Izegem lies in the urbanised zone along the canal that runs from Roeselare to the Leie River. Industrial zones, residential areas, old village centres and clusters of infrastructure together form a fragmented and densely built up whole.

Under the title Vision 2030, we work on a future vision that will steer the course of Izegem’s further urbanisation. An important aspiration of this vision is greening the surroundings, removing infrastructural barriers and upgrading the town centre. The Vision explores a whole range of projects in terms of spatial planning and programme, and brings them together in the form of an implementation plan.

Part of the Vision2030 is the design for the vicinity of the station. To achieve a sense of harmony there, the most important action we propose is demolishing a road bridge that currently disfigures one of the central squares. This can generate much better spatial conditions for making the town centre more attractive and traffic calm. Furthermore, we have drawn up planning guidelines for various development sites in the centre to monitor the quality of private plan development.

An intensive consultation process in which residents and traders can have their say is part of this exploration of the future.

We work together with Collectief Noord, Sofie Vandelannoote and TML on this assignment.