Laurens Maertens

Tussen Binnenland en Branding

Design-based research into nature development on the Flemish coast 


 
The project Tussen Binnenland en Branding  (Between hinterland and surf) advocates a fundamentally different approach to the Flemish coastline – a landscape that once again moves in rhythm with natural processes. This research explores how ecological restoration, shaped by forces such as sedimentation, salinisation and tidal action can establish a renewed balance between landscape and economy. The proposed vision calls for thinking both seawards and landwards, recognising the coastal dune ridge as a crucial link: a nursery that plays a vital role in the health of the North Sea. Rather than relying on dykes, hard infrastructure and an exclusively seaward focus, the vision draws upon the inherent strength of the original coastal landscape.  

The IJzervlakte serves as a turning point: where fresh and salt water meet lies the key to a resilient, biodiverse and secure coastline. This unique transitional zone is currently fragmented and largely disconnected from natural dynamics, but it holds the potential to be reimagined as a climate-resilient area. By restoring brackish water zones, reopening ancient channels, and creating space for saltmarsh development and saline habitats, a flexible system can emerge – one that adapts to rising sea levels, drought and flooding.  

The project proposes a phased transition in which water safety is integrated with new forms of ecology, experience and food production. This creates an alternative to current policy, which primarily focuses on protection through control. Urbanisation, economic pressure and habitat fragmentation have severely compromised the coastal system’s resilience. Crucial ecosystems, such as coastal peat marshes, mudflats, salt marshes, dune valleys and salt-tolerant grasslands, are disappearing – yet it is precisely these zones that offer natural protection and serve as key nodes in international migration routes for fish and birds. Their loss affects not only local biodiversity but also the broader ecological networks that underpin the health of the North Sea.  

Previous plans for the Flemish coast have often failed due to a lack of urgency and a shared vision. This proposal therefore adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating agriculture, infrastructure and spatial planning into a collective ecological framework. Only through such systemic thinking can adaptive landscapes emerge, where human activity and natural processes mutually reinforce one another. By viewing natural dynamics not as a threat but as a design tool, this project opens up perspectives for a coastline that not only protects, but also enriches – with new ecosystems, improved quality of life and room for evolution.  



Graduation date: 26 August 2025  
Graduation committee: Jana Crepon (mentor), Jorryt Braaksma, Hans Smolenaers  
Extra members: Pierre Alexandre Marchevet, Berdie Olthof  



captions:
 2. Lost estuaries on a European scale 
 3. Nature in Flanders: a fragmented landscape 
 4. The Flemish coast as a nursery for the North Sea 
 5. Reliance on technical infrastructure 
 6. A fundamentally different approach to the Flemish coast 
 7. Master plan for the IJzervlakte 
 8. Human interventions driving the transition 
 9. Spontaneous natural development 
10. The driving force of the ‘IJzerestuarium’ 
11. Nieuwpoort by the sea: experiencing the North Sea landscape 
12. Nieuwpoort by the Sea: experiencing the North Sea landscape   
13. Nieuwpoort by the Sea: the Nieuwendamme Creek 
14. Diksmuide by the Sea: the North Sea landscape reaching far inland 
15. ‘De Blankaart’: the natural coastline 
16. Existing human and natural layers – synthetic axonometry