Recl/fr)a(i)ming the Voids of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem

RE

claim fr am e

!NG THE VOIDS of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem Evelyne Vanhoutte

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Recl/fr)a(i)ming the Voids of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem Evelyne Vanhoutte Thesis submitted to obtain the degree European Postgraduate Masters in Urbanism [EMU] Academic year: 2010-2011 Thesis advisor: Prof. Bruno De Meulder Urbanisms & Inclusions 1: Sint-Jans-Molenbeek/Brussels

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculty of Engineering Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO]

Permission for Use of Content: The author herewith permits that the present dissertation be made available for consultation; parts of it may be copied, strictly for personal use. Every other use is subject to strict copyright reservations. Particular reference is made to the obligation of explicitly mentioning the source when quoting the present dissertation’s results.

Leuven, 2011

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RE

claim fr am e

!NG THE VOIDS of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem

1

CONTENTS

NATURES OF BRUSSELS mapping the (social) landscape

IMAG(INARI)ES cataloguing the void

On path dependencies and dualities

The obsolete low city

Vacancy and the Commons

a common framework for inclusion

space, much wasted

The lacking low city space, much needed

RECLA!M!NG | REFRAMING THE VOIDS of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem PROJECT XS participe futur PROJECT XL maison des mères ecolan

NATURES OF BRUSSELS mapping the (social) landscape

1: on path dependencies and dualities 2: vacancy and the Commons

[ water city, forest city ] [ iron city, park city ] [ dense city, vacant city ]

* landscape urbanism: a theory of urbanism arguing that landscape is more competent than architecture to organise cities and urban environments. The term was coined by Charles Waldheim and elaborated on in his 2006 book "The Landscape Urbanism Reader". ** urbanisms of inclusion: a theory of urbanism using the lens of social inclusion to address contemporary territorial and socio-ecological issues such as uneven development or gentrification. According to Brian McGrath, professor of urban design at Parsons The New School of Design, it is not a strict method but rather a framework of thought* that invites designers to include every conceivable aspect of an urban environment to guide their design intervention. (from an interview with Brian McGrath on May 18, 2011).

FOREST STRUCTURE FOREST PATCHES FOREST CITY / PARK CITY

WATER SHEDS RAILWAY SYSTEM WATER CITY / IRON CITY

FOREST PATCHES RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM

*** urban design: a term describing the arrangement and organisation of urban environments,(MEGA)MESH in particular (MEGA)MESH 2 urban public space.

RAILWAY SYSTEM (MEGA)MESH

RAILWAY (MEGA)MESH 2 + FOREST SYSTEM

E 19

ABC

ABC

W

M

S

**** The Commons: a term referring to resources that people collectively own or share (inclusing private as well as public property). Originally, the term referred to the common use of natural resources or land. In a broader sense, it can refer to anything from resources to software – or even ideas.

ABC

W

M

S

ABC

W

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ABC

Woluwe

Maalbeek

E 19

Senne

E 40

ABC canal

SCALE WATER SHEDS

Natures of Brussels: on path dependencies and dualities

introduction //

This thesis essay aims to link the by now familiar landscape urbanism* approach with the much newer urbanisms of inclusion** approach, which focusses primarily on the social dimension of urban design interventions***.

However, these two perspectives with a seemingly very different focus are not necessarily incompatible. Using Brussels as a case study, this paper investigates how these two approaches can be merged in order to frame design interventions in ethnically diverse Sint-JansMolenbeek.

Based on this reading of the social landscape, the second part of this paper provides a framework for interpretation of the projects of the students who've participated in this thesis-studio.

This framework is based on a more detailed reading of the project area (in terms of accessibility and social characteristics). The central theme of Commons reappears as a conceptual link for all of the student projects.

The first part of this paper -- or rather, narrative -researches the historical exploitation of the physical landscape of Brussels to provide an interpretation of its current social landscape. The story is structured around three dualities in the physical environment: water and forest – the natural elements that structured the initial development of Brussels; railway and park systems – the 19th century 'modernisation' of these two respective elements; and the dense and the vacant city – the consequences of this modernisation in present-day Brussels.

Simultaneously, the story tries to trace within each duality where and how its elements coincide with social disparities. A very useful tool to trace these discrepancies is the concept of the Commons**** – originally understood as communal use of natural resources, 'Commons' may also be extended to the communal use of public facilities in general. The materiality of the Commons in this sense changes remarkably in Brussels throughout space and time, and proves a helpful concept for mapping the social landscape of the city.

7

1 :

Parallel valley systems running north-south

2 :

The three valley regions: the Dender, Senne and Dyle valleys

3 :

The powerful forest: the Sonian Forest in 1659, with the location of religious and civil institutions throughout the Middle Ages + civil power + religious power

4 :

The three valley regions of Brussels Brussels settlements along the rivers Senne, Maalbeek and Woluwe

[1]

[2]

BRUSSELS

WATER SHEDS

FOREST PATCH

ABC

FOREST STRUCTURE

Woluwe

LOCAL SCALE

Maalbeek

(MICRO SCALE)

Senne

REGIONAL SCALE

ABC canal

NATIONAL SCALE

water city, forest city // a tale on an XL scale.

Brussels can be regarded as an element within a parallel north-south oriented valley system, consisting of small tributaries of the river Scheldt. Located in the Senne valley, Brussels is flanked by the Dender valley in the west and the Dyle valley in the east, the same rivers that in Roman times also delimited the ancient Silva Carbonaria or 'charcoal forest' up to the early Middle Ages, when it was largely cut down to serve as fuel (Pierron, 1935).

Loose patches of the ancient forest remained however here and there, such as the Sonian Forest just southeast of Brussels.

Settlements emerged mainly along those river valleys, and in the present-day Brussels Region, the same pattern occurs on a smaller scale: density, or the dense city, is located on the banks of the parallel rivers Senne, Maalbeek and Woluwe (de Ferraris, 1771-1778). But apart from the settlement pattern, do they develop in parallel ways?

[3]

[4]

water city, forest city // the tale on a smaller scale.

Maalbeek

Senne

Woluwe

The myth of how Brussels originated is a tale of three powers: economic power (the island of Saint-GÊry’s, where the city's market was located at the intersection of the river Senne with the ancient paved road and trade axis connecting Germany to the North Sea); religious power (the catholic collegiate church dedicated to St. Michael and St. Gudula, Brussels' patron saints); and civil power (the Coudenberg castle, erected at the end of the 12th century and home to successive rulers of the Province of Brabant for the next six centuries).

9

HES

5 :

(MEGA)MESH 2

ABC

(MEGA)MESH

ABC

W

M

S

ABC

RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM

W

M

S

ABC

RAILWAY SYSTEM

W

M

S

ABC

Woluwe

FOREST PATCHES

Maalbeek

Senne

WATER SHEDS

ABC canal

URE

The Water City water as the Commons of the low city + churches

RAILWAY SYSTEM

RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM

(MEGA)MESH

(MEGA)MESH 2

[5] [6]

6 :

the Iron City following topographic depressions

7 :

(right page, above) High city – Low city topographical understanding of the ville-basse or low city and the villehaute or high city, Saint Géry (black) Cathedral and Coudenbergh castle (white)

LOW CITY.

ville-basse "low city"

"high city" ville-haute low city

SCALE

[7]

high city

A dual city, with clear power disparities that are related The west of Brussels, the island of Saint-Géry, was a to topography and vegetation, emerges from the very swampy area, where mainly merchants and peasants beginning of Brussels' existence. The 18th century settled down. Water was important not only because the Commons are, or are located around, water – both in the river Senne was a major transportation route to Antwerp. low city and in the high city.

The vicinity of waterways also provided opportunities for milling and related industries. Interestingly, the urban water infrastructure also played an important role in the LOCAL SCALE Still water ponds FOREST STRUCTURE WATER SHEDS FOREST RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM (MICRO SCALE) food industry.

LOCALRAILWAY SCALE SYSTEM FOREST STRUCTURE informal were created a NATIONAL SCALE REGIONAL SCALE (MICRO PATCHES SCALE) little off the river beds or below the western fortification walls, and became shared reservoirs for fish breeding and domestic use (Deligne, 2005). They were, in other words, the Commons of the low city.

