Have you ever wondered how to give nature a voice in urban development? The City of Mechelen in Belgium does exactly that while reimagining the connection between water, public spaces, animals, plants and people. In these two episodes of the Cities Reimagined Podcast we zoom in to reshape your understanding of how the interests of more-than-human inhabitants can be taken up in urban transformation projects. This is part one out of two exploring the work done by the WATSUPS project. Click here for part one where we look at the background of the City of Mechelen’s ambition to reconnect to the water.

In this episode:

· Why a river should be understood as an actor/stakeholder in urban transformation

· How empathy towards nature is essential for co-creating urban biodiversity

· How to organise a citizen panel that ensures that the voices of nature are heard in urban transformation projects

· How taking into account the voices of nature requires empathy, knowledge and “mildness”

· How Mechelen’s Citizen Assembly developed over 120 recommendations for enhancing nature along the river Dijle

More and more cities are reimagining their connection to their rivers, ponds and other water bodies. Whereas historically, cities have turned their back to the water as it was used primarily for economic purposes, in the 21st century, this perception has significantly shifted: Water in cities is a source of livability and sustainability.

The City of Mechelen has been taking a groundbreaking approach to reconnect its inhabitants (humans, animals and plants) to the water. As part of the “Water as the Source of Urban Public Spaces” (in short: WATSUPS - funded by the European Urban Initiative and running from 2024 to 2027) Mechelen is going to radically reshape the face of the city along the River Dijle while ensuring everyone has access to the water while making the more-than-human perspective a leading principle of the transformation. WATSUPS demonstrates how the spirit and principles of the New European Bauhaus can be translated into local, innovative actions.

Listen in to the two Cities Reimagined episodes where we explore how Mechelen is giving back the river Dijle to all inhabitants: human and more-than-human.

More information and materials mentioned in the podcast:

· European Urban Initiative: https://www.urban-initiative.eu

· Portico - The Gateway to Urban Learning: https://portico.urban-initiative.eu

· WATSUPS - Article: Beautiful, Sustainable, Together: Reimagining Mechelen’s Relationship with Water, Biodiversity in Urban Public Space while Tackling Gentrification