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Antwerp approves Pedestrian Programme 2025 to transform the city into a leading walking environment by 2030

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The City of Antwerp has formally approved its first full Pedestrian Programme, marking a significant policy shift towards prioritising walkers in the urban environment. The adoption of the Pedestrian Programme 2025 brings together, for the first time, all pedestrian-related ambitions, policy directions and concrete actions into a coherent framework. It establishes walking as both a fundamental mode of transport and a pillar of Antwerp’s future mobility, health and liveability strategy.

The programme is conceived against the backdrop of a rapidly growing city. Antwerp continues to see an increasing number of residents, commuters and visitors, intensifying pressure on public space and transport networks. 

The city argues that strengthening the role of pedestrians is not only essential to alleviate that pressure, but also crucial for the broader modal shift: by 2030, at least half of all journeys in Antwerp should take place using sustainable modes of transport. 

Walking, whether as a complete journey or as part of multi-modal travel, is indispensable to achieving this.

Walking overlooked in mobility thinking

City officials state that walking has long been overlooked in mobility thinking, even though daily life begins and ends with walking. Most journeys involve at least two short segments on foot: from home to a bus, tram or train stop, or from a parked car to a final destination. 

Despite this, pedestrians increasingly feel pushed aside by growing numbers of cyclists, e-steps and other micromobility. The city now aims to restore balance, placing pedestrians back at the centre of the urban experience.

Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis (N-VA) emphasises that this represents a cultural as well as an infrastructural change. According to him, looking at the historic city centre—particularly the 16th-century core—makes it clear that walking was once the primary mode of transport. 

The new programme aims to revive that principle. Kennis notes that walking is not only healthy, but also offers a distinctive way of experiencing the city. He states that the city wants to give pedestrians their rightful place again by creating streets and routes where walking is safe, pleasant and intuitive.

The Pedestrian Programme is structured around three central pillars: 

  1. making space for pedestrians;
  2. collaborating across city departments and with partners;
  3. placing pedestrians and pedestrian policy visibly in the public eye. 

Each pillar is elaborated through detailed policy lines and a large set of concrete actions. The programme also aligns with existing planning instruments, including the Climate Plan, the Green Plan, the Strategic Spatial Plan and the city’s commitments on accessibility, local economic vitality and social well-being.

Everyone is a pedestrian

According to the city, the starting principle is simple: everyone is a pedestrian. Data from 2024 illustrates this clearly. Nearly 65%of publ ic-transport users walk to their stop or station. 

More than nine in ten residents live within a ten-minute walk of essential services such as bakeries, butchers, supermarkets and post offices. More than 80% live within five minutes of a park or green play area. 30% are less than fifteen minutes on foot from a railway station. Nevertheless, only a small proportion walk to work or school, suggesting that there remains substantial potential to shift travel behaviours if conditions are improved.

The natural and obvious choice for short trips

The programme intends to tap into this potential by creating an environment in which walking becomes the natural and obvious choice for short trips. Antwerp, the city argues, has a strong advantage: its inherent urban proximity. 

Distances between essential destinations are short, and everyday services are well distributed across neighbourhoods. 

However, proximity alone is not enough. Routes must be safe, comfortable, accessible and enjoyable. The programme therefore focuses equally on functional walking—everyday journeys to work, school or public transport—as on recreational walking for leisure, health and social interaction.

1: Antwerp makes space for the pedestrian

The first of the programme’s three pillars, ‘Antwerp makes space for the pedestrian‘ concentrates on the physical environment. The City will develop a layered and coherent pedestrian network at both municipal and district levels. 

This network distinguishes between main pedestrian axes designed to accommodate the highest volumes, comfort routes that connect important destinations, and basic routes that link neighbourhoods. 

Specialised routes such as ‘silver ribbons’ for older adults and rolling routes, already in place in several districts, will be updated and expanded. Slow roads, which currently amount to more than 780 kilometres, will be integrated formally into the city’s pedestrian network.

Adjustments to traffic-light timing

Improving safety is one of the core goals. The programme identifies numerous interventions aimed at making streets safer and more readable for walkers. 

Among these are adjustments to traffic-light timing at locations used by vulnerable pedestrians, such as older adults or people with disabilities. The City will investigate where diagonal pedestrian crossings, which allow walkers to cross intersections in all directions during a single traffic-light phase, can be introduced. 

Such crossings, already in use in major cities such as Tokyo, could improve both safety and convenience. Safe and accessible crossing points, well-designed junctions, and clear sightlines form part of this approach, together with better lighting and the reduction of conflict points with cyclists and electric scooters (e-steps).

Accessibility

Accessibility is a fundamental consideration. The City intends to ensure that pavements and pedestrian routes are designed using smooth, slip-resistant materials, with adequate contrast, clear tactile guidance and sufficient resting opportunities. 

Public space will be managed and maintained more strictly, particularly in relation to damaged pavements, obstructive street furniture or temporary construction works. A city-wide de-sealing scan will identify locations where hard surfaces can be replaced by greenery to improve drainage, comfort and environmental quality.

The pleasantness and comfort of walking

The pleasantness and comfort of walking are also prioritised. The pedestrian network will include cool and sheltered places where people can rest or seek protection from bad weather. 

