"Urban Nature for
People: A Vision on Current Trends and Future Perspectives
in Flanders" © Ann
Van Herzele,
Human Ecology Department, Free University of
Brussels Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090
Brussels, Belgium Introduction This paper is based on
my contribution to the international workshop on the Flemish
Long-term vision (LTV) of nature conservation in urban and
suburban areas, organised by the Universities of Antwerp,
Gent and Leuven and the Institute of Nature Conservation, 7
November 2000, in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop was part
of a project to prepare a long-term vision for nature
conservation in Flanders (northern part of Belgium),
commissioned by the Administration of Environmental, Nature,
Land and Water Management. This study aimed to define the
kind of nature we want by 2030, using scenarios to describe
possible futures and focusing on the interrelationship
between city and nature. Dealing with
complexity The paper focuses on the
relationships between urban nature and urban quality of
life: the city as a good place in which to live and work in
and to enjoy leisure time. Quality of life can be seen as a
balanced combination of physical and social aspects, which
are linked to location, time and culture. Quality of life
depends on peoples' values: it is what they perceive it to
be. Urban greening is strongly linked with social aspects
(e.g. facilities for playing, safety) and physical aspects
(e.g. open space, water structures, clean air) of
liveability and their interrelationships. The complexity of
cities, the interrelationships of aspects of liveability and
the multiple links with urban greening require: 2. integrated approaches
(more than one dimension, sector, domain) 3. local level
approaches 4. involving the
public In this context the
complexity of planning and decision making with respect to
urban greening needs to be emphasised. In an attempt to gain a
better insight into the current situation and future
perspectives, two main areas of concern are highlighted:
The first is content
related: what kind of nature do we want? Being aware of the
meaning that people attribute to nature should be the basis
for answering this question: what kind of nature contributes
to citizens' quality of life, meets the real needs of people
and brings people closer to nature? The second aspect deals
with processes: how can we attain the desired
nature? A combination of action
is needed on different policy levels, policy domains
(spatial planning, social development programmes,
environmental planning, etc.) and functional levels (city,
district, neighbourhood). A lot of work has to be done in
developing integrated tools, involving all the interested
parties, and sharing roles and responsibilities,
etc. At the same time,
public support must be obtained. Quality of life
values are often hard to defend. Faced with sectors
representing industry, transport, housing, etc., urban
greening is in a relatively weak position. Involving the
public provides the potential for empowering nature's
position, which has not been exploited up to now. Content and
process-related aspects cannot be considered separately. For
example, an important factor in public participation is the
extent to which people are able and willing to participate.
Public values, perceptions and preferences are crucial
elements as motivators for the public to become involved and
to voice their concerns in the public participation process
(Van Herzele, 2000). Contrasting
definitions of "nature" It is important to
establish what is understood by "nature" in relation to
identifying problems and finding solutions, and
communicating with the people involved. In two surveys, one on
the Dutch population (Buijs and Volker, 1997) and another on
the Flemish population (Mens en Ruimte, 1999), respondents
were given a list of more than 30 types of nature and were
asked to what extent they found this "real nature", "little
nature" or "no nature". It was discovered that the Dutch, as
well as the Flemish population, have a wide image of
nature. Elements of spontaneous
nature (wild plants, game, sea, forests, sun, etc.) were
considered the most real by 90%-95% of the respondents. The
landscape, rivers, lakes, hills, etc. were considered real
nature by more than 80%. Surprisingly "farmland nature" such
as grasslands, fields and even grazing cows were also
regarded as real nature by 60%-70% (only 1%-5% considered
these features to be "no nature"). Urban nature such as
street trees, urban parks, rose gardens, flowerbeds and
allotments were seen as "little nature" by most of the
respondents (60%-70%). In contrast with the
people's image of nature, the definitions used in Flemish
policy have a much narrower sense. As a consequence there is
a legislative, political and institutional fragmentation
with respect to nature. The weakness of this fragmentation
is apparent in the Spatial Structure Plan of Flanders.
Nature is divided into a number of sectoral spatial
structures ("the natural structure", "the forest structure",
"the agrarian structure", etc.). This is certainly an
important barrier to a multi-functional
interpretation. The importance of
nature when residents decide where they want to live
An impressive amount of
international studies over the last 10 years underline the
importance of nature, forests and parks for people's sense
of well-being, people's health and children's development.
