Publications

In order to limit additional (net) land take for economic activities, the reality of space use needs to be
properly understood since the location of economic activities and the patterns of space use vary in different
environments. This was assessed by comparing the spatial patterns obtained from a field inventory with
those from existing data for 5 case areas in Flanders (Belgium). Each case area is a transect from a high
...

The White Paper on the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan assumes that we must be able to accommodate 1 million extra people in Flanders by 2050. Spatial Planning Flanders wants to investigate the spatial potential for this within the current standard of 10, which is the spatial potential for this within the current standard of 10 minutes walking distance (± 800m).

This assumption is tested within a number of exemplary urban spaces. In the ...

As a result of the drafting of the White Paper Spatial Policy Plan Flanders, SumResearch was asked to make a policy-preparatory analysis on the network of cities in Flanders. The study should examine whether certain policy hypotheses and strategies are realistic and feasible and should also provide insight into the existing network. The research question relates to the generic strategy 'Polycentric development in urban regions' and to the ...

Metropolitan Landscapes is a design research into the steering role of open space in the metropolitan area of Brussels and the periphery. The study is a joint initiative of Bruxelles Environnement, the Flemish Land Agency, the Agency for Nature and Forests, Brussels Urban Development, Space Flanders, the Brussels and the Flemish Master Builder. The results of the design research were compiled in a book that we presented during a colloquium on 28 ...

A metropolitan function is a specialized facility of international stature in the field of culture, knowledge, decision-making power, etc. Flanders and Brussels are better endowed with these kinds of facilities than can be expected solely on the basis of their size. The study examines the presence of such metropolitan functions in Flemish cities, analyses the potential of metropolitan formation and the complementarity of metropolitan functions ...

This study provides insights into the choice and experience of compact living and how to use them in the implementation of the strategic vision of the Flanders Spatial Planning Policy Plan. The focus of this research focuses on the compact dwelling in the form of the terraced house or the apartment. Although both typologies can be described as common, they speak little to the imagination in the living wishes of the average Fleming. The question ...

Spatial structure and mobility structure interact. We are striving to strengthen the cohesion between the two. Transport nodes of collective transport, or transport nodes for short, are an important lever for spatial transformation. Supra-local public transport networks (such as the rail network) are often characterised by eccentric transport nodes. Due to their peripheral location, these eccentric transport nodes today lack the necessary ...

Today we are facing major challenges in the areas of globalisation, demography, climate, energy, mobility, economy, biodiversity, food production. These developments have an important impact on our space, and in particular on our use of space and its quality. Within the limited surface area that Flanders has at its disposal, many functions are competing for space. A number of the social developments that are taking place today oblige us to ...

The Flemish government, in particular the Flemish Planning Bureau for the Environment and Spatial Development, wants to study the effects of different systems of the sharing economy in order to address future policy questions. The emphasis of the research is on the gathering up-to-date knowledge about the spatial and the environmental impact in Flanders and abroad. The focus is on the spatial and environmental aspects of sharing systems, in ...

The study 'Spatial Analysis of Transformations of Buildings in Flanders' aims to gain insight into the extent to which transformations of buildings occur. It looks at both the nature of the transformation and the location. As a definition for transformation we use 'the change of function or a change within the same function of a building at a certain moment in time'. The study starts from the analysis of the permits register. Two reference years ...