The first façade panel was placed at Kliniekstraat in Gentbrugge for a new office building of 4600 m² The new home for tech entrepreneurs in the healthcare and sports sector is an idea of the Ghent developer Revive and will be delivered in the spring of 2025 it will start with four startups: Clouds of Care there's still enough room for additional tech companies An agreement has also been made with the Health Arena of In4Care to establish the first Health Arena in Flanders in Gentbrugge entrepreneurs can further develop their innovation on-site together with the AZ Maria Middelares Hospital and the citizens of Gentbrugge 440 desks will be provided," says Julie Daelman responsible for WATT The Health from Revive "The total office space will be divided over four floors including 1500m² of shared facilities such as meeting rooms Each floor offers 1000m² of flexible office spaces We already see a nice mix of smaller companies and growing businesses About 30 companies will be able to establish themselves here by May 2025." We mainly wanted to validate our strategy and construction plans and how we should adjust our plans to accommodate them effectively We received valuable feedback from future residents by starting this two years in advance those conversations taught us that we needed to focus more on healthy outdoor spaces We also refined our services in line with ISO 27001 certification standards." Ghent's techies can collaborate like no other which proved to be an ideal starting point for this concept there's a strong focus on collaboration between the sector and tech suppliers to develop Many knowledge institutions are located here supporting new tech development and preparing talented technological minds for life as entrepreneurs there's a mature ecosystem to accelerate tech companies further.” “Because our tech companies will be able to develop here we're reducing the time to market and ensuring a better fit with the end user through collaboration with AZ Maria Middelares It's important not to forget that institutions like these and Ghent University have been at the forefront for ten years in rapidly testing and demonstrating innovation in practice By offering a physical landing spot for this development on our site 'living labs' will become even more common both worlds will thus receive necessary feedback from each other even more efficiently.'" One of the companies that will establish itself in this new hub is Clouds of Care They specialise in the development of biomarkers for quantifying brain functions They have a SaaS platform for data analysis offering it to pharmaceutical companies to better understand neurological disorders and optimise treatments where they measure epileptic activity through electro-physiological parameters Their biomarkers are involved in over twenty studies worldwide “We've been at this for about seven years,” says CEO Gregor Strobbe “stemming from academic research at Ghent University focused on developing software technology to analyse brain waves more quickly and automatically we also established close ties with the group around Professor Boon at UZ Gent We have also built a good relationship with Pascal Verdonck through AZ Maria Middelares So, you could say we stuck around in Ghent! (laughs). We went through the imec.istart program but we can't stay there due to our significant growth When we heard about this new space from Julie Televitas will also move into the building in the spring of 2025 This company has developed an innovative software platform that facilitates hybrid care (remote) and preventive measures The platform distinguishes itself by integrating more than 100 wearables and applications that systematically collect and share data with healthcare professionals and informal caregivers to monitor patients' health remotely Televitas responds to the increasing pressure within healthcare through budgetary and staffing savings allowing attention to focus entirely on the patient again "With our consulting company onetowin we have been based in Ghent for over ten years," says CCO Gio Verborg We got to know Ghent as an entrepreneurial and innovative city with a clear vision of research and development and a vibrant startup culture among the many established values The new WATT The Health represents our love for transforming old buildings and uniting like-minded people in healthcare technology." A third startup that has already claimed office space is FAQIR This company wants to give individuals more control over their medical data by using personal 'Health Data Vaults' or 'PODs' maintain control over your health information contributing to better protection of your privacy Users can determine who has access to their information and when to monitor their health daily and easily share their data with medical professionals Their approach to healthcare always keeps the patient central because the best care starts with a thorough understanding of the individual needs and experiences of each patient.  "We chose WATT The Health because we believe it is more than just an attractive location," says COO Yves Claeys "It's also a vibrant community of innovators dedicated to transforming healthcare Ghent is positioning itself as a global tech capital and we're excited to contribute and grow within this dynamic ecosystem We look forward to seeing how Ghent continues to support startups and scale-ups in the technology sector so that we can all innovate and thrive we can really make a difference in healthcare." The startup that concludes the list - for now - is Livelunger They develop telemonitoring systems for patients to self-manage their respiratory conditions CE-approved digital assistant that continuously indicates a patient's asthma control This is possible by measuring lung function at home through a Bluetooth spirometer and answering seven questions in the LungBeat self-management app Livelunger aims to become a world leader in home monitoring "The choice for Ghent was quickly made," says founder Veerle De Colvenaer "because it's the city of healthtech and medtech and flanders.bio was also a decisive factor We've been active here for years and now know the ecosystem Our long-standing friendship with Pascal Verdonck also ultimately led us to choose WATT The Health We hope to collaborate smoothly with the pulmonologists at AZ Maria Middelares." Are you eager to become part of this inspiring healthtech ecosystem The team at Invest in Ghent is ready to help you start or scale your business in Ghent through our expert local guidance and introductions so your business can grow even further Fastned has opened a shop with a restaurant and toilets at one of its fast-charging stations for the first time The company sees this as a kind of "motorway service station of the future" Fastned wants to make the charging experience more pleasant via the opening of such facilities The company has now opened the first location of this “motorway service station of the future” on the E19 in Brecht where Fastned plans to build charging stations with shops on both sides of the E17 motorway next year The name “motorway service station of the future” alludes to the fact that fossil fuels can no longer be refuelled here but only the electric cars of the future can be charged The shop’s range consists of products that meet the needs of travellers there are the familiar favourites that people are used to finding in a shop we have added new sustainable and healthier options that fit in well with Fastned’s values.” The focus on sustainability is also reflected in the design of the shop for example through the use of sustainable building materials such as wood The building is designed to be very energy efficient and generate its own energy with a heat pump and solar panels on the green roof commented: “When developing this shop designed to offer visitors a moment of relaxation on comfortable lounge sofas in our ‘Greenhouse’ use the washroom facilities or order a fresh meal in the restaurant while their vehicle is being charged.” Fastned also hopes that the 34 motorway locations in Germany which the company won as part of the tender for the German network can be designed with a stronger focus on the customer charging experience in the future there are no plans to build restaurants or shops at the motorway service areas which would significantly increase the attractiveness of the sites We hope to enter into dialogue with Autobahn GmbH and the Federal Ministry on this and ultimately offer our customers the best possible charging experience,” explained Linda Boll  fastnedcharging.com I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013. As the industry's leading trade media, we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology. With news, background information, driving reports, interviews, videos and advertising messages. We don’t flood you with panic-inducing headlines or race to be first We focus on being useful to you — breaking down the news in ways that inform We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today It is possible to create programs that don’t burden the people who need them most by Dara Lind LinkA woman receives a package with a rapid Covid-19 test in Gentbrugge, Belgium. In the US, free tests by mail are starting to roll out. Philippe Francois/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty ImagesThis is an excerpt from the newsletter for The Weeds. To sign up for a weekly dive into policy and its effects on people, click here the Biden administration rolled out a plan to send up to four free Covid-19 tests to every household in America But you probably already knew that. At times, there were over 700,000 concurrent visitors to the page on the USPS site — more than every other .gov page combined The enthusiastic response was remarkable because it was unusual There are at least three different ways the Covid-19 test rollout succeeded where people expect government to fail: The execution wasn’t perfect (a flaw affecting some apartment dwellers led the government to limit some buildings to a single four-test order) but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm Which tells us something about how difficult Americans expect it to be to interact with the government especially when trying to get the assistance the government has promised them but to the cognitive and psychological burdens of having to learn and comply with government rules The one overarching truth is that administrative burdens particularly harm people already marginalized because they’re most in need of assistance and because they’re most likely to have difficulty jumping through all the hoops maybe they don’t speak English or understand legalese or maybe they have to forgo shifts at work just to go to the right office to submit a form any restriction on who is eligible for benefits increases administrative burden not only for people who apply and are found ineligible but also those who have to do more work to prove eligibility in the first place The Covid-19 test webpage could be easy because there were no restrictions; it didn’t need to ask about anything besides your address There’s also