Especially in the urban areas where living and working can
be stressful and busy, the significance of nature nearby
needs to be emphasised. However, this paper concentrates on
illustrating some concrete trends in Flanders in order to
make the link with spatial policy and the development of a
vision for nature in the city. Demographic evolution is
often considered as a global indicator for the liveability
of cities. In particular, the presence of families with
children is considered in relation to the urban quality of
life. Migration studies point to a steady flight from our
cities in recent years (especially since the late 1980s).
This trend is the most apparent in the cities of Gent and
Antwerp. Besides the negative spatial impacts on rural
areas, this trend also results in an increasing segregation
between the rich (living in the suburban ring, or in the
better neighbourhoods of the urban core) and the poor
(people living in the densely built 19th-century quarters).
The migration flows are not in line with, and even
contradict, the spatial targets of the Spatial Structure
Plan for Flanders 1998, which is promoting the concentration
of development in urban areas and the protection of open
spaces in rural areas. In a recent study of the
Administration of Planning and Statistics of the Flemish
Community (Pelfrene, 2000), migration flows have been
assessed for different area categories in relation to the
Flemish Spatial Structure Plan. Separate assessments have
been made for different age groups. The results show clearly
that the migratory trend is particularly prominent in the
age group of "young families" (25-34 year olds with 0-9 year
old children). Cities and towns ("grootstad" and
"regiostad") are losing large families (with children).
Municipalities in the 'Vlaamse Rand' (the Flemish fringe
around Brussels), in the 'buitengebied' (areas with rural
oriented policy) and in the urban fringes around Antwerp and
Gent show an important inflow of "young families". These
saldi are in direct correlation with income levels during
the same period (and not with average building prices, and
only weakly with average one family house prices) (Figure
1). According to Willaert (1999) the flight from the cities
occurs in 2 phases: from the town to the urban fringe and
from the urban fringe to the rural areas. Figure 1 : Migration
saldo against RSV-zone and age group (1996-98) As the migration saldi
in the study are the result of external and internal
migrations, the real situation could be even worse. The
external 'immigration' partly masks the moves within
Belgium, i.e. the internal migration (Pelfrene,
2000). In the chapter 'Urban
Environment' (Van Herzele et al., 2000) in the Environment
and Nature Report for Flanders "MIRA-S 2000", the
demographic evolution from 1991-1998 in four Flemish cities
(Antwerp, Gent, Kortrijk, Aalst) is related to the location
of accessible green spaces. In the cities of Antwerp
and Gent a significant and positive correlation has been
observed between population growth and the immediate
vicinity of green areas (Figure 2). Figure 2 : Population
growth versus accessible green areas in Ghent Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in the Environment and
Nature Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 In Antwerp the
population has declined by -4.5% within the urban core and -
2.4% within the whole study area (the urban core and
metropolitan peripheries). Within the statistic sectors'
neighbouring green areas, the population has increased on
average by 6.8%. In the other statistic sectors the
population has declined by 3.4%. These correlations make
us wonder whether the migrating families are particularly
attracted to the urban fringe locations where they can find
"nature" nearby. Results of surveys in Gent (Remmery &
Van Brabant, 1991) and Leuven (Tratsaert, 1998) underline
the importance of the natural environment when residents
decide where they want to live. A sociological study
(Tratsaert, 1998) concerning the reasons for moving from the
town of Leuven provided the following
results: If we want to make towns
and cities more attractive places to live, it is very
important to create living environments attractive to
families with children. This leads to the conclusion that
greening and space for children to play should be main
points on the policy agenda to prevent the continuing flight
from towns and cities. In the yearly report
"VRIND" (Flemish Regional Indicators) of the Administration
of Planning and Statistics, results were published from a
random sample survey (1,500 people, 16-75 years old). People
were asked what was their main reason for moving away from
the city. Table 1 : The main
reason for moving from the city, in % The lack of safety for
31.9% of those surveyed seems to be a very clear impetus for
escaping the city. In addition, almost a quarter (22.8%) of
the population considers the city unattractive for children.
