VolvoLab, it is the collaboration between the village of Oostakker and the Volvo company, one of the largest in Flanders, in order to completely change the face of the actual streetscape governed by cars into a car-free village.
These motorized vehicles are thrown out of the village and replaced by a network of hydrogen-powered shuttle buses supplied by Volvo, thus making use of Oostakker as its technology laboratory, while at the same time stimulating a radical change in mobility and the face of the village. This shuttle network criss-crosses the village, minimising walking distances between each line and connecting the village centre to its outskirts through an impressive ecological network.
Along these green lanes, new way of living is taking place. The local environment is changing, proximity is increasing and the use of cars becomes definitely
obsolete. Following that, functions basically dedicated to this mean of transport are either doomed to adapt or disappear. Garages are iconic examples of this swit