Ghent: (Brussels Morning) – Maarten Allegaert’s master’s thesis found 8,500 inefficient garage boxes in Ghent occupying 32 hectares. The GMF proposes using these spaces for parks, homes and shared storage to improve city life.
Maarten Allegaert, an architecture student at KU Leuven, studied garage spaces in Ghent. He found 8,500 garage boxes in the city, mostly in working-class areas, taking up 32 hectares of space. Many of these garages are not used efficiently. Allegaert suggests using this space better for things like parks, community centers, or new homes to improve city planning and make life in Ghent nicer for people. Smart city planning can help make the most of available space and enhance city living.
How Can Ghent Optimize Underutilized Garage Box Spaces for Sustainable Urban Development?
Allegaert found that in Ghent each garage box and its access path take up around 38 square meters on average. Not everyone uses these boxes for parking cars.Some use them for storage instead. When used for storage the space isn’t fully utilized. Allegaert suggests that the space these boxes take up could be used differently. Right now the private market has a big say but Allegaert thinks the government could step in.The GMF is using Allegaert’s study to ask the upcoming city council of Ghent to think about a new policy regarding garage boxes.
Billiet from the GMF in Ghent an environmental group says it’s important to use the empty space from garage boxes better especially in busy areas. He thinks turning these spaces into green areas can make a big difference. In neighborhoods with lots of these garages adding parks or small green spots can make life better. It gives people places to relax, makes the air cleaner and helps create a stronger community. Green spaces also help nature in the city and reduce the heat making neighborhoods more ready for climate changes. Billiet and Allegaert suggest using garage spaces for green areas or shared storage to make cities better for people and the environment. It helps with storage issues improves living spaces and supports sustainability in cities.
Will Increased Garage Taxes Sustainable Redevelopment in Ghent?
Billiet and the GMF are thinking of adding an extra tax for garage landlords. They want to use garage areas in Ghent to build homes and create more green spaces especially in neighborhoods that need it the most. The GMF also wants to make the areas more climate-friendly by using them for shared storage like for bikes, and creating small heating networks.
Currently, garage landlords already pay VAT and taxes but the rules are flexible. The city could raise the tax but it’s unsure if it will work as intended.
