In this spotlight section of the newsletter, we will focus on the people and organisations leading the Cultural Adaptations project to give you more insight into our work. Cultural Adaptations brings together leading cultural organisations in Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden with innovative local adaptation partners to develop adaptation strategies for cultural organisations: making them more resilient and prepared for a climate changed-future. This month’s spotlight is on the Ghent partnership of Greentrack Ghent and The City of Ghent.

Formed in 2012, Greentrack Ghent is the 'think and do tank' of the cultural sector in Ghent, Belgium. They form a network with 50 cultural organisations that aims to be a catalyst in making the cultural sector in Ghent more sustainable. Greentrack Ghent helps its members to create sustainability action plans and to take steps towards being more sustainable organizations. It also works across the wider sector, including heritage organisations and museums, and has the advantage of focusing on a single city, with similar challenges affecting all its member organisations. The network operates locally but is strongly networked throughout Flanders, and is seen and valued as a pioneer.

The City of Ghent has been actively developing and implementing its climate adaptation since 2016. Additionally they have offered support to Greentrack in the past, and the two have worked closely together in reducing City of Ghent carbon emissions through analysing their infrastructure.
 

Through Cultural Adaptations, Greentrack Ghent and the City of Ghent are working together with embedded artist Anyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert on the city’s next adaptation plan, particularly focusing on the desurfacing of the ‘Paul De Smet De Naeyer Park’. Find out more about the context in Ghent and read Anyuta's interview on the project below.