Ostend
Ostend, Belgium
OstendOstend, Belgium
Story of place by Girls
The Leopold Park is more than just a green lung in the heart of Ostend: it is a mirror of our society and of the tensions that public space inevitably carries. For us, as the Girls Make the City group in Ostend, this park is at once a place of opportunity and of obstacles.
We start from a reality that, sadly, is all too familiar to many girls and women. Dark corners, overgrown bushes and poor lighting make parts of the park invisible or downright threatening. Racism, sexism and the lingering colonial perspective that still shapes the design of public spaces often reduce us to bodies to be looked at or controlled. Catcalling, intoxication, lack of cleanliness and the shortage of inviting places to sit only reinforce that feeling: instead of feeling welcome and free, we often feel restricted, watched, or even unsafe.
And yet, another story hides within the Leopold Park. We see children playing, people walking, residents picnicking together, artists performing, and neighbours claiming their space. The park shows that there is room for encounter, for creativity, and for the everyday right simply to be present. Between the bandstand and the pond, between heritage and colonial traces, a space emerges that invites a different kind of use: art, culture and community initiatives that tell a new, more open story.
It is precisely within that tension, between fear and desire, between exclusion and the hunger for freedom, that our struggle takes place. We believe that public space does not only carry threats, but also offers opportunities to reshape how we live together.
From that conviction, we developed eight concrete interventions to transform the Leopold Park, and by extension the whole city. These are actions that make girls and women visible, strengthen safety and openness, and turn the park into a place where everyone can truly be themselves.
The Leopold Park shows us that a city can always be more than it once was. It can become a space of encounter, of freedom and of care. A place where we, as girls and women, do not merely pass through, but come home.
De Roddelrij (The Gossip Bench)
As part of Theater Aan Zee, Girls Make the City launched De Roddelrij (The Gossip Bench), a five-part podcast series celebrating the stories of Ostend’s Leopold Park. Created by audio maker Elena Dikomitis, the project invites visitors to listen to conversations with local residents through QR codes placed on the park’s iconic benches. The stories explore memories, belonging, safety, loneliness and community, while opening up honest conversations about issues such as harassment, prejudice and drug-related nuisance. Inspired by the ideas of 19 local girls and women, the project revives the park’s historic roddelrij as a space for connection, dialogue and social care. By encouraging people to pause, listen and talk, De Roddelrij helps transform the park into a more welcoming, inclusive and safer public space for everyone.
