The transition to more sustainable land use – the so-called ‘construction shift’ – presents a major challenge at local level. The Flemish Chief Architect’s Team has therefore developed a new tool for local authorities wishing to move swiftly towards adapted spatial planning policies: the Chief Architect’s Scan. An analysis of the challenges involved in strengthening town centres.

For the Bouwmeester Scan, a multidisciplinary team of experts (spatial planning, urban design and landscape) maps out a municipality’s spatial strengths and weaknesses. The assessment focuses on five themes: built-up areas, mobility, open space, energy and public sector governance. The team then proposes solutions in a ‘transition agenda’ featuring concrete projects. The aim is to provide municipalities with guidance on densification and town centre regeneration, strengthened green-blue networks with higher ecological value, and better coordination between open space, urbanisation, mobility and energy policy.