a second-order way that making programs universal fights administrative burden: When politically empowered privileged Americans are inconvenienced by something they’re more likely to make noise and get it to change But there is little if any political incentive to reduce the burden on people who politicians don’t typically listen to or need to court such as noncitizens or people disenfranchised due to criminal records If you work in government or as a service provider — or if you are or know someone who’s been further marginalized by the hassle of administrative burden — I’m really curious to learn more about what you’ve seen. You can email weeds@vox.com It’s always good when The Weeds can talk about policy not only from the perspective of its designers Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day The most surprising consequence of Trump’s trade war Today, Explained podcastMay 4Love on the Spectrum stars call on RFK Jr. to resignTwo cast members of the hit Netflix reality TV show on what the HHS secretary misunderstands about autism The Gray AreaMay 3Did our politics fail us during Covid?Political scientist Frances Lee examines the “noble lies” and truth-seeking failures of the pandemic. Yes, it’s radical. But no, it’s not on the cusp of becoming law. The end of the de minimis exemption, briefly explained. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper* She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006 visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas Ellie has also taken part in judging panels such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022) images © stijn bollaert BLAF architects’ research is called ‘brick wall city’ and it addresses the relationship between material construction and the appearance of brick architecture the project stems from the implementation of energy performance standards in belgium since 2006 meant that as thermal insulation got thicker cladding materials got lighter and lower in cost BLAF noticed a growing trend of brick tiles glued onto buildings as ‘exterior wallpaper’ meaning that the materials would be difficult to separate at the end of the building’s life cycle and resulting in huge amounts of non-re-usable waste.  although gjG house appears to be situated in a forest-like environment it’s actually positioned next to the E17 highway on a site that used to be part of the garden of a late 19th-century mansion the curved shape of the brick shell was designed by BLAF for several reasons rather than cutting down existing trees on the land the house was instead shaped around them.  the curved shape allows the building to be structurally autonomous the stability of the outer brick wall is not dependent on cross walls but merely on its form and the brick bonding the massive shell of the house contributes to the acoustic comfort on the inside the shell supports the roof and together they form a ‘bell’ made with steel and timber frame constructions making three storys in one part of the house and one open space in the other the inside of the shell is finished with the same re-used bricks giving inhabitants the feeling of living outside among the trees architect: BLAF architects photography: stijn bollaert AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Fastned has been awarded the contract to install two charging parks on the E17 motorway near the Flemish town of Gentbrugge The company also reports that it has opened the largest drive-through location in the company’s network in France Fastned has been awarded a concession for two busy sites as part of a tender by the Flemish road authority Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer (AWV) the Dutch charging infrastructure specialist will develop and operate two fast charging parks with twelve charging points each on both sides of the E17 motorway near the city of Ghent the two sites will be the first “motorway service stations of the future” that exclusively serve electric cars and offer additional services such as toilets Fastned further specifies that their charger set-up is suitable for all electric vehicles they will have the distinctive yellow Fastned canopies with photovoltaic panels Fastned says it currently has 19 fast-charging stations in operation “This newly won tender shows the confidence the Flemish road authority has in our fast charging concept and is a tribute to the expertise we have developed over the past decade in the European market We are proud that we are given the opportunity to also provide coffee and facilities to our customers at these locations,” says Tuur De Coninck this was “one of the most important tenders in Europe this year” The award shows that Fastned is always able to win important locations to further expand its network Fastned has opened the largest drive-through location in the company’s network about 30 minutes from Bettembourg (Luxembourg) and 55 kilometres from Saarlouis (Germany) The La Maxe site includes 16 charging points the average number of charging points per station in the Fastned network had increased to 5.1 the retrofitting of almost 50 stations contributed to this Fastned is pursuing the goal of building 1,000 stations by 2030 fastnedcharging.com (Belgium), fastnedcharging.com (France) electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology What concessions will outgoing mayor Mathias De Clercq (liberal on the Voor Gent list) be prepared to make in order to land a further term as mayor of the East Flemish capital De Clercq’s bet on a joint list of candidates with the socialists of Vooruit and independents