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Verviers is a city and municipality in Wallonia, located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The agglomeration covers the municipality of Verviers that has approximately 55,000 inhabitants, Dison 15, 000 inhabitants and Pepinster 9,500 inhabitants. Verviers the municipality covers an area of around 33 km² in total. The defined city boundary of Verviers contains 26.719 inhabitants (48.6%) and covers 4.91 km² of the municipality. It is situated directly on the Vesdre River, and water has played a crucial role in the city’s identity, heritage, and economy. In fact, Verviers is known as the Water Capital of Wallonia, which is mostly reflected in the presence of numerous institutions/training centres related with water in the city.
In the past, the city’s economy relied heavily on the wool and textile industry. However, this industry declined in the 1950s due to international competition, and the city’s economy has been in recovery ever since.
Adding to the city’s challenges, in July 2021, Verviers experienced severe flooding as a result of extreme rainfall, when the Vesdre River burst its banks. This caused significant damage and loss of life within the local community. These economic challenges, combined with recovery efforts after the flooding, have stimulated a revitalization of the city’s buildings and economy.
Within the DECUB Project, the Urban Living Lab (ULL) of the municipality focuses on the city’s commitment to this revitalisation. The Municipality of Verviers, alongside SPI and the University of Liège, plays a key role in linking the planned redevelopment of several urban blocks in Verviers to the outcomes of the DECUB Project. Within the ULL, there are two (potentially three) urban blocks in the city that will serve as case studies for the project. Urban Block 1 and 2 are located in the centre of the city in very close proximity and have been undergoing significant development and revitalisation since the 2021 flooding.
Integrating the DECUB framework into the Verviers municipalities ongoing and planned urban regeneration strategy would enable a data-driven approach to circular building renovation in these specific urban blocks. It would;
- Validate circular economy principles by comparing real-world retrofitting data with DECUB methodologies.
- Leverage Digital Twin technology to simulate and test circular renovation strategies before real-world implementation.
- Improve long-term planning by incorporating lifecycle analysis and resource efficiency into future retrofitting projects.
By adopting DECUB’s principles, Verviers hopes to enhance the regeneration of the city’s economy and enhance its resilience to potential future risks.