B401 Bruggenbouwers

This viaduct, also called flyover, forms the connection between the various motorways and the city ring. But the flyover also carries car traffic to the historic city center of Ghent. A situation that is no longer of this time and puts too much pressure on urban mobility and quality of life. The city of Ghent completed a trajectory during a year with the study team of Tractebel and of 51N4E to investigate the future prospects for this location. Not just a drastic change, but a multiannual plan where the presence of the viaduct is being re- duced and mobility is being developed. The vacant space provides endless possibilities to improve the quality of life, to expand the current South park and to provide better connections between the inhabi- tants. For a city like Ghent it’s important to involve its inhabitants in the future plans of the city, so the result is widely supported.

The starting point of this campaign are the so-called ‘Bridge Builders’: 14 citizens - who each have their own vision of the future of the flyover become the face of the campaign. It was important to reach as many people as possible from different sections of the population. Therefore this message was spread during several moments and by using different channels of communication. The portraits of the Bridge Builders were unveiled as art works on the pillars of the viaduct, there was organised a bridge builders weekend (to involve inhabitants in the process of organising panel discussions, walks, workshops etc..) there were created videos wherein Bridge Builders revealed their visions as well as a video with the completed project. Posters were distributed, they created a Facebook page and also a new website were people had the opportunity to share their visions. The campaign is also part of the multiannual plan of the city of Ghent as an ecologi- cal city. After the implementation of the circulation plan and soon the low-emission zones, the enhan- cement of the public area is a major next step in the quality of life.