Six private partners submitted proposals in the first call of Ghent’s Woonpact, which closed on 1 September 2026. Together the proposals cover 400 to 500 homes, of which 160 to 200 would be social or budget rental homes. The pact is the city’s tool for getting affordable rentals built on land it does not own.
What the Woonpact asks and offers
Under the Woonpact, the city asks private partners to provide at least 40 percent affordable rental homes on their own land. Half of these are social rental homes and the other half budget rental homes. In return, developers get a faster, guided process in which one fixed contact point, the Woonpact chamber, replaces the existing consultation forums with the various city services. Woonpact projects are also exempt from the tax on occupying public space, which for large construction sites can easily exceed 100,000 euros. Finally, the city’s partners take over the affordable homes: Thuispunt Gent for social housing, and NV Modest or the city rental agency Huuringent for budget homes. Developers therefore do not need to find individual buyers or tenants, which reduces the financial risk of a housing project.
The first call in numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Preliminary talks at the Woonpact desk | twelve |
| Partners that submitted a proposal | six |
| Homes proposed | 400 to 500 |
| Social or budget rental homes | 160 to 200 |
The proposed homes are spread over Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Gentbrugge, Dampoort, Drongen, Ledeberg and Wondelgem. The city said this pioneering work shows that cooperation with the private sector pays off.
What happens next
A team with the city architect, the urban development company sogent, the housing and planning departments and Thuispunt Gent is examining the proposals. The city will screen them over the coming month and decide which can grow into a full project. The selected projects will become Woonpact projects, and the concrete plans will be announced later. They will be supported by the Woonpact chamber, which meets weekly and brings together expertise on design, housing types, management, financial feasibility and spatial aspects. A call for a second wave will follow.
Background
The city launched the call on 13 May 2026. It was shaped by months of talks with the private sector and by workshops. Proposals could be submitted from 3 June until 1 September. The Woonpact is an initiative of the City of Ghent together with sogent, the city architect and Thuispunt Gent.