{"id":52298,"date":"2026-07-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/?post_type=blog&p=52298"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:13:06","slug":"the-2021-floods-five-years-later-the-foundations-for-a-resilient-transition","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/en\/news\/the-2021-floods-five-years-later-the-foundations-for-a-resilient-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2021 floods: five years later, the foundations for a resilient transition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In July 2021, exceptionally severe floods struck the Vesdre and Ourthe valleys, leaving a lasting mark on many Walloon municipalities. Beyond the human and material damage, the event revealed the structural vulnerability of valley-floor territories to the increasing intensity of extreme climate events. It also highlighted the urgent need to fundamentally rethink spatial planning<\/a> approaches.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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To respond to these challenges, the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW) launched a framework agreement in July 2022 to provide urban planning and hydraulic support<\/strong> to the municipalities most severely affected. The ambition was clear: not simply to rebuild, but to turn this crisis into a starting point for a sustainable, coherent and resilient territorial transformation.<\/p>\n

In this context, Sweco was commissioned to support the municipalities of Li\u00e8ge, Verviers, Trooz, Rendeux and La Roche-en-Ardenne. The team mobilised complementary expertise in urban planning, hydrology, ecology, landscape, mobility and infrastructure, with support from IDEA Consult<\/strong> for the economic, financial and governance aspects.<\/p>\n

The first publications dedicated to the project highlighted the foundations of this approach: territorial and hydraulic diagnostics carried out at several scales, the identification of redevelopment pathways, and the design of reconstruction schemes and structured project sheets<\/strong>. These tools enabled municipalities to prioritise their actions, launch new operational contracts and embed local interventions within an overall valley-scale vision.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Affected municipalities: Sweco\u2019s urban planning support to strengthen resilience<\/h2>\n

The \u2018Urban planning support for affected municipalities\u2019 project aimed primarily to strengthen the resilience of Walloon municipalities impacted by the 2021 floods by integrating water risk as a structuring element of spatial planning<\/a>. It supported local authorities in redefining the future of valley-floor areas, protecting communities and transforming public spaces.<\/p>\n

Sweco\u2019s role was to provide strategic and operational support<\/strong>, structured around three complementary pillars:<\/p>\n