E 19

E 40

E 19

E 19

E 40

E 40

E 19

(MEGA WATER

E 19

More important institutions such as the Coudenberg castle and the church of St. Michael and St. Gudula settled on the eastern bank of the Senne river, a little higher up and out of the inundation zone.

Even further east, the Sonian Forest and its surroundings were home to the nobility, their hunting grounds, their exquisite castles and sumptuous second homes. The otherwise common natural resource of the forest was largely privatised by them, except for where a number of religious communities were established (Beheerplan Zoniënwoud, bijlage 1, 2003). Those half a dozen abbeys positioned themselves somewhere in-between: they were dependent on both religious and civil institutions, but provided access and services to all. Hence, they could be considered a sort of Commons, and again were mostly located around constructed pond systems in the forest.

E 40

E 19

iron city, park city // The 19th century brought

many drastic changes to Brussels, on an economic, a political and a spatial level. Industrialisation introduces new technologies into our urban environments, Brussels becomes the capital of a new kingdom called Belgium in 1830, and cities experience an unseen demographic boom (to name just a few).

Of all modern technologies introduced by industrialisation, railway has perhaps brought about the most profound changes in our territories. Around the 1830s, the Belgian government starts investing tremendously in the development of an extensive railway network (Devys, 1910), which roughly follows the topographic depressions.

The valley structures are being 'modernised' by an iron network paralleling the rivers.

This modernisation also occurs within Brussels. Parallel to the river Senne and the collateral canal, constructed 11

2006 ±82.000

90.000

1906 ± 68.000

80.000 70.000 60.000 50.000 40.000 30.000

1846 ±12.000

20.000

2010

2000

1990

1980

1970

1960

1950

1940

1930

1920

1910

1900

1890

1880

1870

1860

1850

1840

1830

1820

1810

10.000

2010

[8]

[10] SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK UKKEL

[9]

SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK UKKEL 100.000 90.000 80.000 70.000

[11]

60.000 100.000 50.000 90.000 40.000 80.000 30.000 70.000 20.000 60.000 10.000 50.000

1810

1820

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

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2010

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

30.000

1820

40.000

1810

2000

1990

1980

1970

2006 ±82.000

1960

1950

100.000

20.000 10.000

8 :

The powerful forest power and the forest in the 1700s + civil power + religious power

9 :

The rich forest revenue and the forest today + administrative power the Sonian Forest in 1659 dark grey: high income areas light grey: low income areas

10 : Growth rate of the low city demographic evolution of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek from 1810-2010 11 : Comparing the growth rates in low and high city. demographic evolution of SintJans-Molenbeek and Ukkel from 1810-2010

in 1832 and connecting Brussels to the coal reserves of Charleroi (Demey, 2008), a main rail artery emphasises the valley structure. Along it, goods stations with large marshalling yards (Bruxelles-Maritime, the West station) and related industries profit from the newly provided double accessibility, and reinforce a physical edge between uptown and downtown, high city and low city.

Railway lines divide but also access the Brussels territory, serving both the residential high city and making accessible to labourers the factories along the canal in the west. A continuous surge in population is mainly due to immigration, internal and external, for rich and poor (Eggerickx, 1999).

A clear settlement pattern emerges : In the western low city, the abundance of industrial work opportunities attract day labourers, which either travel daily by rail from their rural homes to the capital, in need of an additional wage as the Flemish agricultural industry collapsed between 1840-1850 (Debergh, 2006), or settle down in 'beluiken' or 'courées' (very dense, low quality housing on the inside of an urban block) in the vicinity of those industries (Développement de la Commune de M.S.-J., n.d.).

The upper class then densifies the high city, which takes place more gradually and about 50 years later (Census results 1810-1970). Rich immigrants settle down in the high southeast, preferably buying a piece of the Sonian Forest, which was at that time entirely acquired by the Société Générale de Belgique (the state-owned company also exploiting the Brussels tramway lines and the Belgian and colonial energy resources) (Kurgan-van Hentenryk, 1996). The SGB enthusiastically parcelled out the forest and sold the lots to the nouveaux riches who eagerly converted them into castle domains, villa residences or hippodromes. Other parts are deforested to serve as world expo sites (Solbosch). From 1822 to 1843, the short period during which the Sonian Forest was property of the SGB, this practice caused its surface area to be reduced to a mere two fifths (Maziers, 1994).

The 19th century high city is spacious, residential, spread out, wealthy and green.

The 19th century low city is modern, productive, accessible, compact, dense, poor, and dirty.

Geographically, it is clasped between rail and water infrastructures. Mentally, it is regarded by the upper class as a sewer.

13

FOREST STRUCTURE

WATER SHEDS

FOREST PATCHES

RAILWAY SYSTEM

RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM

(MEGA)MESH

(MEGA)MESH 2

[12]

E 19

E 40

[13]

1867

Parc Elisabeth

1904

12 : the Park City: a chain of landscaped parks are constructed along the ring road between 1862-...

13 : Étang a Tervueren: by the lake,The Josaphat valley in Schaerbeek and The old hornbeam alley by landscape painter Hippolyte Boulenger (early 1870s) 14 : Plan d'ensemble pour l'extension et l'embellissement de l'agglomération bruxelloise.

by Victor Besme (1866) 15 : Nouvel plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Auguste Verwest (1911) 16 : (following pages) Spatial evolution of the Water City and and the Forest City Anecdotic schemes explaining the development of Brussels

Parc Josaphat

1880

1775

Parc Warande

Cinquantenaire

1899 1912

1910

Parc de Forest Parc Duden

Solbosch

1862

Bois de La Cambre

Parc de Woluwe Parc Parmentier Etangs Mellaerts

ABC

ABC

W

M

S

ABC

W

M

S

ABC

W

1905

M

S

ABC

Woluwe

Maalbeek

E 19

Senne

Parc de Laeken ABC canal

ALE

[14]

[15]

By the 1860s, the expanding capital is in need of more, bigger, better infrastructure. Leopold II, Belgium's second king, commissions Victor Besme as inspecteur voyer or "chief road engineer" in 1859, a position assigning him to develop a coherent urbanistic plan for Greater Brussels (Zitouni, 2010). Besme proposes a sequence of ring roads and boulevards which feature a series of mega-sports infrastructures (velodromes, hippodromes) and large, landscaped parks (Besme, 1866). Only the eastern part of both road and park structure would be constructed. Following the example of Frederick Law Olmsted, Leopold II and the nobility 'modernise nature'.

Landscape architects are hired and privatised patches of forest are turned into parks for public use.

Both the railway network and the park systems can be seen as a form of 'modernised nature', the former water and forest structures that experience emerging capitalism.

Both attempt to be a Commons, but neither are. The high city Commons is accessible via a would-be ring road that doesn't even connect to the low city but stops halfway.

Instead of being a real Commons, the parks emphasise the initial disparate power relation of high and low city.

15

The development of Brussels from the Middle Ages to the 19th century

... now available in a nutshell! major players of the Middle Ages, up in the trees ...

... driven out by new players...

(with an iron hand!)

Château Trois-Fontaines (14th C) Maritime station (1907) Abbey of Rouge-Cloître (14th C) 1st North station (1841) Abbey of Valduchesse (13th C)

Central station (1952)

Chapel of Saint-Géry (580) Midi station (19??)

Cathedral of Saint-Michel and Saint-Gudule (11th C)

Abattoirs (1890)

Luxembourg station (18??)

