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Werve Hoef

The old Wijnegem farm ‘De Werve Hoef’ is being restored to its former glory as a neighbourhood farm, with the development of a new, adjacent residential district. De Werve Hoef brings short chain farming to the outskirts of the city and embeds the new district in a sustainable, productive landscape. Housing development and farming are not necessarily irreconcilable.

The new residential district on the outskirts of Wijnegem is being developed by De Ideale Woning. At the site the social housing company is building a mix of social rental and owner-occupied apartments to house, and feed, around three hundred families. The initiative aims to conserve the rural character of the residential expansion area and safeguard some of the open space for food production. Although the site is classified as a residential expansion area, De Ideale Woning has reserved 5.5 hectares of plots for a local farm, in addition to space for a neighbourhood park and allotments. The renovation of De Werve Hoef village farm is part of the investment project.
What makes this residential expansion different is the fact De Ideale Woning was already interested in integrating the agricultural land on which it planned to build with communal use of the open space early on in the process. A partnership soon took shape with De Landgenoten, which acts as leaseholder and guarantees long-term use of the land for food production. De Ideale Woning and De Landgenoten jointly appointed farmer Wannes, who leases it from De Landgenoten for a fair price. De Landgenoten does not use members’ share capital to pay for the leasehold, just donations and income from leasing the land. Income from the lease jointly finances the area’s development. Since the farm is part of the development from the outset, it brings the food producer and the consumer-local residents closer together from the beginning. Local residents can enjoy healthy and local food, grown in their backyard.
Although the homes will not be ready for a few years, in 2020, farmer Wannes already started using some of the plots at the housing development. After the farm’s renovation, he will eventually move into it and set up a neighbourhood shop there. De Werve Hoef shows how an intelligent design, development and related management of a residential expansion area can create space for entrepreneurship focusing on local food production.

partners and actors
De Ideale Woning, Gemeente Wijnegem
theme
housing, food, mobility, biodiversity, management
innovative aspects
cultural change, good citizenship, financing
scale
district, street, region, site, municipality, building


slideshow
View of Werve Hoef
The housing development company looked for a suitable CSA farmer in association with De Landgenoten. In 2019, the village farm De Werve Hoef began with a field on the Dobbelhoeve in Schilde. The first piece of agricultural land in the residential expansion area was put into use in 2020.

Masterplan, Werve Hoef
articleMasterplan, Werve Hoef
Study assignment for compiling a development plan for the residential expansion area ‘De Werve Hoef’ in Wijnegem by Collectief Noord in association with LAMA Landscape Architects, denc!-studio, Common Ground, and EVA-International bvba.


Masterplan, Werve Hoef


photo: Collectief Noord, 2018

This is what living in the future will look like
articleThis is what living in the future will look like
Werve Hoef is one of the places where the cooperative De Landgenoten connects landowners with farmers. It is thus committed to shared ownership regimes, joint management and the collective use of agricultural land.


This is what living in the future will look like


photo: VRP

Context Werve Hoef
imageContext Werve Hoef
The new residential district constitutes an infill development between the built-up centre of Wijnegem and a nearby industrial site. Instead of displacing agricultural use on this area of residential expansion, it takes its productive function as the starting point and seeks maximum cross-fertilisation.


Context Werve Hoef


photo: Wijnegem

Multi-layered landscape, Werve Hoef
imageMulti-layered landscape, Werve Hoef
The design collective integrates the various residential ensembles that evoke farmsteads of the past in both spatial and organisational terms, with the function of a 21st century cooperative village farm.


Multi-layered landscape, Werve Hoef


photo: Collectief Noord, 2018

Masterplan implantation, Werve Hoef
imageMasterplan implantation, Werve Hoef
The diversity of production landscapes, from pick-your-own gardens to orchards, from reed beds to arable fields, and the corresponding integral water system of canals and buffer basins determine the area’s layout.


Masterplan implantation, Werve Hoef


photo: Collectief Noord, 2018