Lack of green spaces seems to be of less importance (16.5%),
but could be regarded as linked with the reason of
unattractiveness for children. Within the same survey
the respondents were invited to react to a number of
proposals related to making the city more
attractive. Table 2 : Proposals
related to making the city more attractive, in % Source: APS-survey,
autumn 1999: in VRIND 99 The most successful
proposal is that people would prefer to live in the city if
more green spaces were available (77% agree , 14.9%
disagree). The results showed some differences between
younger and older peoples' opinions. Surprisingly the idea
that life in the cities is not as safe as in the country is
more common among young people people than the elderly. A
small majority favours low traffic in the city at an
appointed time. More elderly favour this while younger
people expect more from greenspaces. According to the
APS-survey, nature is a main force for making the city more
attractive. The aim is to bring the green landscape into the
city! The role of nature in
feeling good in one's place A recent random survey
(Mens en Ruimte, 1999) of 1,500 people (over 6 years) in
Flanders provided the following results: Most people feel good in
a green and quiet place! We live our lives on a
neighbourhood level as well… The concept of the
'compact city' is a leading one, allowing for the
preservation of the ecological value and keeping the
surrounding landscapes intact. The underlying principles of
sustainability emphasise the need for compact construction
and 'infill', rather than expansion on the urban fringes. On
the other hand, bigger towns suffer today from a continuous
flight by young families, while the urban fringes and the
countryside remain an attractive place of residence for
them. The main reasons are related to dissatisfaction with
the built environment: the lack of green areas and space for
children's to play. Most people aspire to living in a green
environment, in the vicinity of natural areas. This strongly
argues against excessive building and de-greening in the
city centres. Stimulating the people's desire to live in
'compact' cities is an enormous challenge for urban planning
in the future and creative approaches to green design will
play a leading role in this. Consideration of
sustainability is too often limited to a regional or city
scale. As a consequence liveability problems are moved
further down the order of priority. A neighbourhood-oriented
policy deserves more attention. In recent times a lot of
initiatives were undertaken in our cities to improve the
liveability at the street and neighbourhood levels (street
trees, housing, etc.). However, building projects, which are
proposed at a higher functional level, often cause serious
conflicts because their impact on the neighbourhood is
neglected. Examples of this are the developments proposed
for the 'Groene Vallei' (Gent) and the 'Spoorwegemplacement'
(Antwerp). In direct contrast with these proposals the
surrounding neighbourhood committees have been asking for
green areas in these places for years, but until recently
they have not been heard. In a
neighbourhood-oriented policy, urban planning has to combine
actions in different domains: nature, housing, culture, etc.
for the benefit of liveability at the local
level. Monitoring of Urban
Green Spaces in Flemish cities (Antwerp and Gent) and towns
(Kortrijk and Aalst) Since the availability
of green and quiet spaces is of crucial importance for the
quality of life in cities, enabling people to relax from
urban stress, this topic was selected for the environmental
theme 'Urban Environment' (Van Herzele et al., 2000) in the
Environment and Nature Report for Flanders, MIRA-S
2000. This research intended
to lead to the application of a limited number of indicators
designed to allow the monitoring of urban greening status
through time, and to make a comparison of the cities
concerned. In addition, we aimed to develop a simple, clear
working method making data on greening usable in planning
discussions and leaving scope for local initiative and
adaptation. Firstly a number of
conceptual starting points have been derived from existing
research on the perception of nature and recreation:
- Urban greening and
people cannot be disassociated - A wide interpretation
of green spaces - Availability on
different functional levels (city, district, neighbourhood,
etc.) - Quantity, as well as
quality - Distinction between
pre-conditional qualities (if not available, people won't
come) and intrinsic qualities (the more, the better)
The core idea of the
method was not based on a typology (forest, park, meadow,
heath, etc.) of green areas, or on green structures. From a
perceptional point of view the situation and the location of
green elements, the qualities you can perceive there and the
activities you can take part in are the most important
features. A Monitoring Tool for
Accessible and Attractive Green Spaces Relevant research
results relating to public perception, attitudes and use of
green areas have been converted into an integrated indicator
which has been made operational by means of a GIS-model: "A
Monitoring Tool for the Provision of Accessible and
Attractive Green Spaces" (Van Herzele and Wiedemann, 2002).
