Collective housing is increasingly viewed in Flanders as a beneficial strategy to achieve individual and societal gains such as affordable housing, ecological living, landscape-saving living, more inclusive living and more social living. But can we simply assume that these gains will also be robust against unforeseen circumstances in the long term? By examining the evolution of a number of historical collective housing forms at home and abroad, Glenn Lyppens sheds new light within his doctorate on the (inm)ability of spatial design in this regard.

In Ghent, the housing shortage is particularly high. As the city of Ghent is now growing, the amount of housing must grow significantly every year to keep pace. The social housing company WoninGent must provide an answer to the need for quality and affordable social housing for the lowest income categories in the city. They do this both by tackling existing buildings that no longer meet current energy requirements and by building new social housing. We zoom in on the small scale of social housing in Ghent.

The health and well-being of all people in Flanders, young and old, is important. There must be sufficient and quality care facilities in home care, care for the elderly, general and mental health care. In Kortrijk, we zoom in on intergenerational living and home care.

Duplex Architekten shows how innovative housing can function in Switzerland and what contribution it can make to urban development. We place this lecture in a broader study of new financing models for the housing market and alternative forms of housing within which housing can remain affordable.

We are facing a huge renovation challenge with regard to the severely outdated residential patrimony, and not least with regard to the post-war residential towers. Where until a few years ago demolition-reconstruction was still proposed without batting an eye, now the quality of the buildings on the one hand and financial / ecological impact on the other hand have more impact on decisions to demolish or not. We take a closer look at three large residential ensembles (two towers and a neighbourhood) and listen to the challenges and opportunities through a research project on the transformation strategy of a residential tower in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek.

New Ghent is undergoing a metamorphosis. This large-scale operation falls within the ambitious vision of the social housing company WoninGent to provide more high-quality social housing in the growing city of Ghent, which is struggling with severe housing shortages. Various teams of architects are following two main lines in the creation of a contemporary residential park: making connections to the larger urban whole and creating cohesion on a human scale. We dive into New Ghent.