested zones with residential neighborhoods and campuses. The focus is on developing a robust green infrastructure, with ecological connections and rainwater buffers to reduce downstream flooding. Food forests play a dual role: they strengthen forest structures and contribute to local food production. The extensive green areas also offer excellent opportunities for soft recreation, such as walking, cycling, and nature experiences, thereby achieving both ecological and social goals. The Rugged landscape is characterized by rolling terrains and forested witness hills, offering unique opportunities for recreation and nature conservation. The focus is on strengthening ecological corridors and preventing soil erosion, with an emphasis on preserving the landscape's quality. Crucial regulating services, such as water purification and soil stabilization, play an essential role in this area, contributing to the sustainability and resilience of the landscape.   These urban landscapes are connected by the Dijle Valley, which serves as the overarching backbone of the area. The valley plays a crucial role in linking the different sub-areas and strengthening both ecological and hydrological coherence. As a central green corridor, the Dijle Valley supports ecological networks, reduces flooding, and offers numerous opportunities for recreation.   Key projects Leuven positions itself as an innovative and green city within the European mission ‘100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030’. The Green Plan is the result of an intensive participatory process, where various stakeholders collaborated on a widely supported vision. The plan connects the climate challenge with urban agendas and serves as a crucial tool for achieving the ambitious goals of the European Climate Contract Leuven 2030. An Ambitious Mission for the Future Leuven positions itself as an innovative and green city within the European mission ‘100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030’. The Green Plan is the result of an intensive participatory process, where various stakeholders collaborated on a widely supported vision. The plan connects the climate challenge with urban agendas and serves as a crucial tool to achieve the ambitious goals of the European Climate Contract Leuven 2030.    For more information about the Green Plan and Leuven’s future plans, visit leuven.be/groenplan