From teaching to shaping the city’s future

Formerly a geography teacher in secondary schools, Lies Debbaut had always been passionate about the environment, specifically the impact of human activity on the climate. Her background as a geographer meant she was already attuned to the realities of climate change, making her transition to the field of urban climate policy a natural next step.

Five years ago, Lies made a bold decision to pivot from education to public administration, applying for a role within the climate team of the City of Bruges. Her first position was as the project coordinator for SHIFFT, a European project aimed at implementing sustainable heating solutions and reducing fossil fuel dependency. In this role, Lies worked on developing a heat policy plan and overseeing projects aimed at accelerating the renovation of public buildings and homes to meet fossil-free heating standards.

Despite the change in her professional focus, Lies remained deeply involved in the climate issues she had long been passionate about, particularly in the field of district heating. In April 2023, she took on a new challenge as the coordinator for the Re-value project, which focuses on the sustainable redevelopment of Bruges’ urban spaces. This role, embedded within the Department of Spatial Planning and Policy, allows her to continue working on climate-related projects while also expanding her expertise in spatial planning.

While she could have returned to teaching after her five-year project tenure, Lies chose to stay fully immersed in her work with the city. Now, deeply engaged in shaping the city’s climate and spatial policies, Lies is both learning and contributing to the development of Bruges’ sustainable future.

Lies’ case exemplifies how a background in geography and a passion for the environment can lead to impactful work at the intersection of urban development and climate action.

The Quay District in Bruges, located north of the city centre, is undergoing a significant transformation as part of the Re-value project, aiming to revitalise and improve the area’s urban landscape. Lies, involved in the planning, highlights the district’s strategic importance as a connection between the inner city and the inner port, as well as its potential for residential development beside the water. The area, currently dominated by inefficient parking spaces, large sheds, and retail zones, is seen as ripe for a more sustainable and diverse future.

The vision for the Quay District includes three distinct zones: a retail cluster, a food hub, and a makers district. The retail area will concentrate on commercial activities while allowing for residential development along its fringes. The food hub will focus on sustainability, incorporating circular food production, including rooftop farming and seasonal growing, with a strong community involvement. The makers district is intended to provide creative space for those displaced from the city centre or unsuitable industrial zones, incorporating recycling initiatives and an urban resource centre.

As part of this transformation, the district has been identified as a key “transformation spot” in Bruges’ spatial policy plans such as the spatial policy plan Bruges, climate plan 2030, etc, emphasising its potential for growth, climate neutrality, and enhanced spatial quality. The project is guided by the City Atelier, which brings together internal city departments to collaborate on complex projects in a more streamlined, unified manner. This approach ensures that urban developers receive consistent advice from all relevant city departments, aligning with the city’s ambitious goals of climate neutrality, circularity, and better spatial quality.

Lies notes that the Quay District project aims to experiment with new spatial formats and community-building models, while the city takes an active role as a partner in guiding urban developers. The ultimate goal is to create a more vibrant, sustainable, and integrated district that reflects the ambitions of Bruges for the future.

City ateliers are collaborative working groups within the public administration, designed to foster a cross-departmental approach to urban development projects. These ateliers bring together various city departments—such as those focused on mobility, public spaces, and climate—so they can collectively address the challenges and opportunities of a specific district or project. Unlike traditional meetings that involve external stakeholders or policymakers, city ateliers focus internally on knowledge-sharing and problem-solving within the city administration.

The aim is to break down silos where departments may only consider their specific domains, encouraging a more holistic view of urban issues. The process is described as more than just technocratic; it’s a learning approach where both city officials and developers gain insights into each other’s perspectives. While city departments bring expertise in their fields, they often lack practical experience in the real-world application of policies, while developers focus on the quick delivery of projects but may overlook broader ambitions and higher standards.

This collaborative learning environment seeks to align all stakeholders towards a common vision, helping to bridge the gap between administrative goals and practical development realities. The city ateliers also aim to refine the methodology of urban development, exploring how best to balance multiple priorities and navigate potential conflicts. Although they currently exclude policymakers from the discussions, there is recognition that their involvement might be necessary to prevent the project’s conclusions from stalling during later political decision-making. Overall, the city ateliers serve as a space for experimentation and continuous improvement in urban planning processes.

Charette periods are intensive, collaborative phases of planning aimed at developing a master plan for specific areas within the Quay District. During these periods, real estate developers work together, alongside external partners, to co-create design solutions for shared challenges, such as parking, open spaces, greenery, and water management. The process is highly focused, with multiple meetings scheduled within a short timeframe to ensure rapid progress.

In the recent Charette period for one of the building blocks, two real estate developers were brought together to align their plans, discussing the principles set by the city, such as the mix of housing and the desired community features. This collaborative approach is intended to streamline the planning process and foster cooperation, particularly on issues that could benefit from a collective solution, like shared parking or communal green spaces.

Charette periods culminate in master plans that are part of a larger effort to design the district in a way that reflects the city’s ambitions for sustainability and high spatial quality. Through this format, the developers are encouraged to think beyond individual parcel boundaries, contributing to a more integrated and cohesive urban environment. The Charette periods are seen as a crucial part of the city’s experimental approach to urban planning, blending co-creational design with technical expertise to deliver a plan that aligns with the needs of all stakeholders involved.

