The city of Ghent launched a spatial concept study for the area around the Watersportbaan, an urban neighborhood where in recent decades the spatial qualities have come under increasing pressure due to a piecemeal approach.

As a result, the large-scale sports and recreational facilities, the various educational institutions, the hospital, the CPAS campus and the social high-rise buildings form self-contained islands in a vast area. In addition, the social challenge in this area is great. The Neermeersen scores high on all poverty indicators, as well as for social isolation and loneliness. Large-scale renovations of the social housing patrimony result in a high number of relocations in which the new tenants are always in a more vulnerable situation. The concept study just wants to work out a more coherent vision for the area around the Water Sports Course.

To give the energy component more attention, the city appointed Ingenium to work out "Energy Landscape Watersportbaan. This work should enrich a qualitative and integral vision for the Watersportbaan and support the development of a future-oriented sustainable energy infrastructure for this area.

Through this assignment, the spatial design team will be strengthened to conduct in-depth energy system discussions with the actors involved. These discussions start from an identified energy potential of the project area and its surroundings and explores the opportunities for an integrated design of a more common utility and area-based renewable energy system.

Results from the design research, dialogue with stakeholders, scenario analysis 's, etc. provide insight into the opportunities of the environment, preconditions for further development, a roadmap for development of the renewable energy system and concretization of leverage projects.

With the study, the City of Ghent aims to create an energy landscape that provides insight into the best possible mix of (large-scale) renewable energy system (thermal and electric), tailored to the landscape and embedded in the community. The end result includes:

• A future-oriented design of production, storage, distribution and energy use that takes into account spatial potential, energy potential and future activities in the environment.
• A strategy and recruiting action program (e.g., leverage projects) that allows a coalition of triggers to realize the accumulated vision in phases.
• Policy advice in function of anchored design implementation.

(map by Ellen Verbiest, iov city of Ghent)