The Antwerp left bank is unique. Due to historic events and lack of conviction, the left bank has never had a clear urban development plan.

In 2016 Antwerp city architect Christian Rapp launched an international competition for Linkeroever with the aim of exploring the potential of the area for a new kind of urbanism. The main road in Europark, with its blocks of flats, was transformed into a low-traffic axis that links several housing blocks and care homes with schools, day-care centres and cultural facilities. A special project named IGLO (Dutch: InterGenerationeel project LinkerOever) made the heterogeneous neighbourhood more socially coherent. On the banks of Flanders’ largest sailing lake Galgenweel, a new urban development project Regatta will provide 450 new homes, 1100 flats, as well as offices and shops. Along the lake, Italian-based Studio Secchi-Viganò have designed a new 12-hectare park. St. Anne forest (96-hectare) was merged with two nature reserves: Middenvijver (30-hectare) and Burchtse Weel. Together they form a green belt west of the city. A few more interventions will further integrate all three green areas and offer more space for sports and recreation.