As we have seen, the Quay District project is a collaborative effort that brings together public officers and real estate developers, but also cultural organisations and local community groups. These diverse stakeholders are engaged through two key parallel efforts: the development of spatial plans and community-building initiatives.

The challenge of aligning different perspectives and interests remains a key issue, particularly when balancing the needs of the very diverse city’s various stakeholders. Each group has its own ambitions and priorities, which can make it difficult to get all parties to agree on a unified approach.

To address this, Lies and her colleagues act as neutral facilitators, helping to mediate discussions and ensuring that decisions are made collaboratively. They have implemented a process where stakeholders present their concerns and recommendations during city atelier sessions, fostering an open dialogue where everyone has a say in the direction of the project.

The involvement of real estate developers is crucial to the project’s success, especially since many of the buildings in the district, such as warehouses, have already been purchased by developers. Despite this, the project has not encountered significant resistance from the local community, which is likely due to the area’s current industrial nature and the absence of residential buildings.

Ultimately, the Quay District project aims to strike a balance between ambitious urban planning and the practicalities of development, while fostering a sense of community and collaboration among diverse stakeholders. As it progresses, it will continue to serve as a model for how complex urban regeneration projects can bring together different actors to create a shared vision for the future.

The Quay District project in Bruges faces several challenges as it brings together a variety of stakeholders, each with their own interests and objectives. Key challenges include:

1. Aligning stakeholder interests: Despite what has been mentioned above, one of the main difficulties is getting all stakeholders—public officers, real estate developers, cultural organisations, and local community groups—to align their ambitions and goals. Each group has its own priorities, which can sometimes conflict. For example, developers are often more focused on profitability, while city departments may prioritise sustainability and community benefits.
2. Balancing competing needs in spatial planning: The project’s spatial planning, especially in terms of land use, has led to disagreements over how space should be allocated. An example of this is the disagreement over the allocation of 30% of space for makers’ areas, which developers found unfeasible. In response, the city had to adjust its initial plans to ensure that developers would continue to participate in the project.
3. Flexibility in planning: As plans evolve, it becomes necessary to remain flexible. For instance, decisions about the public spaces in the district—whether to prioritise concrete for material transport or greenery for environmental benefits—are still under discussion. The challenge is to find solutions that meet both the needs of the developers and the city’s long-term goals for sustainability.
4. Navigating bureaucratic obstacles: Internal city departments each have their own goals and ambitions, and aligning these within the broader project plan can be difficult. Sometimes, compromises have to be made, such as adjusting previously agreed-upon numbers or expectations, to ensure that the project moves forward smoothly.
5. Ensuring stakeholder cooperation: While the developers have already purchased the land and are deeply involved, there is always the risk of losing momentum if disagreements persist or if certain stakeholders feel their concerns are not addressed. The challenge is to keep everyone on board and ensure continued cooperation throughout the project.
6. Community engagement and participation: Bringing together the various stakeholders—including those from outside the immediate area, such as cultural organisations—poses a challenge in ensuring that the local community’s needs and concerns are represented. The success of the project relies on effective community-building, but this is still an ongoing process with the first large event scheduled for later.

Lies’ main learnings from her experience with the Quay District project so far revolve around the importance of clear communication, thorough oversight, and ensuring stakeholder satisfaction:

1. Effective communication is crucial: One key learning was the importance of managing communication effectively between stakeholders, particularly developers. Initially, remarks and questions from various city departments were sent directly to developers without proper filtering or coordination. This led to frustration on the developers’ side, as they were not fully aware of the severity of the feedback. Lies realised that all important feedback needs to be extracted, organised, and communicated clearly to avoid misunderstandings and negative reactions.
2. The role of a neutral party: The situation highlighted the need for a neutral party to oversee the entire process, ensuring that all feedback is handled appropriately and conflicts are prevented. The charrette period was introduced as a response, recognising the importance of having an impartial party to manage the flow of information, reconcile different viewpoints, and help maintain smooth collaboration. Even though complete neutrality is not possible, as Lies is a city officer. Nevertheless, she and her colleagues try to remain neutral regarding the challenges faced by the various city departments.
3. Thorough document review: Lies learned the value of closely reviewing all documents before sending them to developers or other stakeholders. This ensures that important points are not overlooked, that everyone involved is aligned and informed about the current status and expectations, and that the content sent to developers is concise, and free of repetitions or unnecessary negativity. By extracting the important questions and valuable remarks, Lies ensures that developers receive clear and actionable information.

As Lies continues her work on the Quay District project, her learnings and experiences offer valuable insights into the complexities of urban regeneration and climate action. By balancing diverse stakeholder interests, ensuring transparent communication, and remaining flexible in planning, she is helping to shape a sustainable future for Bruges—one that integrates climate goals with urban development. The challenges are many, but Lies’ approach to collaboration offers hope for future projects aiming to create resilient, climate-conscious cities.

http://www.brugge.be/kaaidistrict