What if we let the planet breathe a little? By occupying 75% of the available land, human activity is suffocating it. We need to change course. We need to give back space to nature — urgently. We need to make our cities denser, greener and more affordable. Leo Van Broeck could not be any clearer in this interview part of the series Alors on Change, a monthly program of the RTBF which aims to question how we consume, how we organise our days, how we live.
This episode takes place in Antwerp, in the park in the Spoor Noord district, where the park connects an impoverished neighbourhood with an attractive green space shared by all Antwerp residents. Leo Van Broeck was born in this area and sees this as a strong signal, the place could have well been left as an industrial wasteland. With a little more biodiversity, he would almost see it as a small “Garden of Eden”. He insists on the necessity to demineralize our cities in order to make them attractive and in giving back space to nature: it’s a question of survival for the planet!
Date: 04.03.2021