Hoeilaart Transforms Streets into Climate-Resilient Zones

The municipality of Hoeilaart is embarking on an innovative project to redesign three of its streets, transforming them into "climate streets" specifically engineered to withstand the impacts of drought and excessive water. This initiative marks the first time the municipality is employing a specialized "climate street tool" to guide the urban planning process.

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The design plans are almost ready. We also asked the residents for their opinions beforehand, and we will present the plans to them soon.

The streets selected for this transformation are Vlaanderveldlaan, Blijde Inkomstlaan, and Felix Timmermanslaan. The redesign plans are nearing completion, and residents have been consulted for their input. The core objective is to enhance the streets' resilience against climate change effects. This involves increasing green spaces and incorporating features like permeable parking areas and "wadi" (retention basins) to better manage stormwater runoff and mitigate waterlogging.

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We are going to make the streets greener. And with permeable parking spaces and the creation of wadis, we will try to combat waterlogging.

Hoeilaart's adoption of the climate street tool is a pioneering move. This digital program allows planners to design streets with specific climate-friendly criteria and provides immediate cost estimations for climate-related modifications. The municipality aims to create a more sustainable and pleasant environment for its inhabitants by thinking future-orientedly.

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That is a digital program with which you can design a street around a number of climate-friendly criteria. And you also immediately get an idea of what it will cost if you make adjustments for the climate.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to commence in the spring of 2027, with Vlaanderveldlaan being the first street to undergo redevelopment. The municipality is committed to identifying further opportunities for "de-paving" or reducing impermeable surfaces in other areas to enhance overall climate resilience.

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We would like to start the work in the spring of 2027. The first street to be tackled is Vlaanderveldlaan. We want to think future-orientedly as a municipality, and make it as pleasant as possible for our residents. So we continue to think about other places we can unpave.