Coudenbergh castle (11th C) rail Abbey of La Cambre (1201) (former) railway stations

waterways

churches – core of origin

[16]

17

17 : The Vacant City percentage of vacant buildings per municipality 1 City of Brussels 2 Jette 3 Ganshoren 4 Sint-Agatha-Berchem 5 Koekelberg 6 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek 7 Anderlecht 8 Vorst 9 Sint-Gillis 10 Elsene 11 Etterbeek 12 Sint-Joost-ten-Node 13 Schaarbeek 14 Evere 15 Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe 16 Sint-Pieters-Woluwe 17 Oudergem 18 Watermaal-Bosvoorde 19 Ukkel

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

7%

7%

8%

[14]

[5]

9%

[7]

4%

[13] [12]

[6]

9%

7%

7%

9%

[15]

5%

[1]

6% [11] [9]

[8]

7%

8%

8%

[16]

4%

[10] [10]

9%

[17]

[1]

18 : "Contemporary Commons" in Brussels ignoring the low city

[18]

[19]

5%

4% 5%

[17]

19 : Immigration to the low city ethnic groups immigrating to Sint-Jans-Molenbeek from 1810-2010

[18]

100.000 90.000 80.000

Morocco Turkey Algeria T u n i s i a

Eastern Europe 2010

2000

fami ne

agriculture crisis

peasants

Italy Spain Portugal greece

1980

1970

1950

1940

1930

1920

immigration

1910

Flemish

rural 1860

1850

1840

1830

1820

1810

10.000

1890

1880

20.000

1870

30.000

1900

40.000

French

50.000

1960

immigration français

60.000

1990

70.000

[19]

dense city, vacant city //

Throughout the 20th century, employment activities and the demographic composition of the low city drastically changed. The Flemish peasant immigrants of the 18401900s were successively replaced by the French (Interbellum), the South-Mediterraneans (1950s-1960s), the North-Africans (1960s-1970s) and the EastEuropeans (1990s), who immigrated to work as labour force (Eggerickx, 1999).

Despite those severe social changes, many other characteristics of the low city remained the same throughout the course of the 20th century. It was still poor, very dense, with few public facilities and a population consisting for a major part of immigrants.

Paradoxically, the demographically most dense part of the city is currently also the most 'vacant' part (BBROW, 2005).

If the power landscape in the high city kept expanding throughout the 20th century – from national to, much more recently, a number of European administrations – the production and logistics landscape in the low city was less thriving. From the 1970s -1980s onward, the industrial canal zone started deteriorating. Marshalling yards and industrial buildings became obsolete, and also residential buildings with low comfort standards became increasingly undesirable.

Hence the low city, which was previously identified as the water city (structured by water courses), the iron city (structured by a 'modernisation' of those water courses), becomes the vacant city (the post-industrialised city).

Conclusion and hypothesis //

The low city's social characteristics (density, ethnic diversity, education) entail a number of issues where a landscape urbanism approach by itself would fall short of providing a complete answer to urban design questions.

As this narrative has shown how deeply the social landscape of Brussels is intertwined with the physical landscape, an exclusively social inclusion approach to urban design would be equally undesirable.

The 'Commons' highlighted in every dual development of the city (water-forest; iron-park) bring forward common grounds of the two disciplines, and with a little imagination hold the key to an integrative approach. This narrative stopped at a point where the low city is regarded as an area with a lack of Commons, but with a vast reservoir of obsolete waste space.

This exciting paradox invites us to stop telling stories -and start imagining. The inspiring condition we have at hand – the vacant city, remainders of industrialised nature – could become the setting of a new type of Commons for the low city!

It could be a Commons that claims the space available, that makes it public without copying the already existing park typology in the east; a Commons tailored for the low city: programmatically addressing current and future issues the area struggles with, remembering the area's industrial past and its connection to the physical landscape...

19

Vacancy and the Commons a common framework for inclusion

Woluwe

Maalbeek W

Woluwe Senne M

ABC Maalbeek S ABC canal

ABC canal W Senne

M

S

ABC

E 19

W

E 19

M

E 40

ABC Woluwe S

E 19

FOREST PATCHES WATER RAILWAY SHEDS WATER+ SHEDS FOREST SYSTEMRAIL FO

E 19

Maalbeek

E 19

E 40

Senne

E 19

E 40

ABC canal

E 19

E 40 E 40

E 19

W

E 40

FOREST WATER STRUCTURE SHEDS FOREST RAILWAY STRUCTURE SYSTEM

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M

E 40

FOREST LOCAL STRUCTURE SCALE FOREST LOCAL SCALE PATCHES

S

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E 40

LOCAL SCALE WATER SHEDS (MICRO SCALE) (MICRO SCALE)

E 19

Woluwe

E 40

FOREST REGIONAL STRUCTURE (MICROREGIONAL SCALE) SCALE SCALE

E 19

Maalbeek

E 40

E 19

Senne

E 19

ABC

LOCAL SCALE REGIONAL NATIONAL SCALE NATIONAL SCALE SCALE

NATIONAL SCALE (MICRO SCALE)

ABC canal

REGIONAL SCALE

20 : The low city geographically: situation the low city comprises parts of the municipalities of : 1 -- the city of Brussels 2 -- Koekelberg 3 -- Sint-Jans-Molenbeek 4 -- Anderlecht 5 -- Sint-Gillis 6 -- Vorst

21 : The low city geographically: vacancy xs +xl sites

1

2

3

1

4

6

5

the low city condition //

In order to imagine a Commons befitting the low city, a deeper understanding of what this "low city condition" exactly entails, is required. First of all, we need to clarify what we understand geographically by the term "low city" today, and how it is connected to other parts of the Brussels Region. In addition, a detailed quantification of the area's social issues regarding demography, education and employment should provide an insight into the area's current and future challenges.

the surrounding municipalities of Koekelberg, Vorst and Sint-Gillis make up the "low city".

Vacancy is an omnipresent characteristic of this low city.

Both large-scale vacant sites (former marshalling yards, obsolete industrial buildings) and small-scale vacant sites (housing) are dotted throughout the area.

Geographically, the 19th century low city developed clasped between canal and railway. The areas between rail and canal within the pentagonal centre of the city that initially had the same characteristics, gradually became gentrified throughout the course of the 19th and 20th century. In other words, the contemporary 'low city' is pushed outside of the small ring road. Today, parts of SintJans-Molenbeek and Anderlecht, and small fragments of 21

22 : (below) North-south accessibility 23 : (middle) East-west accessibility despite the barriers, the low city is well connected 24 : (series on the right) North-south infrastructures as barriers - the railway lines - the canal - Pachecolaan

[22]

[23]

[24]

RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM

(ME

barriers to accessibility // would-be ring roads and interrupted access

Another issue the Brussels Region suffers from, is its legacy of incoherent planning decisions. Besme's halffinished ring road is a beautiful example, and later attempts to construct larger ring roads around Brussels would prove to be equally (un)successful.

Without wanting to imply that a closed ring road would be a better option – no one uses a ring road in its entirety, anyway – we may state that a number of planning decisions has had a severe impact on the accessibility of Brussels and the low city in particular. The construction of various north-south infrastructures in the 19th century (railway, canal) impede continuous east-west circulation to the low city. In addition to these barriers, the modernist obsession with zoning resulted in a 1955 plan by Tekhné (turning the area between Pachecolaan and the small ring road east of it into an administrative quarter), providing yet another barrier that only one road crosses perpendicularly (Abeels, 1982).

W

M

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E 40

E 19

RAILWAY SYSTEM

W

E 19

E 40

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E 19

E 40

ABC

E 40

FOREST PATCHES

E 19

Woluwe

E 19

E 40

E 19

Senne

E 40

NATIONAL SCALE NATIONAL SCALE FORESTNATIONAL SCALE N-S BARRIERSWATER SHEDS N-S BARRIERS LOCAL SCALE STRUCTURE INTERCONNECTED RINGROADS NORTH-SOUTH BARRIERS

E 19

ABC canal

E 40

E 19

ABC Maalbeek

E 19

ABC

NATIONAL SCALE (MICRO SCALE) HALF-FINISHED RINGROADS

AL SCALE

the low city at a glance //

A detailed account of the most remarkable demographic, ethnic and education statistics of the low city are listed in an overview on the following pages. Most are addressed by at least one student project (indicated by a colour code).

A series of graphic schemes on the left illustrate the role of these north-south infrastructures as dividers and connectors with regard to the low city. We may conclude that in an east-west direction, the low city is easily accessible although connections are rarely continuous. In a north-south direction, roads are continuous but sparse.

This access discrepancy is addressed by the various student projects, who reinforce the north-south direction in the low city by either upgrading existing axes with their thematic type of Commons (facilities for women, community services, schools) or establishing a whole new axis of Commons (a sports or public space network).

25 : projects : a north-south network

23

youth % of population between: 0-3 yrs. / 0-20 yrs. / 0-30 yrs.

6,5% / 30% / 48,5% (Brussels Region average 4,5% / 24,2% / 39,5%)

unemployment

≥ 31,8 %

(Brussels Region average 20,5 %)

≥ 36,4 %

(Brussels Region average 19%)

ethnicity

women

moroccan

±70% foreign/double nationality

0-30 yrs.

