Partners of European JUSTGREEN project visit Ghent
On 5 and 6 March 2026, Ghent hosted the fifth partner meeting of the European JUSTGREEN project.
In the JUSTGREEN project, Ghent works closely together with six other European cities to exchange knowledge on how to green cities in a socially fair and inclusive way.
Official opening at De Krook
The official programme kicked off on Thursday morning at De Krook, where the Deputy Mayor warmly welcomed all participants. This was followed by a brief icebreaker and a thematic refresher, focusing on the first of the project’s three pillars: the socially just distribution of green spaces. This theme remained central throughout the two-day meeting.
Ghent is making a clear and determined choice for more and better public green space for every resident. A city can only be called just when everyone has access to green places where they can play, exercise, relax and unwind. Thanks to this European cooperation and knowledge exchange, we are reinforcing that ambition and jointly building fairer, greener and more resilient cities.
Sharing challenges and solutions
In smaller breakout groups, Ghent and partner city Murcia (Spain) presented their main challenges related to socially just greening. Together with the other partners, they explored potential solutions. Ghent focused on the question of how to monitor park quality in a simpler and more pragmatic way, taking into account different target groups. The exchanges sparked many inspiring ideas, ranging from the use of geofencing (to measure visitor numbers via GPS signals) and drones, to low-threshold surveys using tear-off slips.
The second part of the programme was facilitated by Erasmus University Rotterdam. Through a ‘serious game’, participants stepped into the roles of different urban actors—such as citizens, mayors and activists—to collectively develop innovative ideas for greening cities in the face of the climate crisis.
Nature walks, neighbourhood networks and green façades
After lunch, Michiel Van de Voorde (Natuurpunt Region Ghent) presented several local walking initiatives, including Buur en Natuur. In this project, volunteers walk together with newcomers, offering opportunities to practise Dutch while mainly fostering social connections. Through Natuur-Om-Armen, Natuurpunt also brings together people experiencing poverty in nature, without barriers or obligations.
Later that day, the group travelled to the Rabot district for a neighbourhood walk via Rabot Park to the Boerenhof and onward to the Meibloem site in the Brugse Poort area. Community workers Thierry Robesyn and Pieter Vancauwenberghe enthusiastically shared insights into local urban gardening projects. Along the way, Annelies Sevenant from Gents Milieufront gave participants a closer look at the city’s façade garden brigade and courtyard transformation initiatives.
-
-
-
-
-
4 Show all photos
Research on park use by older adults
On Friday, Amber Van Puyvelde (Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) presented her doctoral research on what older adults need to use parks more frequently and more intensively. This research was conducted in the context of the redevelopment of De Vijvers neighbourhood park in Ledeberg, located next to a residential care centre. Special attention was paid to health-related needs such as social interaction and physical activity.
In addition, Amber discussed another study using virtual reality to examine how green spaces and traffic influence relaxation. She concluded with a preview of future research topics, including the design of public spaces that are more welcoming and inclusive for girls.
Public green space obligations and new housing developments
For the final site visit, the group walked along the green climate axis of the Lower Scheldt towards the Rute residential area. Using a new housing development as an example, Ghent explained its system of mandatory public green space provisions: real estate developers must provide 20 m² of recreational public green space per new dwelling (for projects of ten homes or more). The link with Ghent’s distance analysis for residential green spaces and neighbourhood parks was also further clarified.
The JUSTGREEN project continues until March 2028.
With the support of
