From Anti-Sprawl to Urban Regeneration: Lessons from EU Governance Initiatives in the Flanders-Brussels Region

From Anti-Sprawl to Urban Regeneration: Lessons from EU Governance Initiatives in the Flanders-Brussels Region | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article From Anti-Sprawl to Urban Regeneration: Lessons from EU Governance Initiatives in the Flanders-Brussels Region Swati Kulashri This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7662622/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Purpose This paper investigates the challenge of urban sprawl in the Flanders–Brussels region, where fragmented suburbanization has undermined sustainable land use and mobility planning. The aim is to analyze European Union (EU) initiatives addressing sprawl and to develop an inclusive governance model that can inform urban regeneration policies at both regional and European scales. Methods The study combines a spatial–temporal analysis of LANDSAT imagery (1989 and 2019) with a review of Flemish spatial and mobility policies. It further examines EU-funded projects (SCATTER, PLUREL, SURF, and TransPLUS) to identify gaps in policy responses. A comparative analysis of drivers and governance structures was undertaken to design an integrated, multi-level framework against urban sprawl. Results Findings reveal that incoherent regional policies, coupled with accessibility-driven suburbanization, have accelerated dispersed development across the Flemish Diamond. While EU projects offer valuable insights for city cores, suburbs, peri-urban areas, and hinterlands, their fragmented focus limits effectiveness. The proposed governance model integrates these spatial segments under a cohesive structure, aligning local, regional, national, and EU levels to strengthen anti-sprawl and regeneration strategies. Conclusions The study demonstrates that addressing urban sprawl requires multi-actor, cross-territory governance spanning urban cores to rural hinterlands. By consolidating lessons from EU initiatives, the proposed model provides a transferable framework for compact and resilient urban regeneration across Europe and beyond. Urban sprawl Urban regeneration EU spatial policies Multi-level governance Sustainable development Flanders–Brussels Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7662622","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":545763912,"identity":"f2792889-c6ba-4dc4-afb0-b8d32d396c10","order_by":0,"name":"Swati 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Region","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Urban sprawl, Urban regeneration, EU spatial policies, Multi-level governance, Sustainable development, Flanders–Brussels","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7662622/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7662622/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003ePurpose\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis paper investigates the challenge of urban sprawl in the Flanders\u0026ndash;Brussels region, where fragmented suburbanization has undermined sustainable land use and mobility planning. The aim is to analyze European Union (EU) initiatives addressing sprawl and to develop an inclusive governance model that can inform urban regeneration policies at both regional and European scales.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study combines a spatial\u0026ndash;temporal analysis of LANDSAT imagery (1989 and 2019) with a review of Flemish spatial and mobility policies. It further examines EU-funded projects (SCATTER, PLUREL, SURF, and TransPLUS) to identify gaps in policy responses. A comparative analysis of drivers and governance structures was undertaken to design an integrated, multi-level framework against urban sprawl.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFindings reveal that incoherent regional policies, coupled with accessibility-driven suburbanization, have accelerated dispersed development across the Flemish Diamond. While EU projects offer valuable insights for city cores, suburbs, peri-urban areas, and hinterlands, their fragmented focus limits effectiveness. The proposed governance model integrates these spatial segments under a cohesive structure, aligning local, regional, national, and EU levels to strengthen anti-sprawl and regeneration strategies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study demonstrates that addressing urban sprawl requires multi-actor, cross-territory governance spanning urban cores to rural hinterlands. By consolidating lessons from EU initiatives, the proposed model provides a transferable framework for compact and resilient urban regeneration across Europe and beyond.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"From Anti-Sprawl to Urban Regeneration: Lessons from EU Governance Initiatives in the Flanders-Brussels Region","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-17 15:39:00","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7662622/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"2d3af285-ac92-49f0-9270-7f9a73d44c38","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-11T08:54:33+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-17 15:39:00","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7662622","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7662622","identity":"rs-7662622","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}