To combat low groundwater tables and/or excess of water, dehardening is a relevant adaptation measure. However, applications of permeable surfaces are also key for those places where dehardening is not possible. Permeable surfaces have already quite some applications in pavements, parkings, etc.
In the Belgian municipality of Damme they are initiating the first trial in Flanders with water-permeable roads. Many benefits are linked (water absorption, protecting the surrounding fauna, …), but some challenges remain (suitability for heavy traffic roads, flood control, …).
In Iowa City they also conducted an evaluation of different permeable surface techniques, you can find the report via this link.
Are you working on this in your city/municipality, why (not)? Feel free to share your insights.
Do you have specific arguments to encourage the local officials to implement dehardening solutions? I often talk about dehardening with my municipalities but get the answer that officials are not interested in it…
Hey @FrancoisLejeune ! I can imagine it is not easy to get politicians on board with this.
I think it probably starts with getting them to see that there are various co-benefits in dehardening and try to link this to their ‘agenda’ (CO2 capture, healthier air, lower temperatures, biodiversity, groundwater levels, etc.)? A great example of this can be found in Leuven. They have a ‘Hier dringt het door’ campaign, including a nice video with visual explanations.
Of course, often the problem is not that they don’t realise it, but have other ‘priorities’. Then I think there should be incentives from higher levels to encourage municipalities and cities to deharden.
In Flanders, there is the ‘tile-swiping’ campaign. The friendly competition and communication aspect might encourage politicians to participate. Of course, it is not unimportant that Flanders puts a big focus on ‘dehardening’ in the LEKP (local energy and climate pact).
Perhaps a clear signal is needed to the walloon region to respond to this?
Thank you for this comprehensive answer and for the inspiring video clip! I will share it with my communes.
The comparison with neighboring municipalities is an aspect that almost always interests local elected officials. And Leuven is quite close to my territory
In fact, there is not yet such a developed regional approach in Wallonia to encourage municipalities to green their public spaces. The fact that Flanders is more seriously affected by water shortage issues is perhaps an important explanatory factor.
However, applications of permeable surfaces are also key for those places where dehardening is not possible. Permeable surfaces have already quite some applications in pavements, parkings, etc. 
I can imagine it is not easy to get politicians on board with this.
Of course, it is not unimportant that Flanders puts a big focus on ‘dehardening’ in the LEKP (local energy and climate pact). 