come off and appeal to enough Ghentians to sideline the greens’ Filip Watteeuw in the municipal elections on 13 October The people of Ghent are thought to be more divided than ever on mobility and housing and although the city coffers are almost empty the new city council will have to make hard choices The outgoing coalition consists of four parties: liberal Open VLD socialist Vooruit (formerly SP.A) and Christian democrat CD&V Liberal Mathias De Clercq (Open VLD) heads the current team City cabinet members Filip Watteeuw and Hafsa El-Bazioui (green) Astrid De Bruycker (socialist Vooruit) and Isabel Heyndrickx (Christian democrat CD&V) are the coalition's other leading candidates At the last municipal elections six years ago socialists and greens pooled resources presenting a joint list of candidates Together they won 21 seats on the local council (14 for the greens and 7 for the socialists) but sat on the municipal council as separate parties Liberal Open VLD landed 15 seats and included Christian democrat CD&V Flemish nationalist N-VA was the largest opposition party (6 seats) followed by far right Vlaams Belang (4 seats) and far left PVDA (3 seats) Over the past six years two majority councillors decided to sit as independents Ghent was able to secure large and important future investments The Flemish government promised some 800 million euros for new tram lines and for creating tunnels at major traffic junctions The city ring road will be moved and the new Verapaz Bridge will be constructed An alternative is planned for the crumbling bridge on the E17 motorway in Gentbrugge The city is launching a new city office and a technology hub in the renovated Winter Circus Ghent is attracting entrepreneurs and start-ups; a lot of companies are setting up in and around Zwijnaarde The site is finding its place on the map as a knowledge centre Employers' organisation VOKA is asking the city administration to focus more on this issue ‘The Ghentian economy is booming: we have the lowest vacancy rate of all major Flemish cities 20,000 jobs have been created over the past six years new business parks are rapidly being filled Ghent has the largest number of new companies of all Flemish cities The port of Ghent is doing extremely well,’ says mayor Mathias De Clercq (liberal Open VLD/Voor Gent) Ghent has witnessed major public works and investments in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure ‘We systematically opt for wide accessible pavements when streets are renovated Additional bicycle subways were added and the bridge over the Watersportbaan was the icing on the cake,’ says alderman Filip Watteeuw (green) Ghent redeveloped several city districts forming new neighbourhoods (e.g the Old Docksides) and received awards for it but also in outer-lying centres of former villages that today form the Ghent conurbation New parks were created and other green areas were expanded Not all change was experienced as entirely successful the redevelopment of the Overpoortstraat – the student entertainment district – is being reviewed After the introduction of a circulation plan during the last council period the outgoing city cabinet continued to make adjustments in many neighbourhoods The city implemented district mobility plans in the districts of Oud Gentbrugge More plans were considered for other districts but have been postponed In recent years Ghent was also able to tackle some difficult dossiers including a safety plan and a fence around the Blaarmeersen recreation park Almost all parties want to make outdoor swimming possible at other locations Revellers at the Festival of Ghent can now finally use a reusable cup on most squares This is to the credit of the organisers; the city mediated and provided subsidies there is also a hotline allowing visitors to report transgressive behaviour with special training for people witnessing an incident and with coaches to inform revellers in the student nightlife district The city cabinet wanted to bring citizens together but is said to have failed There was internal disagreement about the approach which became increasingly visible in recent months Ghentian residents are also more often at odds with each other than previously ‘The polarisation between Ghent residents has never been greater The neighbourhood circulation plans and other interventions set people against each other,’ says Anneleen Van Bossuyt (Flemish nationalist N-VA) ‘We as a city government have also created false expectations in terms of participation We need to be clearer about what we present to the people of Ghent what scope there is for participation and how it is handled,’ says Isabelle Heyndrickx (Christian democrat CD&V) It's not only mobility that raised the temperature Consensus was also hard to find on other issues: the fence around the Blaarmeersen recreation park the approach to pro-Palestinian activists at Ghent University (UGent) and the arrival of Queen Nikkolah a black woman who wants to be an alternative Saint Nicholas Majority parties but also the people of Ghent had different opinions on the matter Housing in Ghent has not become more affordable Ghent is in danger of becoming a city for the ‘happy few’ who can buy or rent housing there Trade is booming and the city is attracting new residents The number of homeless people continues to rise It must be said that the city is making many efforts to help people in vulnerable groups A project involving trailer residents proved not to be an unqualified success who had died months before his body was found shows that some groups in the