49,9 %

40,3% with Moroccan origins

(Brussels Region average 46,3%)

24

highschool dropouts

(Brussels Region average 51%)

(Brussels Region average 16%)

day care need

density

vacancy

1.613 extra spaces needed by 2020 (161 per year)

Cureghem: 13.500 inh/km2 Laag-Molenbeek: 16.000 inh/km2

9 % of all buildings

to meet the Barcelona quote (provide day care for 33% of all children between 0-3 years olds)

(B.R. average 6.750 inh/km ) 2

7 ha XXS sites 10 ha XXL sites

unemployed women 18-64

population growth by 2020

> 50%

> 20%

THE LOW CITY AT A GLANCE *

NATIONAL SCALE NATIONAL SCALE

(Brussels Region average 41%)

(Brussels Region average 13%)

E 19

E 40

E 40

REGIONAL SCALE REGIONAL SCALE

(MICRO SCALE)

(MICRO SCALE)

LOCAL SCALE

E 19

E 40

E 40

(LEONARD INTERSECTION) E 19

6+ families ≥ 8,7 % (Brussels Region average 2,9%)

E 19

ACCESS ON A REGIONAL SCALE

LOW CITY – MICRO SCALE

teenage pregnancy 3,8 % (Brussels Region average 2,8%)

school need nursery/primary/secondary schools to be opened by 2015 12 / 12 / 2 (% of school need in B.R. 35% / 31% / 33%)

sports facilities

Rana Habibi

informal economy (markets)

Barbara Sandra

Verena Lenna Payam Tabrizian Evelyne Vanhoutte Miguel Vanleene 25

LOCAL

[26]

XL

VACANT

FUNCTIONAL

XS

26 : Matrix of the commons small-scale vs. large-scale interventions; working with occupied vs. vacant land 27 : projects of the Commons addressing different issues markets & education

by Barbara Sandra markets

by Payam Tabrizian sports infrastructure

by Miguel Vanleene 'Common Wealth'

by Verena Lenna women's and ethnic facilities

by Rana Habibi education & daycare

by Evelyne Vanhoutte

[27]

NATIONAL SCALE

N-S BARRIERS

THE LOW CITY COMMONS

ABC

E 40

Concluding notes //

Apart from addressing many relevant issues at stake in the low city, the student projects presented in the second part of this paper also make up a spatial logic on a larger scale than just the low city's. Together, these Low City Commons form a new spatial scheme on the scale of Brussels: a north-south public space structure following the Senne valley and counterbalancing/complementing the 19th-20th century concentric park chain established

by Leopold II.

28 : City of Commons a new spatial scheme for Brussels

27

References // publications CULOT, Maurice et al. (1997). Brussel en de Zenne. Brussels : Archives d’Architecture Moderne

Le Développement de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean depuis 1700. Brussels : Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Service de l'instruction publique ABEELS, Gustave Weissenbruch

(1982).

Pierres

et

rues.

Brussels

:

ABEELS, Gustave (1983). La Senne. Brussels : Ministère de la Communauté française ANDERLECHT (2008). Geïntegreerd Cultuurbeleidsplan 2008-2013. [Online] Retrieved from derinck.vgc.be/cultuur/ documenten/2008-13.pdf on August 3, 2011.

Brussels Instituut voor Milieubeheer (2003). Beheerplan voor het Zoniënwoud. Gedeelte Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest.

[Online]. Retrieved from: http://documentatie.leefmilieubrussel. be/documents/Beheerplan_ Zonienwoud_ 2003_NL.PDF, accessed March 15, 2011.

BISA (2010). Bevolkingsprojecties 2010-2020 voor het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest. In: De cahiers van het BISA 1(2010).

Brussels : Ministerie van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest.

[Online] Available at http://www.brustat.irisnet.be/ BISA (2010). Weerslag van de demografische ontwikkeling op de schoolbevolking in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest. In: De cahiers van het BISA 2(2010). Brussels : Ministerie van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest.

[Online] Available at http://www.brustat.irisnet.be/ BBROW (2005). Les logements vides à Bruxelles – Leegstand in Brussel. In: Art. 23. Driemaandelijks dossier van de BBROW 1/1837. Brussels : BBROW. CHARRUADAS, Paul (2004). Molenbeek-Saint-Jean : Un village bruxellois au Moyen Age. Brussels : CIRHIBRU (ULB) COSMOPOLIS (2010). Statistical Report on The Neighborhood Of Kuregem Veeartsenij. Brussels : VUB

DANCKAERT, Lisette et al. (1989). Bruxelles : cinq siècles de cartographie. Knokke : Mappamundi DEBERGH, Annelies (2006). Serie Leven van Landbouw. Fase 1: van voedsel- naar landbouwcrisis. In: VeeteeltVlees 11(2006) DELIGNE, Chloé (2003). Bruxelles et sa Rivière. Génèse d’un territoire urbain (12e-18e siècle). Brussels : Museum van de Stad Brussel DELIGNE, Chloé (2005). Brussel boven water: de relatie van de stad met haar waterlopen van de Middeleeuwen tot vandaag.

Turnhout : Brepols DEMEY, Thierry (1992). Bruxelles, chronique d’une capitale en chantier. Brussels : Paul Legrain; Éditions C.F.C. DEMEY, Thierry (2008). Een kanaal in Brussel : bron van leven en werk. Brussels : Badeaux EGGERICKX, T., KESTELOOT, C., POULAIN, M. et al. (1999).

Monografie no. 3. Algemene Volks- en Woningtelling op 1 maart 1991. De Allochtone Bevolking in België. Brussels : Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Nationaal Instituut voor de Statistiek.

FINCOEUR, Michel et al. (2000). Brussel en de overwelving van de Zenne. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België HUBERTY, Colette (2000). 100 ans de logement social à Molenbeek : bilan et perspectives d’avenir. Brussels : Le Logement Molenbeekois JAUMAIN, Serge (ed.) (2004). Bruxelles et la jonction Nord-Midi: histoire, architecture et mobilité urbaine. Brussels : Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles KURGAN-VAN HENTENRYK, G. (1996). Gouverner la Générale de Belgique: essai de biographie collective. Brussels : De Boeck Supérieur

LEBLICQ, Yvon (2000). Voor, tijdens en na de overwelving van de Zenne. Brussel : de verandering in beeld. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België MAZIERS, Michel (1994). Histoire d'une forêt périurbaine: Soignies 1822-1843. Sous la coupe de la Société Générale.

Brussel: Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles OBSERVATORIUM VOOR VOLKSGEZONDHEID EN WELZIJN. Gemeente Anderlecht: Gemeentelijke fiches voor de analyse van lokale statistieken in het Brusselse gewest, fiche nr 1, editie 2(2010).

OBSERVATORIUM VOOR VOLKSGEZONDHEID EN WELZIJN. Gemeente Sint-Jans-Molenbeek : Gemeentelijke fiches voor de analyse van lokale statistieken in het Brusselse gewest, fiche nr 12, editie 2(2010).

WALDHEIM, Charles (2006). The Landscape Urbanism Reader.

New York, NY : Princeton Architectural Press WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de Bruxelles ou description historique des localités qui formaient autrefois l'ammannie de cette ville (1855). Brussels : Éditions Culture et Civilisation.

WILLAERT, Didier and DEBOOSERE, Patrick (2005). Buurtatlas van de Bevolking van het Brussel Hoofdstedelijk Gewest bij de aanvang van de 21ste eeuw. Brussels : IRIS Editions.

ZITOUNI, Bénédikte (2010). Agglomérer. Une anatomie de l’extension bruxelloise (1828-1915). Brussels : VUBPress

PIERRON, Sander (1935). Histoire Illustrée de la Forêt de Soignes. Brussels : La Pensée belge.

PUISSANT, Jean (ed.) (2005). Molenbeek, une commune bruxelloise. In: Les Cahiers de La Fonderie 33. Brussels : La Fonderie SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK (2008). Geïntegreerd Cultuurbeleidsplan 2008-2013.

[Online] Retrieved from http://www.molenbeek.irisnet.be/la-viea-molenbeek/loisirs/culture-flamande/service-communal-de-laculture-neerlandophone on August 3, 2011.

