Belgium is internationally renowned for its public procurement, but nowhere else in Europe do private developers have such an impact on the landscape. Since the 19th century, they have helped to define the face of our towns and villages. Today, they are key players in spatial planning, even if the quality of their projects varies greatly. While some projects stand out for their architectural and urbanistic quality, others sink into banality or the pursuit of maximum profit. In this article, several designers, developers and policy makers examine the conditions for spatial quality in projects launched by developers – rather than small private owners – and in particular the role of critical citizens in this process.

A+  In your respective roles, you are all concerned with spatial quality. In your opinion, what are the conditions and prerequisites for achieving this in private development projects?