The European Linear Forest – Towards a Resilient Green Infrastructure for Europe

Denis Delbaere and his research team are preparing a new Interreg project proposal, to be submitted in spring 2026, and are actively seeking collaborators across Europe. The project builds on over a decade of research into the ecological, spatial, and social potential of spontaneous green corridors – the often-overlooked vegetated margins of transport infrastructure.

These “linear forests” have emerged unintentionally along railways, highways, and waterways, forming a vast and largely unrecognised green network. First studied in the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, these marginal strips have shown both surprising biodiversity and significant cultural value. The upcoming Interreg project aims to scale this research across Europe.

The project seeks to:

– Extend observational and field research from the LiKoTo Eurometropolis to a Europe-wide network of case studies;
– Frame the linear forest as a transnational landscape project – a shared spatial, ecological, and cultural resource;
– Explore how such spaces can be integrated into planning documents and legally recognised as green infrastructure;
– Establish a European network of laboratory sites for experimenting with urban forestry and collaborative maintenance practices.

Call for Collaboration

Researchers (ecology, anthropology, landscape, urban studies, environmental law), universities and schools (landscape architecture, planning, forestry), and public institutions managing infrastructure are invited to join the consortium. The project offers a space for joint fieldwork, student engagement, shared teaching modules, experimental management trials, and critical reflection on the socio-ecological life of infrastructural verges.

This is a rare opportunity to work across borders on a grounded, transdisciplinary landscape programme that questions both ecological governance and the aesthetics of infrastructure.

If interested, contact Denis Delbaere or LiKoTo to express intent or recommend colleagues and institutions who may wish to collaborate.

Let us begin to recognise, protect, and cultivate this continental-scale forest already in formation – one that crosses jurisdictions, disciplines, and habitual frames of reference.

The project invitation explained at length: The European linear forest – Interreg project

You can read more about the research in the interview with Denis Delbaere.