
Felixx, in collaboration with Witteveen+Bos, has developed the Strategic Green Plan for the city of Leuven, in Belgium. This plan serves as a powerful tool to make the city greener, healthier, and more climate-resilient in the coming years. The Green Plan was unanimously approved this month by both the city council and the municipal executive board.

Leuven by the Dijle
Leuven faces significant challenges: a growing population and the impacts of climate change are putting increasing pressure on the city’s available space. At the same time, Leuven’s unique landscape offers a strong foundation for a green and resilient future. The city is rich in natural features, including the Dijle River and its tributaries, the surrounding hills and plateaus. The Green Plan focuses on creating a high-quality green-blue network, ensuring cohesion and continuity in these structures. These elements are vital for maintaining the city’s livability and offer ecological, economic, and social opportunities for Leuven’s development.

Nature-Based Solutions
The Green Plan combines analysis, vision, and spatial policy to create a robust green-blue network. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are central to this approach: designs and measures that utilize natural principles to shape cities sustainably and resiliently. By adopting NBS as a guiding principle, Leuven can transform into a city that lives in harmony with nature, rather than one that must defend against it. Streets, squares, and parks are integrated into a cohesive urban landscape that seamlessly connects to surrounding green areas and bridges built and open spaces. The landscape framework blends urban ambitions with natural values, enhancing both the city’s climate resilience and its unique identity.

Ecosystem Services
To highlight the value of green spaces, the Green Plan employs the concept of ‘Ecosystem Services’. Services such as air purification, water management, and recreation demonstrate how natural systems contribute to the well-being of both people and society. This approach strategically integrates urban objectives—such as health, mobility, heritage, and ecology—into the green agenda. The ecosystem services framework also provides concrete guidance for finding smart combinations and making well-informed decisions. For example, in the city center, the focus is on cooling and recreation, while in peripheral areas, greater emphasis is placed on food production, nature development, and water management. This ensures that green spaces are tailored to the specific challenges and needs of each part of the city.



Four Natural Urban Landscapes
The Green Plan aims to create an urban landscape that functions as an ecosystem with rich biodiversity and optimal ecosystem services. To achieve this, Leuven is divided into four natural urban landscapes: the City Center, the Northern Lowlands, the Southern Plateau, and the Hill Country. For each of these areas, specific challenges, desired ecosystem services, and possible solutions have been identified. The Dijle Valley plays a key role as a green backbone connecting the city’s various districts. The valley enhances ecological cohesion, reduces flood risks, and provides valuable recreational space.


An Ambitious Mission for the Future
Leuven positions itself as an innovative and green city within the European mission ‘100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030’. The Green Plan is the result of an intensive participatory process, where various stakeholders collaborated on a widely supported vision. The plan connects the climate challenge with urban agendas and serves as a crucial tool to achieve the ambitious goals of the European Climate Contract Leuven 2030.



For more information about the Green Plan and Leuven’s future plans, visit leuven.be/groenplan
Strategic Green Plan for Leuven
Location: Leuven, Belgium
Team & Partners: Felixx, Witteveen+Bos
Client: City of Leuven
Size: 5751 ha