Ghent

Latest

1. Mobility · 5 OCT 2026

   Ghent opens new bike-share permits and aims to double trips by 2030

   Ghent will open new bike-share permits from November, licensing two operators from next year with up to 1,250 bikes each, as it aims to double shared-bike trips from about 1.25 million last year to 2.5 million by 2030.

   Facts and source

   • Ghent aims to double shared-bike trips from about 1.25 million last year to 2.5 million by 2030.
   • There will be one permit for conventional bikes and one for electric bikes, each allowing up to 1,250 bikes.
   • Shared-bike trips rose from 242,000 in 2022 to 1.24 million in 2025.

   Source: Stad Gent, “Gent mikt op dubbel zoveel ritten met deelfietsen tegen 2030”

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2. Mobility · 1 OCT 2026

   Ghent sets aside €4.46 million for a social mobility budget against transport poverty

   From 1 May 2027, Ghent will give low-income households a social mobility budget for car sharing, bike sharing, bikes and commuting, with €4.46 million reserved until 2031 and about 11,000 households expected to qualify.

   Facts and source

   • Low-income households can use the social mobility budget from 1 May 2027.
   • The city has reserved €4.46 million for the scheme, which runs from mid-2027 to the end of 2031.
   • About 11,000 households are estimated to be eligible.

   Source: Stad Gent, “Nieuw sociaal mobiliteitsbudget om vervoersarmoede aan te pakken”

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3. Culture · 30 SEPT 2026

   Design Museum Gent reopens after four years with a new wing and a city-wide festival

   Design Museum Gent reopens on Saturday 3 October after four years of renovation and a new wing, with free entry on 3 and 4 October and more than 120 Design Fest Gent activities across Ghent until 11 October.

   Facts and source

   • Design Museum Gent reopened on Saturday 3 October after four years of renovation and the construction of a new wing.
   • More than 120 activities took place across the city until 11 October.
   • Entry to the museum and all exhibitions was free on 3 and 4 October.

   Source: Stad Gent, “120 activiteiten over de hele stad: Design Museum Gent klaar voor grote heropening”

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4. Climate and energy · 25 SEPT 2026

   Ghent and Ghent University extend their fossil-free city partnership

   Ghent and Ghent University have extended their Gent Fossielvrij partnership for three years, with a possible three-year extension, to keep testing solutions for a fossil-free Ghent by 2050, starting with heat pump noise and apartment heating.

   Facts and source

   • The Gent Fossielvrij partnership continues for three years, with a possible three-year extension.
   • Since 2021 the city and the university have worked together on making Ghent fossil-free by 2050.
   • A joint analysis found that 54% of homes in the Vogelhoek district are suitable for prefabricated renovation.

   Source: Stad Gent, “Stad Gent en UGent werken samen verder aan een fossielvrij Gent”

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5. Regeneration and housing · 3 SEPT 2026

   Six private developers answer the first call of Ghent's affordable housing pact

   Six private partners answered the first call of Ghent's Woonpact, which closed on 1 September 2026, with proposals for 400 to 500 homes, of which 160 to 200 would be social or budget rentals.

   Facts and source

   • Six private partners submitted proposals in the first Woonpact call, together worth 400 to 500 homes.
   • Between 160 and 200 of these would be social or budget rental homes.
   • The Woonpact asks private owners to provide at least 40% affordable rentals on their own land.

   Source: Stad Gent, “Zes private partners dienen project in binnen Woonpact”

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City briefs are drafted with AI from official sources; every fact is matched automatically against the source text before publication, without an editor approving it first.

Projects we track

5 projects · 2 under way

• 1. Planned
  2. Funded
  3. Under way
  4. Completed

  REWILD: Fast Forward: Rewild The City

  An EU Innovative Action that tests soil desealing on public and private land in three vulnerable neighbourhoods, aiming at no net land take. It runs from December 2024 to May 2028.

  Budget EUR 4,999,488.16 (ERDF granted) Funded by European Urban Initiative (ERDF) Climate and energy

  Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

• 1. Planned
  2. Funded
  3. Under way
  4. Completed

  Houtdok urban district

  The layout plan for the former Houtdok dock area is ready: 70% of the site is for housing, at least 40% of homes will be budget or social rentals, and the site will be largely car-free.

  Regeneration and housing

  Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

• 1. Planned
  2. Funded
  3. Under way
  4. Completed

  Proactive public services platform (Bloomberg Mayors Challenge)

  Ghent was one of 24 winners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge and will build, over two years, a digital platform that tells residents about the benefits they are entitled to, starting with expectant parents.

  Budget USD 1 million Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital government

  Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

• 1. Planned
  2. Funded
  3. Under way
  4. Completed

  Meibloem site park, Brugse Poort

  A long-vacant former bowling and furniture site in Brugse Poort becomes a park with neighbourhood facilities; demolition is set for 2027, the sports hall is renovated in 2027-2028 and first greening follows in 2029.

  Regeneration and housing

  Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

• 1. Planned
  2. Funded
  3. Under way
  4. Completed

  NEUTRALPATH positive energy district, Muide-Meulestede

  One of three European projects the city currently runs with Ghent University's EnerGhentIC network, developing a positive energy district in Muide-Meulestede.

  Climate and energy

  Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

EU programmes and networks

• Eurocities Eurocities Member city ›
• URBACT · 2025 URBACT Transfer Network URBAN ECHO Lead partner (network runs November 2025 to April 2028, with Düsseldorf, Las Gabias, Perugia, Cluj-Napoca and Pezinok) ›
• European Urban Initiative · 2024 European Urban Initiative, Innovative Actions: REWILD (Fast Forward: Rewild The City) Project city (greening cities topic, ongoing) ›
• Covenant of Mayors · 2009 Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy Signatory (2030 mitigation, adaptation and energy poverty commitments) ›

From the archive

• City profile · May 2024 The Vibrant and Inspiring City of Ghent: A Fusion of Culture, Innovation, and Sustainability