Ostend
Demonstration pilot
With over 70,000 residents, Ostend is the largest city on the Belgian coast. The city has a significant ageing population and welcomes approximately 3 million tourists a year, tripling Ostend’s population in the summer months.
The Ostend Climate Adaptation Lab is based in Vuurtorenwijk (the lighthouse neighbourhood), an area characterised by diverse structures and spatial morphology, as well as a mix of functions. The district is home to important natural areas including the Spuikom, a water basin popular for recreational activity, and a dune area with significant natural and heritage value, as well as a mix of workers’ housing, suburban developments, and high-rise buildings.
Due to the location of several business zones in Vuurtorenwick, as well as part of the Port of Ostend, the neighbourhood faces increased pressure from economic activity in the area. While competing priorities may pose challenges when implementing adaptation measures, the Ostend Climate Adaptation Lab hopes to reduce the vulnerability of the city’s ageing population by implementing both technical and nature-based solutions to improve water retention in the area and relieve heat stress.
Ostend Climate Adaptation Lab at a glance
Landscape
Climate challenges
Potential solutions and tools
Sectors involved
Urban waterfronts
Sea level rise, drought and extreme heat, flooding
Infiltration strategies, technical solutions, nature-based solutions
Housing, tourism
Climate challenges facing Ostend
Like many coastal cities in Europe, Ostend is facing increasing risks from:
Sea level rise
Drought and extreme heat
Flood risk
These climate risks not only cause problems for Ostend’s natural areas, but also cause significant harm for the city’s residents and its economy.
What are the potential climate adaptation solutions?
Various climate adaptation solutions will be tested and implemented in the Ostend Climate Adaptation Lab, depending on the location, morphology and soil characteristics of the area within the neighbourhood.
The sandy soils in the northern part of the district, for example, lend themselves to solutions for infiltration and increasing the sponge effect, with opportunities to implement solutions on both private and public land. In the south of the neighbourhood, mainly consisting of workers’ housing, the clay soils and limited space means a mixture of technical and nature-based solutions are needed to improve the soil’s infiltration capacity and also relieve heat stress for residents.
A new high-rise development on the Oosteroever (the East Bank) has increased population density, bringing additional challenges such as water collection and reuse. In this area, as well as in the business zones and the Port of Ostend, the focus is on enhancing awareness and public support of adaptation measures.
Partners
Further reading
Related Climate Adaptation Labs
The Ostend Climate Adaptation Lab is working closely with the Flanders Climate Adaptation Lab to upscale climate adaptation solutions in Belgium. The Lab is also exchaning knowledge with the Flanders and North Holland Labs, where similar challenges are being faced.
