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Until October 31, residents of the Flanders region of Belgium can take part in a highly unusual contest that involves ripping up as many concrete paving stones as possible in their city, in favor of greenery. The aim of this initiative is to limit heat islands in the urban space while favoring the return of biodiversity.
Until October 31, residents of the Flanders region of Belgium can take part in a highly unusual contest that involves ripping up as many concrete paving stones as possible in their city, in favor of greenery. The aim of this initiative is to limit heat islands in the urban space while favoring the return of biodiversity.
Get out your hammers, crowbars and picks! Since mid-March, people living in the Flemish Region of Belgium have been competing to help their city tear up the most concrete paving slabs. And these acts are anything but vandalism, since it is actually a citizen contest supported by the authorities of the Flemish Region. The idea is quite simple: everyone who wants to take part is invited to rip up concrete slabs in their garden, in the courtyard of their building or in their street, in order to transform them into green spaces! However, participants will need to obtain permission from their local municipality before getting to work.
Officially launched on March 21, the initiative has already met with great success, with many Flemish municipalities signing up, including Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven. Each city is putting in place its own mechanisms to convince citizens to take part in the challenge and to recycle the dislodged concrete slabs. This is the case in Leuven and Asse, for example, where "tegeltaxis" are available to come collect concrete debris from participants. The city that removes the most concrete by October 31, 2023, will be the winner of this competition.
Called "Vlaams kampioenschap Tegelwippen," this challenge is a first of its kind in Belgium. It is based on a concept that has been tested and deployed in the Netherlands for several years. But, irrespective of its location, this kind of competition always has the same objectives: namely to fight against urban heat islands by making more room for vegetation in cities. It's a challenge that is both original and of public utility, despite an extravagant promotional video and poster campaign that aren't doing much to smash gender stereotypes!
