The Municipal Spatial Structure Plan of Herent dates back to 2004 and has served as a guideline for spatial interventions in the municipality in recent years. After almost 20 years, this plan is in need of a thorough revision. In the new policy plan, we aim to outline the main lines for the coming decades. We do this based on a vision with long-term ambitions and strategies, as well as concrete actions and projects in the short term.

Because a policy plan covers so many different themes and challenges, the municipality requires additional knowledge and insights from the field. We listen to the insights and experiences of residents, local partners, and experts about the ins and outs of the municipality. Everyone's input is valuable and should find its way into the policy plan.

We do this through an extensive participation process with the municipal services and its residents. We organized 2 interactive brainstorming sessions with the municipal services. One to examine the current policy and a second to gain insight into the most important trends and developments affecting Herent from within and outside the community. Finally, we want to visualize the ambitions and core values for the policy plan and survey the residents of Herent. To do this, a survey was created and distributed throughout the municipality. In addition, we set up a participation market stand at 3 local markets to engage with residents and distribute the survey.