Additional benches will be installed, and more drinking fountains and public toilets will be added at strategic points. Temporary pedestrian zones, such as the one already operating on the Meir during peak shopping periods, may be expanded or replicated in other areas such as the Wilde Zee. A comprehensive note will define minimum norms for pedestrian infrastructure, including shelters, toilets, fountains and other amenities.

2: Antwerp works together for the pedestrian

The second pillar, ‘Antwerp works together for the pedestrian‘, focuses on governance. The city will appoint a dedicated programme manager for pedestrian policy. This individual will coordinate a city-wide consultation structure, ensuring that mobility, public space, accessibility, climate, safety, youth, sports and other departments work in alignment. 

The City argues that many opportunities to improve walking conditions arise during major design and planning processes, and that pedestrian considerations must therefore be integrated systematically from the start. Participation processes will also place greater emphasis on the perspective of pedestrians.

Data collection and evaluation

Data collection and evaluation are essential elements. Antwerp will invest in pedestrian counting systems, mobile scanning tools and improved reporting mechanisms for pavement defects. 

Surveys will capture subjective experiences of pedestrians, enabling the city to identify not only physical but also perceived barriers. Improved data will support the monitoring of progress and the adjustment of policy actions over time.

The programme also stresses the importance of learning and sharing knowledge. Antwerp intends to engage actively with national and international networks and will organise internal learning moments, workshops and city-wide study days. 

The City will participate in the renewal of Flemish pedestrian guidelines and incorporate best practices from other cities. Local insights remain crucial: each district and neighbourhood has distinct characteristics, and the city will collaborate closely with residents to understand how pedestrian needs vary between communities.

3: Antwerp places the pedestrian in the spotlight

The third pillar, ‘Antwerp places the pedestrian in the spotlight‘, concerns communication and behavioural change. Officials acknowledge that improving infrastructure is insufficient unless people are encouraged to make use of it. 

The City will therefore highlight the benefits of walking through public campaigns and events, including participation in the annual Flemish Month of the Pedestrian. 

Existing platforms such as Smart Ways to Antwerp will continue to promote walking as part of sustainable travel. School environments will be improved through clearer markings and adjustments to nearby infrastructure, and communication campaigns will address issues such as riding bicycles or e-steps on pavements.

Enforcement protocol

The City will expand areas where shared e-steps, bicycles and scooters are restricted or slowed, responding to a growing level of discomfort among pedestrians.

An enforcement protocol will be developed to improve enforcement on pavements and pedestrian zones. Cooperation with the local police will focus on promoting courtesy and compliance with traffic rules among all road users.

Schools

Several actions address the particular pressures around schools. The City intends to strengthen communication around school streets and provide clearer guidance to reduce tensions and improve safety. Officials note that in these environments, pedestrians are often more vulnerable, and targeted measures can have a significant impact.

Beyond the detailed policy framework and set of actions, the City underlines the cultural significance of the programme. Walking, it argues, is about more than mobility. It is about the right to access and experience public space in a safe, comfortable and dignified manner. The programme explicitly seeks to create a city where residents and visitors can meet, interact and enjoy their surroundings.

Walking statistics

The City’s ambitions are supported by a range of figures that illustrate both the current situation and the potential for growth. Today, only 3.6% of Antwerp residents walk to work, while 9.7% of children walk to school. 

3% of residents walk during leisure time. Yet public-transport statistics reveal the centrality of walking: 64% of train, tram and bus users reach their stop or station on foot. 

Antwerp’s proximity indicators underscore the feasibility of increasing walking rates. Large shares of residents live close to essential services and green spaces, reflecting the compactness of the city.

In 2024, Antwerp counted 44 kilometres of residential streets and 34 kilometres of pedestrian zones. These have already contributed to improvements in safety and comfort for pedestrians, and the city plans to enhance and expand them further. Slow roads are expected to play an increasingly important role in the pedestrian network, offering routes that are car-free, often green and suitable for both walking and cycling.

A sustainable and healthy urban lifestyle

The City’s announcement stresses that walking is not merely an alternative to motorised travel but a core component of a sustainable and healthy urban lifestyle. 

The Pedestrian Programme is designed as a multidimensional strategy, encompassing spatial planning, mobility, safety, accessibility, public health, local economy and climate resilience. It is intended to guide policymaking for years to come, with detailed action tables specifying responsibilities, priorities and timelines.

Alderman Kennis describes the programme as a major step towards creating an Antwerp where short journeys occur naturally on foot. He emphasises that walking remains the most fundamental form of movement, one that enriches the way people experience the city. The measures set out in the programme, he argues, will help establish Antwerp as a walking city – safe, comfortable, accessible and enjoyable for all.

With the approval of the Pedestrian Programme 2025, Antwerp signals its commitment to reshaping mobility priorities and reaffirming the importance of pedestrians in the urban environment. 

As the city moves towards 2030, the realisation of these ambitions will depend on the coordinated efforts of municipal departments, district authorities, partner organisations and residents themselves. The programme provides the framework, but its success will be measured by the extent to which it transforms everyday life on Antwerp’s streets.

On the look of Antwerp

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