Toolkit for Land Development

By project NBS4LOCAL

Published on 31 May 2024

Belgium

About this good practice

The Toolkit for Land Development enables the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in Flanders—a densely populated region with fragmented open spaces due to diverse ownership and management. Unlike traditional grey infrastructure, NBS often require larger land areas for floodplain restoration, green corridors, or urban cooling, making land availability and management key challenges for climate adaptation.

The toolkit offers flexible instruments to support public and private stakeholders in NBS projects. It includes mechanisms for:

- Land acquisition and mobility, reorganizing fragmented parcels to create contiguous areas for large-scale NBS.
- Implementing climate-adaptive measures on private land, with legal and financial tools to enable interventions and provide compensation where needed.
- Mobilizing land for public ecosystem services, even in complex ownership contexts.
Integrating NBS into area development strategies, connecting green spaces to enhance biodiversity, water management, and climate resilience.

By addressing land fragmentation and supporting land-based interventions and collaboration, the toolkit is a key asset for achieving NBS4Local’s climate adaptation goals.
The toolkit was created with the Flemish Decree on Land Development in 2014. Its instruments can be used by the Flemish Government, but also by local governments to implement their own policies.

Expert opinion

Nature-based solutions (NBS) play a key role in climate adaptation. Some estimates suggest they could provide 37% of the mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement. They proved a cost-effective way to address climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Nature-based solutions are integral to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal, and specifically its sub-components; EU Biodiversity Strategy, EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, Nature Restoration Law and the Farm-to-Fork Strategy. Nature based solutions are are among the top five most effective strategies for mitigating carbon emissions, improving ecosystem health and reducing climate change impacts such as flooding, drought or soil erosion. However, their implementation requires large areas of land. The Toolkit for Land Development shows an approach which enables the NBS implementation in a densely populated region with fragmented open spaces due to diverse ownership and management. This excellent good practice can therefore be adapted by other EU regions, facing similar challeneges of fragmentation.

Magda Michaliková

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

The Flemish government provides a budget of € 4.7 million per year to realise its own land development projects.

Local governments that want to use the toolkit, need to provide own budget.

66 FTE work at VLM to realise its own development projects and offer support to local governments.

Evidence of success

The Land Development Decree is evaluated every 5 years, a first evaluation completed in June 2020,reveals that:
- Nearly all instruments from the toolbox have been used at least once.
- Interest in land development via Track 1 (Flanders) has significantly increased, with seven new projects and one program-based approach.
- For Track 2 (local governments), five development plans have been e
stablished, with increasing interest from local governments due to available supporting instruments.

Potential for learning or transfer

The Toolkit for Land Development offers a versatile approach that can be adapted to different contexts and regions, serving as a model for areas facing similar challenges. Its strength lies in addressing issues common to many regions: fragmented land ownership, limited space, and the need for cross-sector collaboration.

Compared to traditional grey infrastructure, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) often require more land, frequently privately owned. The toolkit provides a flexible set of instruments for land acquisition, land mobility, and enabling NBS on private land through legal frameworks and compensation mechanisms.

This approach can inspire other regions to develop tailored tools that balance public interests with private land rights, making it easier to integrate NBS into spatial planning and climate adaptation strategies.