Development plan Wolfput connects nature, climate, and quality of life

The demand for affordable and high-quality housing continues to rise. At the same time, the City of Ghent aims to invest in livable neighborhoods that are prepared for climate change. For the Wolfput site, this meant developing housing within a blue-green framework, with attention to water management, biodiversity, and soft mobility.

The city defined several clear ambitions:

• A high-quality housing offer
• A climate-adaptive green neighborhood
• The promotion of sustainable mobility
• A rainwater-neutral development

Antea Group was tasked with helping translate these ambitions into a concrete and feasible development plan. To this end, we mapped the soil, the water system, and the ecological values of the site as a basis for a future-proof design.

The plan starts from the water system and the soil as structuring drivers for spatial development and translates into an integrated green-blue-brown structure for the neighborhood. The analysis revealed a naturally lower-lying area with loamy soil. This soil retains water well and is suitable for temporary water storage, but less suitable for infiltration. For that reason, this zone was positioned at a distance from the housing and incorporated into the neighborhood’s water strategy.

Between and alongside the buildings, we designed a coherent green-blue network that does focus on infiltration. Rainwater is reused as much as possible in the first instance, after which it is given the space to infiltrate locally into the soil, while excess water is discharged in a controlled and delayed manner. This reduces flood risks, supports the groundwater balance, and increases both the cooling effect and the experiential value for residents.

At the same time, this design strengthens existing natural values. Old alder trees, species-rich grasslands, and green buffers together create a varied landscape that stimulates biodiversity and invites residents to experience it. In this way, a pleasant residential microclimate is created in which ecological quality and living comfort reinforce each other.

This project was realized through close collaboration between Antea Group, Veld Architecten, Atelier Horizon, and Scelta Mobility.