creations
In Ghent, das Kunst set to work bringing the vision of 2,000 children to life through art and technology. Together, the children thought of ways to make Ghent future-proof, with more greenery and extra space for water. We are happy to display their surprising creations here.
These climate workshops took place in classrooms and free time from 2020 to 2024 in collaboration with the Environment and Climate Service of the City of Ghent.
To visualize their ideas, the children first create a model.
Then they work with digital tools to transform the visualizations into a virtual world. There they can add more elements and connect their creations. In this way, individual ideas become a co-creation.
climate workshop
The children found creative solutions to make the city resilient to climate change. They thought about different concerns around change in our climate.
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how do we green the city?
Green in the city provides more cooling, biodiversity and helps purify the air. It also makes our city more resistant to flooding and drought. In addition, it is relaxing and provides tranquility.
Will Ghent become a city without concrete streets, with only parks and transport via waterways? Will children transform Ghent into a green jungle?
what can we do about rising heat in the city?
How will we cool our city and protect ourselves from extreme heat? With what changes in our city? The children suggest several new water systems, as well as refreshing drafts, misting the streets, drinking fountains and more.
new names for Ghent
Children came up with names for their cities such as Tropical, CAAM, Bioplanet, Groenstad and Groenstadia with solutions to the extreme heat, more rain, reduction in biodiversity and limited mobility.
These are their solutions to arm the city against the problems of climate change.
what does the forest of the future look like?
Can we reinvent a forest with an artistic eye? Trees as towering sculptures, with branches extending like hands. Moss on the ground that glows in different colors. But how many of these elements can we leave out before the forest loses its essence and still remains recognizable as a forest, and will the forest have a place in the city of the future?
what if water levels rise
What if it rains continuously and our streets become rivers? Imagine that in the future it rains for weeks at a time and suddenly the street where you live is no longer a street, but a river. Will buildings then become stilt houses or will we adapt the city to underwater life? Can we develop new sources of energy using the power of water to our advantage?
In climate classes, the children came up with strong, creative and hopeful ideas to make Ghent future-proof. Will our city look like this in the future?
some of the children's ideas:
extreme heat
- cooling system with pipes from the river
- more green on the squares and playgrounds
- purification systems and cooling via rainwater in 'Tropical
- breezes through the street via buttons in 'Tropical'
- separation dam for use water and fish
- misting at the crossings in 'Caam
biodiversity
- public space is used more optimally in 'Greendream'
- bridges are provided between buildings with facilities for plants and animals
- purification trees are distributed throughout the city
- streets are covered with climbing plants in 'Caam' for shade and oxygen
- the city can consist of less hardened materials between buildings in order to retain heat for less time
extreme rain
- buildings are equipped with plants on the roofs and systems to collect and further distribute rainwater throughout the city
- solar powered pumps provide storage in city reservoirs
- the city 'Ecoblad' equips the streets with a permeable material. Both the inhabitants of the city and the farmers around can use this water
- throughout the city you will find fountains to drink from
mobility
- the additional water in the city will allow for movement on land and in water via new amphibious vehicles
- aerial cable elevators allow you to move between buildings and are powered by solar and wind energy
- the city has central parking lots for shared cars; you can only use them if there is no other possibility
- will teleportation be the future? Press the key combination and teleport to anywhere in the city
- the hydrogen bus is replenished with rainwater, you can ride the bus throughout the city
model highlight
One of the creations explaining the innovative solutions: