Merel Goossens
Urban planner, Leiedal
Intercommunale Leiedal
Kortrijk, Belgium
Participant
My name is Merel Goossens and I work for the intermunicipal association Leiedal in South-West-Flanders (Flanders, Belgium).
My organisation
At Intercommunale Leiedal, we are dedicated to fostering sustainable regional development and collaboration among municipalities in South-West region of Belgium. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for our communities through innovative projects and initiatives that address key economic, social, and environmental challenges. By leveraging our collective strengths and resources, we strive to create a thriving environment for businesses and residents alike.
The optimal integration of the energy transition is one of the key strategies of our region. We stimulate and facilitate ZEB-renovations in private and public buildings, we set up a lighthouse project (living lab) with a smart microgrid with DC and EMS in an urban district, make heating fossil-free via integration of 5th generation district heating, and make the energy transition more inclusive via energy communities.
About me
Leiedal is an intermunicipal association, based in Kortrijk, that supports the 13 municipalities in our working area of South West Flanders. Leiedal is engaged in many different projects and topics, such as urban planning, climate adaptation, sustainable water systems, boosting biodiversity and quality of the soil, redevelopment of built sites, public space, sustainable energy, and so on. We try to search and find innovative solutions for the climate transition we are experiencing.