Mixed-use urban redevelopment and the added-value economy: The case of Ghent, East Flanders

Niloofar Amini
Additional contact information
Niloofar Amini: Xiamen, Zhangzhou Campus, China

Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, 2023, vol. 17, issue 2, 130-150

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is a transitional period that represents a turning point in the history of Europe. This crisis led to the realisation that a previous spatial transformation that involved removing factories from the urban fabric caused the cities’ dependency on global supply chains. To mitigate this, a new democratisation of the economy, in collaboration with new urban policies, could bring qualitative changes to the structure of cities and their businesses. This paper examines the design framework, Building Block Vision (BBV), which is the solution proposed by the Flanders government for the city of Ghent. In devising this framework, Flanders, by following the principle of thinking small first, examined the local architectural typology for inner-city urban areas. These inner-city urban areas once hosted economic activities, something which has gradually diminished over time. By formulating a spatial strategy for revitalising these inner areas and reintegrating them into local economic activities, the opportunity arises to introduce new ways of living. This endeavour incorporates principles of interchangeability, adaptability and innovation. ‘Research by design’ is the approach used to identify the inherent potential of the inner areas of each building block. Through this spatial analysis, the Flanders government anticipates that social and environmental gains can make a significant impact to the economy, rather than being an afterthought.

Keywords: local productivity; sustainability; social economy; Building Block Vision (BBV); added-value economy; East Flanders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R00 Z33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://hstalks.com/article/8200/download/ (application/pdf)
https://hstalks.com/article/8200/ (text/html)
Requires a paid subscription for full access.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aza:jurr00:y:2023:v:17:i:2:p:130-150

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal from Henry Stewart Publications
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Henry Stewart Talks ().