SMETS, Marcel (1977). De ontwikkeling van de tuinwijkgedachte in België. Een overzicht van de Belgische volkswoningbouw.

1830-1930. Brussels : Pierre Mardaga Éditions STYNEN, Herman (1979). Stedebouw en gemeenschap: Louis Van der Swaelmen (1883-1929), bezieler van de moderne beweging in België. Brussels : Pierre Mardaga VAN DER BEN, Dick (1997). La forêt de Soignes. Passé, présent, avenir. Brussels : Éditions Racine 29

References // graphics (in order of appearance) 1 :

Parallel valley systems base map: Estuaries with city names by Putseys, Isabelle (2010) [unpublished working material]

2 :

The three valley regions base map: Carte des niveaux et des terrains de al Belgique

by Verstraeten, Théodore and Van Molle, Albert (1878), published by Brussels : Institut cartographique militaire.

In: WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de Bruxelles (1855). Brussels : Éditions Culture et Civilisation, first pages (no page numbers).

3 :

The powerful forest base map: Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In: PIERRON, Sander (1935). Histoire Illustrée de la Forêt de Soignes. Brussels : La Pensée belge, p. 21

4 :

5 :

The three valleys of Brussels base maps: - Carte des niveaux et des terrains de al Belgique by Verstraeten, Théodore and Van Molle, Albert (1878), published by Brussels : Institut cartographique militaire.

In: WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de Bruxelles (1855). Brussels : Éditions Culture et Civilisation, first pages (no page numbers) - Carte de cabinet des Pays-Bas autrichiens by Comte de Ferraris, J.-J.-F. (1771-1778). [Online] Retrieved from http:// www.kbr.be/collections/cart_plan/ferraris/ferraris_nl.html The Water City base map: Carte de cabinet des Pays-Bas autrichiens by Comte de Ferraris, J.-J.-F. (1771-1778). [Online] Retrieved from http://www. kbr.be/collections/cart_plan/ferraris/ferraris_nl.html

6 :

High city – Low city

7 :

The Iron City base maps: - Plan d'ensemble pour l'extension et l'embellissement de l'agglomération bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866), published by Brussels : Établissement géographique de Ph. Vandermaelen. Available at Brussels : Sint-Lukasarchief.

- Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste (1910), published by Brussels : Musée royal de l'Année.

8 :

The powerful forest base map: Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In: PIERRON, Sander (1935). Histoire Illustrée de la Forêt de Soignes. Brussels : La Pensée belge, p. 21

9 :

The rich forest

Growth rate of the low city base maps: - Carte de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean by Anon. (1707).

- Plan de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean by Anon. (1846).

- Plan de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean by Jansen, J.B. (1906).

In: Le Développement de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean depuis 1700. Brussels : Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Service de l'instruction publique. based on: Census data 10 :

Comparing the growth rates in low and high city based on: Census data

11 :

The Park City base maps: - Plan d'ensemble pour l'extension et l'embellissement de l'agglomération bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866), published

by Brussels : Établissement géographique de Ph. Vandermaelen.

Available at Brussels : Sint-Lukasarchief.

- Aerial photo of Brussels, retrieved from Google Maps

12 :

Series of landscape paintings by Hippolyte Boulenger (ca. 1870).

- Étang à Tervueren: by the lake. [Online] Retrieved from: http:// www.askart.com/askart/b/hippolyte_boulenger/hippolyte_ boulenger.aspx, accessed Aug 7, 2011.

- The Josaphat valley at Schaerbeek. [Online] Retrieved from: http:// www.flickr.com/photos/artarchive0607/3356276074/in/photostream, accessed Aug 7, 2011.

-The old hornbeam alley, Tervueren. [Online] Retrieved from: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boulenger_Landscape.jpg, accessed Aug 7, 2011.

13 :

Plan d'ensemble pour l'extension et l'embellissement de l'agglomération bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866), published

by Brussels : Établissement géographique de Ph. Vandermaelen.

Available at Brussels : Sint-Lukasarchief.

14 :

Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste (1910), published by Brussels : Musée royal de l'Année.

15 :

Spatial evolution of the Water City and the Forest City base maps: - Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In: PIERRON, Sander (1935). Histoire Illustrée de la Forêt de Soignes. Brussels : La Pensée belge, p. 21 - Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste (1910), published by Brussels : Musée royal de l'Année.

- Atlas cadastral de Belgique by Popp, Philippe-Christian (18421879). Bruges : P.C. Popp and B. Valckenaere & Cie. [Online], accessible at http://dgtl.kbr.be:8881/main.

References // internet General:

16 :

The Vacant City base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels. http://www.cirb. irisnet.be/departements/services/urbis data: BBROW (2005).

17 :

'Contemporary Commons' in Brussels

Website Sonian Forest (history): http://www.zonienwoud.be/

18 :

Immigration to the Low City based on: Census data

Abattoirs d'Anderlecht: http://www.abatan.be/

19 :

The low city geographically: situation base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels. http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbis

Urbanisms of Inclusion http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/subpage.aspx?id=58015

20 :

The low city geographically: vacancy based on: fieldwork on-site

21 :

North-souh accessibility base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels. http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbi

22 :

23 :

East-west accesibility base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels. http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbis North-south infrastructures as barriers base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels. http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbis

24 :

Projects: a north-south network

25 :

Projects of the Commons

26 :

Matrix of the Commons

27 :

City of Commons

Website Sint-Jans-Molenbeek: http://www.molenbeek.be/

Statistics: FOD Economie : http://statbel.fgov.be/nl/statistieken/cijfers/ Accessed Aug 3, 2011 Census data: http://statbel.fgov.be/nl/statistieken/cijfers/bevolking/volkstelling/ Accessed Aug 3, 2011 Growth projection; school shortage; Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (BISA) : http://www.brustat.irisnet.be/, Accessed Aug 3, 2011 Wijkmonitoring : http://www.wijkmonitoring.irisnet.be/, Accessed Aug 3, 2011 Number of foreigners, naturalisation and progeny at Non-Profit Data : http://www.npdata.be, Accessed Aug 7, 2011

31

IMAG(INARI)ES cataloguing the voids

The obsolete low city space, much wasted ..

Void typologies //

The previous chapter, Natures of Brussels, introduced an interesting question: (how) can the Vacant City become the Commons of the Low City?

In order to imagine a Commons on these abandoned lots, it is desirable that we reflect a moment on what we have at hand. What are these vacant spaces, how are they perceived, and what do they mean in our everyday city lives?

There are a range of terms to describe the condition of urban voids.

"Restgebied" is a neutral term used in Dutch to cover a wide range of unoccupied or unused spaces, and translates to English a little awkwardly to 'rest areas' or often more pejoratively to 'waste spaces'. A term that better covers the ambiguous role (unoccupied but available .. empty but unengaged .. ) of these areas without being negative, is the one Ignasi de Solà-Morales preferred in his 1995 essay 'Terrain Vague'. The French term encompasses the ambiguity mentioned before, but also a reference to uncertainty, indeterminacy, even evoking potential, expectations, expectancies.

In his paper, de Solà-Morales uses the fascination of contemporary photographers with the urban void to address their 'strange' character. He sees the fixation of photographers to depict spaces devoid of elements of power (read: architecture) as a critique of society: they zoom in on exactly those issues that make us uncomfortable – a lack of recognisability, aesthetics and rationalisation. His plea continues as a sort of protective manifesto for the urban void: that those spaces confront

us with our anxiety, is not necessarily a bad thing; we should preserve its strangeness, not make it generic; don't fill it up, don't impose order, for Christ's sake don't do architecture in there.

The 'strange' character of most abandoned lots in the low, post-industrialised city of Brussels, holds the impression that these spaces are 'lost' to industrialisation, modernisation. Post-modern space, if you will. Many of those large sites are still being used in one or the other way, but they suffer from the weight of their industrial legacy – their past seems to give them a different status than the 'regular' urban fabric.

Or as Ignasi de Solà-Morales put it beautifully: "Recent photographers [...] have captured the condition of these spaces as internal to the city yet external to its everyday use. In these forgotten places, the memory of the past seems to predominate over the present."