The evaluation works in
two stages: 1. Pre-conditions:
distance (include barriers), access, surface,
etc. Table 1: Minimum
standards for urban greening in Flanders (*): 200 ha for regional
cities, 300 ha for big cities Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment'. in: Environment and Nature
Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 Only the green areas,
which fulfil the pre-conditional criteria are further
assessed. Distance (or walking
time) from the home is believed to be the single most
important factor for use of green spaces. 2. Qualities
A range of common
applicable qualities are derived from the literature study
and grouped as five qualities to be assessed separately.
A number of parameters,
which could be more or less linked to physical features,
have been used. We realise that there is no uniform
prescription for achieving a sound interpretation of such
qualities. As each green area has a unique set of social and
cultural associations, a tailor-made approach at the local
level is needed. In this respect the results of this
research should be seen as indicative. The method has been
described in detail in a previous article (Van Herzele and
Wiedemann, 2002). Here some relevant conclusions for
developing a long-term vision on urban nature are
presented. Regarding the
availability of green areas it was calculated what
percentage of the population (within the morphological city
borders) had at least one green area within reach. The
exercise was carried out first of all without considering
barrier effects ("zonder barrières"), then taking
these barrier effects into account ("met barrières").
Next the percentage of the population was calculated which
had at least one green area within reach, possessing
respectively the qualities of quietness ("rust"), equipment
("uitrusting"), nature ("natuur"), culture and history
("cultuur") and space ("ruimte"). Quality profiles
("kwaliteitsprofiel") were presented on two levels: high (+)
and medium (0). The calculations were
carried out for three functional levels: "stad" (city),
"stadsdeel" (district) and "wijk" (quarter). In addition,
two selected neighbourhoods per city were evaluated, with
help of a check list (not based on GIS). Figures 3, 4, 5 and
6 present the percent of the population in each of the four
Flemish towns and cities with at least one green space
within reach. Figure 3: Gent: percent
of the population with at least one green area within
reach Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in: Environment and Nature
Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 Figure 4: Antwerp:
percent of the population with at least one green area
within reach Figure 5: Kortrijk:
percent of the population with at least one green area
within reach Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in Environment and Nature
Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 Figure 6: Aalst: percent
of the population with at least one green area within
reach Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in Environment and Nature
Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 We can conclude that
there is a lack of green areas in all cities at the lower
functional levels of quarter and neighbourhood. Only in
Antwerp is an urban forest within reach (Peerdsbos and
surroundings), but only for 13 % of the people living in the
urban core. With regard to the availability of at least one
green area within reach in all cities, barrier effects have
a major impact on the quarter level. In Kortrijk the barrier
effects are the most problematic at the quarter level. In
Gent barrier effects are also prominent at a district
level. Aalst shows the best
quality profile, with Kortrijk the worst. In the other
cities quality is most problematic at the quarter level
(except for 'nature' in Gent and for 'culture' in
Antwerp). The most vulnerable
quality seems to be "quietness" which has become a rare
experience. Quiet, green areas are absent even in Gent. The
problem can be seen in relation to the city structure where
ring roads are located at a certain distance from the city
centre, acting as "noise belts" through the landscape.
The availability of
green areas varies within the four cities and towns
surveyed. For example, in Antwerp green areas at the quarter
and district level are lacking for neighbourhoods north of
the inner city core. There many traffic-carrying roads have
a barrier effect and the "green fingers" of Antwerp's city
structure do not extend enough towards the city centre
(Figure 2). In addition, the
qualities vary within the cities and towns surveyed. For
example, in Antwerp only a few neighbourhoods have quiet,
green areas ("rustig") within reach of the city and/or the
district level (Figure 7). Figure 7: Quietness as a
quality of reachable green areas in Antwerp Source: Van Herzele et
al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in Environment and Nature
Report of Flanders MIRA-S 2000 Urban greening under
pressure The study within the
framework of MIRA-S has resulted in the identification on
maps of many problems related to urban greening. These
include loss of access due to barrier effects; loss of size
due to fragmentation; loss of space caused by visual
intrusions; loss of quietness caused by traffic; loss of
culture and history resulting from the uniformity of
traditional landscapes and the destruction of 19th century
parks, etc. The problems seem endless. Moreover, a policy
scenario devised with the help of the GIS model made it
clear that the completion of the "gewestplannen" (regional
zoning plans) and ring roads (Antwerp) would make the
situation even worse. For example, building in zones
designated for residential areas, industry, etc. would
reduce the total surface of accessible green areas in all
four cities: Much more attention
needs to be paid to nature and recreation in the cities and
city borders: the need for them is growing, while at the
same time facilities are under pressure. From the above
results it is anticipated that there will undoubtedly be a
decrease in green areas in the future. The challenge will be
to conduct urban dynamics in such a way that even with a
decreasing quantity, the quality of the green areas will
increase. The quality of green spaces will take a central
role in future urban planning. Redefining our values
of nature Where green areas are
intended to serve urban populations and support social
needs, an immediate task is the need to redefine our values
of nature. Attention should be drawn away from the
conventional (ecological, architectural, etc.) typologies
and "structure" concepts, and towards how green areas should
be defined in a social sense. The type of nature
(forest, meadow, park, etc.) is not the most important
aspect, but rather the qualities of greenspace to be
experienced and the activities that can be undertaken there.
