Reimagining Bruges: Water, green spaces and community

If you have ever been to Bruges, or seen it in films or photos, chances are you have noticed at least one of the following: canals, swans, water, tourist boats. What often goes unnoticed is that Bruges, and the wider region of Flanders in Belgium, regularly suffers from droughts. In this episode, we meet Astrid Stroobandt from the City of Bruges and Simon Thys from the non-profit organisation Waterland, who are currently running the Blue4Green project, an Innovative Action funded by the European Urban Initiative. Astrid and Simon explain how the project aims to change the city’s relationship with water in multiple ways, and how children’s dreams can inspire change just as much as data and technological innovation. We also hear how the city is experimenting with medieval infrastructure as water buffers, and how green and blue algae are cutting summer fun short. If you would like to find out more about the project, have a look at the links below, connect with Astrid, Simon and Johannes on LinkedIn and follow Blue4Green on Portico. · European Urban Initiatives: https://www.urban-initiative.eu· Portico - Gateway to urban learning: https://portico.urban-initiative.eu· Article: From smart sensors to medieval cultural heritage: A new chapter in Bruges' water identity with Blue4Green· Article: A hot summer’s wake-up call to the City of Bruges: A blue-green algae crisis and what comes next