HEAT21

For the ENA21 industrial estate in Herentals, B-city, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, developed an integrated study on the spatial and mobility impact of a large-scale logistics development within an existing industrial context.

The study was commissioned by NV HEAT21 and forms part of a broader framework linked to the proposed development of a Lidl distribution centre. It explores how economic development can be aligned with the carrying capacity of its environment, and how an established industrial area can be strengthened in terms of mobility, liveability and spatial quality.

The research operates across three spatial scales:

• At micro level, the proposed distribution centre is analysed and optimised, focusing on internal circulation, logistics flows and its relationship with the immediate surroundings. This results in concrete spatial and mobility recommendations within the existing design.
• At meso level, the ENA21 industrial estate is considered as a coherent whole, addressing shared mobility structures, accessibility and potential collective measures to improve the functioning of the wider site.
• At macro level, the study extends to the surrounding urban and residential context, including adjacent neighbourhoods and infrastructure networks. Here, strategies are developed to improve liveability, traffic safety and spatial cohesion at a broader scale.

Throughout the process, the study was regularly reviewed with a steering group representing the involved parties, alongside coordination with the City of Herentals and other relevant stakeholders.

The result is an integrated framework for future development, in which mobility, space and economic activity are understood not as separate domains, but as interconnected systems within a single spatial logic.