As a consequence, the qualities of green areas must be
identified by the communities for whom they
serve. Actions For the four cities
highlighted in this study current initiatives are largely
insufficient to tackle the growing decline in urban
greenspace. The effects of actions taken are overshadowed by
the extent of the problems involved. Future scenarios show
that the pressure on urban nature is continuing. Therefore,
offensive rather than defensive strategies are needed. In
order to strengthen the position of greening in influential
discussions, the public has to be given the opportunity and,
indeed, stimulated to voice their concerns. Concrete actions
must be undertaken to: Regarding play areas I
want to draw particular attention to the lack of "unplanned"
greening and "wild" spaces in the cities, where children can
create their own environment, for example, to make huts. So
it needs to be said: don't plan too much! References Buijs A.E. & Volker
C.M. (1997) - Publiek draagvlak voor natuur en natuurbeleid,
DLO Wageningen, Report 546. Mens en Ruimte (1999)
Maatschappelijke Waardering van Groen en Landschap,
commissioned by Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap,
AMINAL, Afdeling Bos en Groen, unpublished report
. Administratie Planning
en Statistiek (2000) - VRIND 1999 (Vlaamse Regionale
Indicatoren), Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap,
Administratie Planning en Statistiek, Brussel. Pelfrene E. (2000) - In-
en uitwijking in Vlaamse steden en gemeenten. Analyse naar
leeftijd en ruimtelijke structuren voor de periode
1996-1998, Stativaria nr. 24, juni 2000, Ministerie van de
Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Administratie Planning en Statistiek,
Brussel. Remmery I. & Van
Brabant I. (1991) - Stedelijk ruimtelijk beleid en oorzaken
van stadsvlucht, Seminarie Algemene Rechtsleer,
Rijksuniversiteit Gent. Tratsaert K. (1998) -
Stads(v)lucht maakt vrij : analyse van de verhuisstromen en
een bevraging van de verhuismotieven en woonwensen van jonge
gezinnen in het Leuvense, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Hoger Instituut voor de Arbeid. Van Herzele A. &
Wiedemann T. (2002), A Monitoring Tool for the Provision of
Accessible and Attractive Urban Green Areas, submitted for
publication in Landscape and Urban Planning. Van Herzele A. (2000) -
Environmental values and emotions as reflected in written
public comments on EIA. case study: Flanders, in :
proceedings of the 20th annual meeting of the International
Association for Impact Assessment "Back to the Future",
19-23 June 2000, Hong Kong, in press. Van Herzele A.,
Wiedemann T., Van Overmeire M. (2000) - Stedelijk Milieu
(Urban Environment), in: MIRA-S 2000, Milieu- en
Natuurrapport Vlaanderen : scenarios, ed. Van Steertegem M.,
Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij & Garant Uitgevers NV,
Leuven/Apeldoorn. Van Herzele A. (1998),
Urban Environmental Indicators, a methodology based on local
conditions and perceptions, paper prepared for the seminary
on urban indicators organised by the I.B.G.E. and the
European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign 23-10-98,
Brussels, unpublished. Willaert D., Stadsvlucht
of verstedelijking? Een analyse van migratiebewegingen in
België, in: Planologisch Nieuws, jg 19, nr.
2/1999.
Click button to return to:
Source: Stativaria N° 24, June 2000.
Source: Van Herzele et al. (2000): 'Urban Environment' in
Environment and Nature Report of Flanders MIRA-S
2000