Coming back to de Solà-Morales' cry for non-intervention, if architecture is not the answer to handle the so-called 'anxiety' these urban voids evoke, maybe we should try to define what it is that causes our anxiety.

Our western minds are indoctrinated by the idea of property, appropriation. The sight of something not being taken care of, with no reference of someone responsible for it or no clear owner, quickly evoke thoughts of unsafety.

The following pages provide an overview of the terrains vagues of the low city of Brussels, and a few cases provide an glimpse of the refreshing power of (alleged) appropriation.

35

XXS 7 ha

Ě‚ vacant corners despite their strategic location, surprisingly many corners remain unbuilt and unused.

ÂŤ fenced corners

mostly used for billboards and advertising 36

ÂŤ gated but obsolete lots

the majority of obsolete lots is inaccessible (gated and locked), and despite their abandonment try to communicate an impression of ownership.

37

XXL 10 ha

ĚŒ

thurn & taxis area

the vast abondoned domain of thurn & taxis affects its immediate surroundings: there is a remarkably higher proportion of both small and large vacant lots.

38

ÂŤ

thurn & taxis

the former customs buildings of the Brussels harbour have been abandoned since the 1980s. slowly but gradually, buildings are being renovated and put into new (high-end) uses. other parts of the complex are used alternatively: this small circus school squats in the vacant former railway halls. (photos by B. Sandra and V. Lenna)

39

Âť

west station

the west station marshalling yards have been obsolete for over half a century. a subway line replaced the passenger train station, which closed down in 1984, but was reopened in 2009.

The former marshalling yards remain a vast open space along the tracks. (photo below by B. Sandra)

Âť

west station area

a large lot adjacent to the current West Station building has remained vacant after the demolition of an obsolete brewery in the 1970s.

A bridge to nowhere is its only witness today.

The space has been invaded in February by entrepreneurial artists, who constructed a public garden that opened in July 2011.

40

41

1 :

Evolution of open space in Laag-Molenbeek the situation in 1892 – 1930 – 1970 – 2009

2 :

Public space and vacant sites an extended perception of public space

The selection of fieldwork pictures on the previous pages provides an impression of the types and scales of vacant spaces at hand in the Brussels low city. The large amount of post-industrial sites was more or less expected, but there is also a remarkable number of abandoned small sites (their surface areas combined, they count for an extra 7ha in addition to the existing public space).

Imagining that extra 'public' space scattered throughout Brussels densest areas (> 16.000 inh./km2) is at least an exciting idea.

For an opinion about the type of interventions befitting those vacant sites then, we turn to de SolĂ -Morales' concluding notes: "How can architecture act in the terrain vague without becoming an aggressive instrument of power and reason? Undoubtedly, through attention to continuity: not the continuity of the planned, efficient, and legitimated city but of the flows, the energies, the rythms established by the passing of time and the loss of limits. [...] we should treat the residual city with a contradictory complicity that will not shatter the elements that maintain its continuity in time and space."

With regard to the low city's reservoir of small-scale (XS) vacant sites, the "elements that maintain its continuity in time and space" could be the very (temporal) flexibility of these spaces itself: some remain vacant for a long time, but most fluctuate: availability disappears on one location and reappears on another. In other words, the interventions of the XS Commons should be prepared for, or even based on, a temporal time frame.

For the "elements of continuity" on large scale obsolete sites, one particular 'flow' comes to mind: the economic force of the informal market. Examples in the Brussels low city comprise the market on the obsolescent slaughterhouse site and the market of the Midi station.

Remarkable is how these fluctuating markets and their physical settings are nevertheless dependent on each other: they provide some kind of regional identity. In any proposal on such a site, a detailed study of the existing 'flows' is most important. Even better would be to instigate new, or related flows based on considerate programming.

Mental voids //

In order to get an idea of flow-triggering programmes on XS-sites, on what 'flows' could be created or reinforced, I decided to investigate what mental voids were present in Molenbeek regarding the use of space. Despite the 7ha space 'available', there is also a crying need for space, especially for the young.

At the municipal school Windekind in Sint-JansMolenbeek, fifty children between the age of 5 and 8 (old enough to play together but not really mobile yet) were asked to draw their "ideal Wednesday afternoon".* The results (a selection is shown on the following page) were sometimes very plain, others were very imaginative.

Except for one, all ideal activities took place in the same area – Laag-Molenbeek, where most also live – and many involved playing with siblings, mostly of the same sex.

* This methodology was introduced in the course "Ethnicity: Theories and Application on Mediterranean Cultures" taught by Prof. Johan Leman at the Faculty of Social Sciences at KULeuven during the 2011 Spring semester.

43

The lacking low city space, much needed ..

ADAM (1) spends his ideal Wednesday afternoon with his older brother driving through the streets of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and being chased by police cars and armed officers

ISHAP spends the rest of the day with his cousins and sister visiting a mobile games unit that offers giant balloons, teddy bears, board games, a library and bunk beds

ZAKARIA (1) spends the afternoon in a nature park (with water, birds and other animals) not far from his house

IMAN wants a park closeby, with a bouncy castle where she and her girlfriends from school can go crazy (without shoes)

WINDEKIND municipal elementary and nursery school at Sint-Jans-Molenbeek

ADAM (2) plays football with his siblings and male friends

PRINCE wants to spend the afternoon outdoors playing with his older brother if there is lots of sunshine, and indoors playing Nintendo 3ds in his room on the second floor if it is raining

References // publications DE SOLÀ-MORALES RUBIÓ, Ignasi (1995). Terrain Vague. In:

Concluding notes // The cataloguing of both physical and 'mental' voids provided an insight into discrepancies and overlaps regarding public space within the vacant / dense city.

The main conclusions to be drawn from this overview are that we should be careful to invade vacant spaces with architecture or urban design. A sensitivity to the existing latent flows is required to formulate suitable interventions into vacant spaces. With the words of de Solà-Morales, a 'contradictory complicity' in approaching the residual city is to be encouraged.

For the XS Commons, (temporal) appropriation of small sites is a path worth exploring. Children's dreams and drawings could be a useful guideline for both designing interventions in these spaces and communicating with other inhabitants of Laag-Molenbeek.

The XL Commons on the other hand requires considerate programming that takes into account (the importance of) existing flows, and that honours the 'strangeness' of the site.

DAVIDSON, Cynthia (ed.) (1995). Anyplace. Boston : MIT Press, pp. 118-123.

LEMAN, Johan (1999). The sanctity of Sicilian home and friendship changing into religion-based community formations: the city of Caltanissetta at the end of the 20th century.

In: Cultuur, etniciteit en migratie. Liber Amicorum Prof. Dr. E. Roosens (pp. 17-28). Leuven : Acco VANAUTGAERDEN, Liesl and SMETS, Bas (2007). Het Vlaams Restgebied. Ontdekking van het anere landschap. Leuven: OSA. [Online] Retrieved from: http://vlaamsbouwmeester.be/render_ content.aspx?24a5baa9 -1bf7-40d0 -b40c-fdb3c607ab22, accessed on June 2, 2011.

graphics All fieldwork photographs by Evelyne Vanhoutte, unless mentioned otherwise.

All children's drawings are made by pupils of the first and second year at the elementary school Windekind, Jean-Baptiste Decockstraat 54, B-1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek.

Schematic evolution of open space in Molenbeek: © MS-A. Images retrieved from: http://www.ms-a.be/index. php?q=urbanisme/68, accessed on May 9, 2011.

RECLA!M!NG | REFRAMING VOIDS PROJECT XS participe futur PROJECT XL maison des mères // ecolan

PROJECT XS participe futur

1 :

Interventions by Recetas Urbanas, Seville

Strategies for participation //

De Solà-Morales mentioned indeterminacy, uncertainty as characteristics of the terrains vagues or residual city.

Fieldwork already showed that (temporal) uncertainty is not necessarily an obstacle to interventions or attempts to appropriate space.

Examples of complicit appropriation are widespread (Santiago Cirugeda's office Recetas Urbanas in Seville does low-budget guerilla interventions in underused urban space, triggering participation and social interaction within neighbourhoods; Rotor in Brussels built their temporary headquarters RDF181 guerilla-style on an obsolete lot in the Vlaamsesteenweg – the main connection to Sint-JansMolenbeek) Participative projects are hard to achieve in Molenbeek.

