Leuven hosts 7 Partner Cities for a City-to-City Exchange Visit

On September 19, 2024, our Pilot City Leuven welcomed 26 representatives from its seven Partner cities, the Flemish municipalities of Sint-Niklaas, Mechelen, Bruges, Ghent, Aalst, Hasselt and Roeselare for a day of city-to-city exchange focused on Leuven’s experience in VARCITIES.

The day started in the historic town hall of Leuven on the Grote Markt, with presentations from the Pilot team introducing VARCITIES, the pilot site on the Hertogensite and the different Visionary Solutions (VS) currently in operation. The presentations raised a number of questions on the co-creation approach, the different interventions, with a lot of interest for VS1, the the Olevodrome. Participants were also invited to fill out a survey on the replication potential of the different VS implemented in Leuven.

The participants were then treated to a walking tour of the Pilot site, the Hertogensite. During the walk, Leuven’s Pilot Team gave further details on the on-going developments at the site, and presented the different sensors that have been deployed: the mobility sensors (VS 4) and the climate station (VS 5). All attendees had the chance to experience the pilot in real life and ask questions on-site.

The day ended at the Olevodrome (VS 1) with drinks offered by the pop-up bar. The beautiful, sunny weather and great interest of all attendees made it a meaningful and useful exchange. Leuven’s Pilot team was delighted that so many attendees and cities showed interest in their work within the VARCITIES.

Collaboration between municipalities and public organisations from different member states underscores VARCITIES’ commitment to innovation and sustainability.