Sponge park: Water management as landscape

Liege, the main municipality in the region of Wallonia, developed around rivers: the Meuse and its tributaries, the Ourthe and Vesdre. Abandoned industrial sites across the Meuse valley are undergoing transformation. As these sites are progressively reclaimed and linked, new landscape infrastructure will emerge, centered around an expansive river park. Reimagining the left bank of the Vesdre River is the first step in developing this green space. Here, the new park is designed as an expanded floodplain that stretches along extensively reshaped and rewilded riverbanks. The landscapes of the Vesdre valley – riparian zones, alluvial plains, wetlands – are scaled to size and recreated, forming a boldly contemporary park that blends water and environmental resilience. Filled with wetlands and ponds, the park design prioritizes sustainable rainwater management, cultivates highly biodiverse ecosystems, and restores networks of landscapes and waterways. At the heart of the park, nestled between the riparian zone that unfurls along the Vesdre and the groves of trees that line the nearby roadways, sits a large meadow – a peaceful space for pause and calm, in harmony with the river.