Although in the architecture scene there are many projects about Molenbeek, inhabitants of the municipalities at stake only rarely show up at meetings and seminars (Platform Kanal, interview with Wim Embrechts).

Using youth as an entry point to participation is a strategic choice. They are still very dependent so parents are involved easily, and they are enrolled in existing active social networks such as schools and libraries – which hold excellent potential as a base for interaction and communication (Geïntegreerd cultuurbeleidsplan Anderlecht and Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, 2010). It would indeed be a smart strategy to tap into existing active social networks and expand them with mobile branches on strategic vacant spaces.

2 :

RDF181 The temporary headquarters of Rotor at Vlaamsesteenweg in 2007

poster participation

=

+

3 :

Photoshopped 'nature landscape' on an abandoned site along the canal.

Children's drawings are used for inspiration and communication; existing social networks play a role in making this process interactive by providing stickers, which the kids can add on the imaginary landscapes

school

site participation

4 :

Temporary installations on a selection of abandoned sites 1 - "MoleM: reference to Sint-Jans-Molenbeek's nickname with the population 2 - platforms leading above the 'wild gardens' most of these plots are.

3 - guerilla gardening

PROJECT XL maison des mères ecolan

youth % of population between: 0-3 yrs. / 0-20 yrs. / 0-30 yrs.

6,5% / 30% / 48,5% (Brussels Region average 4,5% / 24,2% / 39,5%)

highschool dropouts

unemployment ≥ 36,4 %

employed women 18-64

population growth by 2020

≥ 31,8 %

(Brussels Region average 20,5 %)

< 50%

> 20%

(Brussels Region average 59%)

(Brussels Region average 13%)

teenage pregnancy

(Brussels Region average 19%)

ethnicity

women

moroccan

6+ families

±70% foreign/double nationality

0-30 yrs.

49,9 %

40,3% with Moroccan origins

≥ 8,7 % (Brussels Region average 2,9%)

(Brussels Region average 46,3%)

(Brussels Region average 51%)

(Brussels Region average 16%)

3,8 % (Brussels Region average 2,8%)

density

vacancy

school need

day care need

Cureghem: 13.500 inh/km2 Laag-Molenbeek: 16.000 inh/km2

9 % of all buildings

nursery/primary/secondary schools to be opened by 2015

1.631 extra spaces needed by 2020 (161 per year)

12 / 12 / 2

to meet the Barcelona quote (provide day care for 33% of all kids between 0-3 yrs. old)

(B.R. average 6.750 inh/km2 )

7 ha XXS sites 10 ha XXL sites

(% of school need in B.R. 35% / 31% / 33%)

The premises to address the XL Commons are similar: Two well-connected but obsolescent sites are chosen to develop a typology of the Commons that integrates into the existing social network – expanding it where it isn't as strong. They offer programmes that address pressing issues of the low city (summary on the left page), and look at (former) landscape systems to come up with a scheme for the public space.

The proposals are exemplary typologies: these two are tryouts, but many more surrounding sites hold equivalent potential.

5 :

low city network of vacant / obsolete sites

6 :

tapping into and extending the existing social network legend: mosque church

7 :

obsolete sites and 17th C waterways overlaying the vacant low city with the former trajectory of the Senne river and its tributaries

mq libérateurs mq van meyel

cc maritime

de foyer SAB

maison des cultures

de vaartkapoen

mq quatre-vents

la rue

FAARE

darelamal

JES

les uns et les autres

mq rive gauche

la fonderie BELLEVUE

mq la goutte d’huile

mq heyvaert

mq roséechimiste

écolan maison des enfants

mq rev’vision

maison des mères

53

Preview (800Ã&#x2014;800px)

1891

54 View Larger Map

Terms of use

Get Directions

View Bird's Eye

maison des mères

vacant veterinary school, anderlecht Focus of the project A number of the statistics above are issues that can be easily linked and addressed together.

For instance, one third of the low city's active population doesn't have a high school diploma; they generally marry at a young age and often have many children; the rate of unemployed women is well above the Brussels average.

The latter issue is intrinsically entangled with the previous two. Women not having a high school diploma have even more difficulties getting a job because of their large families. The ones wanting to enroll in adult education or evening school find themselves impeded by the current lack of child care, especially for very young children.

Providing a public facility that combines adapted education programmes for women with child care (on flexible hours) and room for kids to play safely, might decrease the gap these women experience in their aspiration to obtain a diploma.

At present, the Brussels Region meets the Barcelona norm, which states that the capacity of day care facilities should serve at least 33% of all children between 0-3 yrs old, by just a hair. Taking into account projected demographics, an extra 1.613 spaces are required by 2020 (Vandenbroeck, 2010) – a capacity surge of 111%.

Today, the majority of minus 3 yrs olds live in the municipalities of Brussels, Anderlecht and Molenbeek, representing 37% of that population group in the whole Brussels Region.

The demographic projections for 2015 show the highest increases of minus 3 yr olds in Anderlecht (+30%) and Molenbeek (+25%) (Vandenbroeck, 2010). In other words, the need for day care is pressing already, but will be all the more pressing in the low city area in the coming years.

This project would provide 70 places, or 40% of one year's goal.

This is obviously a very modest number, but this proposal does not have the ambition to solve the whole day care crisis in the low city. What it does offer, is an idea for a typology

that combines facilities for unemployed mothers with children (including day care, education programmes, a social restaurant, ...)

Apart from the programme, there are other incentives to attract mothers to the facility. A low yearly income is one of the factors that gives parents searching for day care priority. So is a studying parent. By giving parents financial support and time-wise priority, this programme could even start working the other way around, stimulating mothers to start taking courses.

Project site The site is located at the very southern tip of the 'low city'. Branches of the old Senne river used to surround the site, as shown on a 1891 topographical map.

These have later been redirected along the canal in 1955 (Devroe, 2010).

Facilities on-site

The veterinary school was commissioned by Leopold II and constructed around 1910. It consisted of 19 buildings, most of which have been renovated. The main building, the project site, has been obsolete since the early 1970s.

8 :

(left page, large map) Site location two proposals on vacant or obsolescent sites: École vétérinaire and Abattoirs d'Anderlecht

9 :

(left page, small map) The veterinary school in 1891 Zoom of veterinary school on a 1891 topographic map of Belgium

10 : (right page) Old veterinary school old postcard showing northeastern façade of the veterinary school.

55

programming

atelier leisure

social restaurant

11â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: MDM social restaurant

education

day care

12â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: MDM education programmes

site

13â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: New section through Boulevard de la Revision

Senne river

57

Preview (800Ã&#x2014;800px) Ninoofsepoort

ard du Boulev Midi 1891

58 View Larger Map

Terms of use

Get Directions

View Bird's Eye

abatan – ecolan

slaughterhouses abatan,anderlecht Focus of the project

Project site

This project tackles the low city's educational condition. In addition, it includes a scheme for both housing and public space, along with a better integration and accessibility of the facilities already located on the site of the obsolescent slaughterhouses.

The slaughterhouse site is located along the ABC-canal, is very well-connected to the public transportation network and has easy road access. Due to their former programmatic relation, the site also links easily to our previous project site, the veterinary school. This connection could be reinforced with regard to the newly proposed programmes.

Educating the young

One of the low city's main characteristics is its young population: almost half of the population is younger than 30, a third is younger than 20. The available schools can already barely keep up with the expanding population.

According to demographic projections, the current school landscape in the low city will have a shortage of 11.000 places by 2020: 6.000 places in secondary schools, 3.000 places in elementary schools and 2.000 places in nursery schools (BISA, 2010). Translated into the construction of new schools, this implies 3 new secondary schools, 12 new elementary schools and 12 extra nursery schools to meet the low city population's educational needs.

A branch of the old Senne river used to flow next to this site as well. It was put underground and redirected for hygienic purposes in 1888, when the slaughterhouse construction works initiated.

This project revives the presence of the old Senne stream, providing a sequence of water landscapes for public use.

Facilities on-site:

The Erasmus Hogeschool is an isolated cluster of large-scale university buildings, that could be better integrated into their surroundings.

The Marché des Abattoirs is an exotic open-air meat, fish and vegetable market taking place in and around the main hall. The market happens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday AM and attracts nearly 100.000 visitors per week. This proposal suggests that the market (surface area) be kept.