population remain under the radar despite many initiatives even though before the elections Mayor Mathias De Clercq had promised not to do so Cuts went ahead in the city administration though readjustments were later made but the mountain of debt continues to grow We must focus on our core tasks and review subsidies,’ Flemish nationalist N-VA insists Christian democrat CD&V also thinks the city authorities should tighten their belts In the district of Zwijnaarde and the Oud Gentbrugge/Dampoort district The plans ban cars from residential areas and divert them via major traffic arteries They were eventually rolled out after delays and extra checks and after internal dissension within the council majority Supporters are happy with the tranquillity the plans provide as well as the space it creates for cyclists and pedestrians in certain places Opponents point to (new) dangerous traffic situations Longer journey times and traffic jams are also a bone of contention Focus groups suggest that Ghent does not listen to residents' concerns enough This is a remarkable takeaway given the city council has put a lot of effort into citizen participation This issue drove a wedge between greens on the one hand and socialists and liberals on the other ‘Mobility is a theme that evokes a lot of emotion As a result it is important to listen to people carefully If it emerges that certain things don't work in practice then you shouldn't stubbornly stick to your plans but make adjustments,’ Mayor De Clercq says There is also concern about road safety in certain neighbourhoods the revamp of the bus network and the renovation of Flanders' busiest tram line are all causing frustration but the administration does share in the criticism a public consultation on affordable housing was conducted The majority spoke out in favour of additional measures to keep housing affordable The city and organisations working on this issue decided to ask the Flemish government to do more After the consultation Ghent drew up a roadmap to ensure that its own buildings are only sold to private partners if there are no other options the preference is to use them first and foremost for social housing There is also the intention to increase the number of social housing units to 20 per cent The city cabinet and housing associations have asked for people's understanding and patience ‘Some houses were antiquated and had to be demolished On others a huge renovation operation was launched No city does better,’ Hafsa El-Bazioui (green) stresses It is also difficult to find affordable housing on the private market The municipal barometer shows that house prices have risen 20 per cent in two years Ghent obliges developers to provide a proportion of cheaper housing in new projects Some people have to move because they cannot find affordable good housing ‘A budget rental house costs over 900 euros per month That is then supposedly for people who cannot afford to rent on the private market luxury projects continue to be launched,’ says Tom De Meester (far left PVDA) Far right Vlaams Belang thinks social tenants should be looked after ‘We think people with Belgian nationality should have priority for social housing and knowledge of Dutch should be mandatory for social tenants,’ says top candidate Johan Deckmyn That’s why young people start living together in family homes It is difficult for the city to check this The average price for a student room is now 523 euros a month This is too much for more than 1 in 3 young people and therefore a reason not to live in digs The pressure on the city is enormous and new people continue to arrive Making affordable housing available for all groups is one of the biggest challenges for the next city cabinet All parties have put the issue prominently in their election manifestos although the solutions are obviously very different Mathias De Clercq wants to remain mayor and heads the list of candidates on the Voor Gent list bringing liberals but a new movement that will sit on the council as one group The aim is to become the biggest and to score better than Groen Astrid De Bruycker heads the list and former minister Freya Van den Bossche also returns to Ghent politics he can sideline ecologist Groen and replace it in the majority coalition by nationalist N-VA and/or Christian democrat CD&V although the mayor himself does not want to say so in so many words only one thing counts and that is the substance Which story is best for our city and who can we write it with Top candidate Filip Watteeuw can boast a host of achievements Although these often generate strong criticism from opponents Groen is also putting alderman Hafsa El-Bazioui forward as co-list leader De Clercq may have to run the city with the ecologists once again The chances of Groen becoming bigger than Voor Gent are slim but not non-existent the party will again have to continue with Voor Gent; a collaboration with N-VA is unlikely Watteeuw does not explicitly put himself forward as the mayoral candidate as he evokes fierce opposition from part of the people of Ghent Anneleen Van Bossuyt of Flemish nationalist N-VA is prepared to join a coalition with Voor Gent That will make it easy to find funds and finance projects The party has ruled out cooperation with far right Vlaams Belang and far left PVDA so joining forces with them is not an option.’ Flemish Christian democrat CD&V is the smallest party in the majority now Alderman Isabelle Heyndrickx wants to ensure growth but has failed to stand out in recent years with a brief that attracts little public attention This smaller party may gain in significance if the radical parties narrow the field of play Tom De Meester of far left PVDA left parliament to focus on Ghent The party is doing well in the polls and can take votes from Groen and Voor Gent on the left That makes the field of play smaller and the result more unpredictable PVDA made its mark through solid work in opposition participation in the city cabinet seems to have been ruled out Far right Vlaams Belang also hopes to gain more councillors and in addition to lead candidate Johan Deckmyn The party seems set to grow somewhat but weighs little on policy in Ghent as no other party will work with it The party traditionally scores well on security and migration FouadAhidar&TeamGent is the most notable newcomer in Ghent at this election The list was set up by Brussels politician Ahidar From nowhere he gained several seats in the Flemish and Brussels elections El Omari once won the 'Strafste Gentenaar' title recognising personal achievement in the East Flemish capital He is active in several non-profit organisations Winning a seat does not seem beyond his reach That could be one of the surprises of the 13 October elections The new mobility plan of local transport company De Lijn radically overhauls tram lines in Ghent starting January The current network consisting of 3 long lines will be replaced by 4 shorter as well as new routes The new lines run from Flanders Expo to Gentbrugge from Zwijnaarde to Moscou and from the Ghent University Hospital UZ to the downtown the network immediately faces a big challenge: major road works mean that shuttle buses will have to be used right from the start Ghent’s tram network will look completely different Tram 1 will run from Flanders Expo to Gentbrugge Tram 3 from Zwijnaarde to the stop Moscou and Tram 4 from the UZ to the centre The aim is to be able to carry more passengers on the busiest axes De Lijn envisages an increase in passenger numbers of over 10 per cent in the short term the new routes should also stop incidents from causing major and protracted delays This is the 'wished for network' because trams won’t run as De Lijn envisages from the start There are already works at the Coupure and on the busy Veldstraat - Kortrijksepoortstraat axis This means that from the start shuttle buses will have to run for a while on the new tram routes when the works at the Coupure will be finished Work on the Veldstraat-Kortrijksepoortstraat axis will only be completed much later Only then can the new line 1 follow the planned route It is not only tram offerings that are changing in Ghent A lot of bus routes too are undergoing change Some bus numbers and buses and trams will run later The current night bus network will cease to exist As you may have read De Lijn is scrapping many stops throughout Flanders and also in Ghent Regular buses will no longer call at almost 50 stops Passengers will be able to use so-called flexi-buses which can only be done if there is no alternative for the traveller Passengers must also meet several conditions De Lijn provides more explanation on its handy website and will engage with the media to announce all the changes Police raided the premises of the Hells Angels bikers' club in Gentbrugge (Ghent) on Monday night By all accounts it was a massive operation: heavily armed policers homed in on the club and received the support of a police helicopter The Brusselsesteenweg was closed to all traffic during the operation that hadn't been planned in advance and was a response to a telephone call Cars using the Gentbrugge motorway slip road were diverted the police operation had been completed by 12:30 AM A number of individuals were led away for questioning As yet police have been unwilling to comment on what exactly happened Mohamed Ridouani has been sworn in as the new mayor of Leuven Mr Ridouani makes history as the first Flemish burgomaster of Moroccan descent in a major town The depot "Wissenhage" will be located in the north of the city and cost 111 million euros Existing De Lijn depots in Gentbrugge and Destelbergen can no longer cope The new Albatross trams that will soon be taken into service measure 43 metres and cannot be stored De Lijn has ordered an awful lot of new rolling stock so the situation at existing depots isn't going to get any better The new depot will be built on a 14 hectare site There will be room for 78 long trams and 151 buses cleaning and tanking facilities as well as room for storage administrative offices and training facilities Starting 2025 only electric and hybrid trams will be used in Ghent and other Flemish cities The new depot will be fully equipped for electric A quarter of the electricity needed for the use of trams and the depot itself will be generated on the site from sustainable sources It will be built and maintained by the private sector The Flemish socialist takes over from Louis Tobback who served as mayor of Leuven for 24 years Mr Ridouani has been a member of the Leuven city cabinet for 12 years Leuven is now the only major town in Flanders with a socialist burgomaster after the losses the party incurred in October's poll Yet more elections are planned for 26 May and Leuven's brand new mayor has not ruled out supporting his party as a candidate next May despite his intention of staying on as mayor for a full six years At the same ceremony the former Belgian asylum secretary Theo Francken too was sworn in as mayor Mr Francken's Flemish nationalist party left the federal coalition ahead of Christmas and Mr Francken will now serve as mayor of Lubbeek (Flemish Brabant)