Flanders is dotted with little villages in a landscape shaped by agriculture. In a spatially sustainable future, the development of the village centres will occupy a special place. The challenge will be to achieve an increase in building density and infill development while retaining the historical qualities of these villages: their small scale, sense of community and open space.

In 2013 Ann Pisman, Peter Vervoort and Inge Appermont presented a vision of the future for the development of the Flemish villages. They argued that new users of the countryside should be involved in the preservation of its qualities. In recent decades, the countryside has evolved into a multipurpose space of housing, leisure and tourism. In order to prevent the landscape’s typical agricultural features from being lost, new users must also take on the role of landscape producer or manager. The future countryside will be the result of bottom-up initiatives, supported by professionals and the authorities: a succession of little tales instead of large projects.