The slaughterhouses are expected to leave the site by 2020.

Caves de Cureghem is an underground event and exhibition space located below the 19th-century hall. Despite their good accessibility, the beautiful vaulted halls remain relatively unknown. They are also not equipped with the prestige they deserve (for instance, there is no befitting entrance). Attractiveness, visibility and accessibility of the halls are issues this proposal attempts to improve.

The Ecolan proposal provides one of each: one multi-disciplinary high school, and a combined elementary-nursery school.

14 : (left page, large map) Site location two obsolescent sites: École vétérinaire and Abattoirs d'Anderlecht 15 : (left page, small map) The abattoirs site in 1891 Zoom of abattoirs on a 1891 topographic map of Belgium 16 : (right page) View of the abattoirs around 1905. aquarelle of the original site lay-out

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18 : water on-site canal + former trajectory of river Senne

19 : site restrictions 30m no-build-zone around old monument max. building height: 13m above ground level

22 : public space schemes

23 : school campus with sports facilities new secondary schools, elementary and nursery school; existing higher education institute Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel)

housing: blocks along Albert I square. (building height: 18-20m)

reference to former trajectory of the river Senne small canal at level -4m: access to Caves de Cureghem and subway tunnel ponds, fountains, sprinklers canal at level -1,5m: playground

public promenade along canal

housing: duplex typologies around and inner courtyard. (building height: 9-12m)

main entrance new schools + busstop

24â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: site proposal

public space along canal water: canal and the river Senne housing with inner courtyards

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existing housing: row houses with gardens

housing for large families: - underground parking facilities - duplex typologies - ground floor typology - inner courtyard and public space

reference to former trajectory of the river Senne small canal at level -4m: - access to Caves de Cureghem - access to subway tunnel

covered playground (level 0m)

Bergensesteenweg

25â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: section AA'

high school for 3000 pupils (1/2 of the places to be created by 2015)

62

palace of justice

double height ateliers (car mechanics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; carpentry)

midi-tower

elementary school for 200 children nursery school for 100 children

Caves de Cureghem (level -4m)

playground

high school

ateliers (carpentry, mechanics)

ABC canal

sports facilities for schools and neighbourhood (dimensions badminton, volley all, basket ball)

outdoor multi-use terraces (skate, bike, picnic)

Erasmus Hogeschool (university campus)

63

64 SECTION DD'

SECTION CC'

SECTION BB'

0m 50m

100m

200m

SECTION AA'

SECTION AA'

500m

SECTION AA'

SECTION DD'

SECTION BB'

SECTION CC' 0m

50m

100m

200m

26 : sections BB', CC' and DD' These schematic sections parallel to the canal clearly show how the site is structured: public programme at the waterfront, 'empti500m ness' in on both sides of the monumental hall – creating a continuous open space with many different characters – and housing with semi-private courtyards along the Senne promenade.

27 : site plan, level canal-caves de cureghem The site's height differences offer an opportunity tuck away programs that would otherwise be overly prominent, and creates a difference between waterfront-promenade and the public spaces along the market hall 28 : site plan, level market halls 29 : schemes of pathways and public space

65

References // publications DEVROE, An (2010). De Zenne in vier delen (2): de overwelving ongedaan maken? In: Brussel Deze Week, March 5, 2010.

[Online] retrieved from: http://www.brusselnieuws.be/artikel/de-zenne-vier-delen-2-deoverwelving-ongedaan-maken, accessed Aug 16, 2011.

VANDENBROECK,

Michel

and

GEENS,

Naomi

(2011).

Cartografie van de Brusselse Nederlandstalige Kinderopvang 2. Evoluties 2005 - 2010. [Online] Retrieved from: http:// w w w .v g c . b e / N R / r d o n l y r e s / 6 51 5 D 4 4 0 -1 6 1 E - 4 A1 8 B 5 4 F - 4D 9 6 6 5D 0 0 9 E8 / 0/2 011_ car tografie _ Brusselse _ Nederlandstalige_kinderopvang2.pdf, accessed Aug 18, 2011

ALBERT I SQUARE

30â&#x20AC;&#x201A;: bird's eye view from the canal

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References // graphics 1 :

Interventions by Recetas Urbanas, Seville pictures retrieved from: http://www.recetasurbanas.net/, accessed June 2, 2011.

2 :

RDF181 pictures retrieved from: http://rotordb.org/projects/2007_RDF181/, accessed June 2, 2011.

3 :

Photoshopped 'nature landscape' on an abandoned site along the canal. base: filedwork photographs and drawings

4 :

Temporary installations on a selection of abandoned sites

5 :

low city network of vacant / obsolete sites

6 :

tapping into and extending the existing social network

7 :

obsolete sites and 17th C waterways base map: Certe de Cabinet

8 :

Site location base: satellite picture of Cureghem from Googla Maps, Imagery ۩ 2011

9 :

The veterinary school in 1891 Carte topgraphique de Belgique by Institut cartographique militaire (1891), published by Institut géographique militaire, Brussels. [Online], retrieved from http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/communes/anderlecht/rue-desveterinaires/ancienne-ecole-veterinaire/localisation, accessed Aug 3, 2011

17 : site accessibility by car, bus, tram, subway new bus line added in red base material of all schemes and plans of the slaughterhouse site provided via ORG architects and urban designers 18 : water on-site canal + former trajectory of river Senne 19 : site restrictions 30m no-build-zone around old monument max. building height: 13m above ground level 20 : new sports facilities 21 : market surface area 42.000 m2 (status quo with existing situation) 22 : public space schemes 23 : school campus with sports facilities new secondary schools, elementary and nursery school; existing higher education institute Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel) 24 : site proposal 25 : section AA'

10 : Old veterinary school [Online] Retrieved from: http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/photo/1dc0d8db a7c6148ae17f0c64ae139de9, accessed Aug 3, 2011.

26 : sections BB', CC' and DD'

11 : MDM exploded axon base material of all schemes and plans of the veterinary school provided by © ÁRTER Stoofstraat 30, B-1000 Brussel [htttp://www.arter.be]

28 : site plan, level market halls

12 : MDM social restaurant based on fieldwork pictures

30 : bird's eye view from the canal aerial photo: Informative material provided by FLOE competition (website: http://www.flow-concept.be/, accessed Oct 2008 – website out of order at current date)

13 : MDM education programmes based on fieldwork pictures

27 : site plan, level canal-caves de cureghem

29 : schemes of pathways and public space

14 : Site location base: satellite picture of Cureghem from Googla Maps, Imagery ۩ 2011

All schemes plans of slaughterhouse site:

15 : The abattoirs site in 1891 Carte topgraphique de Belgique by Institut cartographique militaire (1891), published by Institut géographique militaire, Brussels. [Online], retrieved from http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/marches-couverts/abattoirs-d-anderlecht/localisation, accessed Aug 3, 2011

designers, 33 1/2 Union Square, Somerville, 02143 MA, United States. [http://

base material (digital plans) provided by ABATAN to ORG architects and urban

www.org-public.org/]

16 : View of the abattoirs around 1905 Anon. (1906). Abattoirs et Marchés d'Anderlecht-Cureghem. Leipzig : Eckert & Pflug Kunstverlag.

67

Thanks //

to Bruno De Meulder, for his patience, his openmindedness and inexhaustible intellectual support throughout this thesis semester. to Brian McGrath and Miodrag Mitrasinovic, for their valuable input and devoted guidance during our stay at Parsons The New School of Design in New York. to Isabelle Putseys, for taking on the whole logistics of our studio trip to NY, and for being such great company! to Kelly Shannon, for her refreshing view and firm but just comments – GTD-guaranteed. to ÁRTER, for benevolently allowing me to use their digital base files of the École Vétérinaire in Anderlecht. to Ingrid Depraetere, school prinicipal at Windekind elementary school in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, for her kind cooperation with regard to my fieldwork. to Esther Jacobs, who did an excellent job at designing the layout of this book and to my other fellow students: Barbara, Ben, Miguel, Payam, Rana, Sven and Verena, for their cooperative spirit and supportive messages :-) to Hanne Buelens, for providing me with a green, lush paradise to work in. to my parents, for their relentless support throughout this postgraduate masters programme, by every means possible.

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