Recl/fr) A (I) Ming The Voids of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem

RE !
NG THE VOIDS
of Laag-Molenbeek and Cureghem
Evelyne Vanhoutte
claim
f r ame
molb_evh_cover.indd 1 21/08/11 03:37
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 dissertations results.
Leuven, 2011
1
RE !NG THE VOIDS
claim
f r ame
On path dependencies and dualities
Vacancy and the Commons
a common framework for inclusion
The obsolete low city
space, much wasted
The lacking low city
space, much needed
CONTENTS
NATURES OF BRUSSELS
mapping the (social) landscape
IMAG(INARI)ES
cataloguing the void
PROJECT XS
participe futur
PROJECT XL
maison des mres
ecolan
RECLA!M!NG | REFRAMING THE VOIDS
NATURES OF BRUSSELS
mapping the (social) landscape
1: on path dependencies and dualities
2: vacancy and the Commons
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NATIONAL SCALE REGIONAL SCALE (MICRO SCALE) FOREST STRUCTURE WATER SHEDS LOCAL SCALE (MEGA)MESH (MEGA)MESH 2 FOREST PATCHES RAILWAY SYSTEM RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM
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* 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).
*** urban design: a term describing the arrangement
and organisation of urban environments, in particular
urban public space.
**** 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.
Natures of Brussels: on path dependencies and dualities
[ water city, forest city ]
[ iron city, park city ]
[ dense city, vacant city ]
FOREST CITY / PARK CITY WATER CITY / IRON CITY
7
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-Jans-
Molenbeek.
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.
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.
BRUSSELS
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 reli-
gious 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]
9
Woluwe
Maalbeek
Senne
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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?
water city, forest city // the tale on a smaller
scale.
The myth of how Brussels originated is a tale of three
powers: economic power (the island of Saint-Grys,
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).
[3]
[4]
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5 : The Water City
water as the Commons
of the low city

+ churches
6 : the Iron City
following topo-
graphic depressions
7 : (right page, above)
High city Low
city
topographical un-
derstanding of the
ville-basse or low
city and the ville-
haute or high city,

Saint Gry (black)
Cathedral and
Coudenbergh
castle (white)
[5]
[6]
11
low city high city
HIGH CITY LOW CITY.
ville-basse
"low city"
"high city"
ville-haute
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The west of Brussels, the island of Saint-Gry, was a
swampy area, where mainly merchants and peasants
settled down. Water was important not only because the
river Senne was a major transportation route to Antwerp.
The vicinity of waterways also provided opportunities for
milling and related industries. Interestingly, the urban
water infrastructure also played an important role in the
informal food industry. Still water ponds were created a
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.
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
Zoninwoud, 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.
A dual city, with clear power disparities that are related
to topography and vegetation, emerges from the very
beginning of Brussels' existence. The 18th century
Commons are, or are located around, water both in the
low city and in the high city.
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
[7]
100.000
90.000
80.000
70.000
60.000
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40.000
30.000
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10.000
1810
1820
1830
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1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
1846
12.000
1906
68.000
2006
82.000
100.000
90.000
80.000
70.000
60.000
50.000
40.000
30.000
20.000
10.000
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1846
12.000
1906
68.000
2006
82.000
100.000
90.000
80.000
70.000
60.000
50.000
40.000
30.000
20.000
10.000
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK
UKKEL
100.000
90.000
80.000
70.000
60.000
50.000
40.000
30.000
20.000
10.000
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
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SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK
UKKEL
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 Sint-
Jans-Molenbeek and Ukkel
from 1810-2010
[8]
[10]
[9]
[11]
13
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
Socit Gnrale 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.
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 'coures' (very dense, low quality
housing on the inside of an urban block) in the vicinity of
those industries (Dveloppement de la Commune de M.-
S.-J., n.d.).
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.
1899
1775 1880
1910
1904
1867
Parc de Laeken
Parc Elisabeth
Parc Josaphat
Parc de Woluwe
Parc Parmentier
Etangs Mellaerts
Parc de Forest
Parc Duden
Bois de
La Cambre
Solbosch
Cinquantenaire Parc Warande
1905
1862
1912
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12 : the Park City:
a chain of landscaped
parks are constructed
along the ring road
between 1862-...
13 : tang 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'agglomration bruxel-
loise.
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 ex-
plaining the development
of Brussels
[12] [13]
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.
[14]
[15]
Chteau Trois-Fontaines (14th C)
Abbey of Rouge-Clotre (14th C)
Abbey of Valduchesse (13th C)
Chapel of Saint-Gry (580)
Cathedral of Saint-Michel
and Saint-Gudule (11th C)
Coudenbergh castle (11th C)
Abbey of La Cambre (1201)
waterways
churches core of origin
Maritime station (1907)
1st North station (1841)
Central station (1952)
Midi station (19??)
Abattoirs (1890)
Luxembourg station (18??)
rail
(former) railway stations
The development of Brussels
f r o m t h e Mi d d l e A g e s t o t h e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y
... now available in a nutshell!
major players of the Middle Ages, up in the trees ...

... driven out by new players...

(with an iron hand!)
17
[16]
6%
9%
9%
7%
9%
7%
4%
5%
4%
4%
5%
5%
9%
8%
7%
8%
8%
7%
7%
[1]
[1]
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[9]
[10]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[8]
100.000
90.000
80.000
70.000
60.000
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1810
1820
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r
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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
18 : "Contemporary Commons"
in Brussels
ignoring the low city
19 : Immigration to the low city
ethnic groups immigrating to
Sint-Jans-Molenbeek from
1810-2010
[17]
[18]
[19]
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 1840-
1900s were successively replaced by the French
(Interbellum), the South-Mediterraneans (1950s-1960s),
the North-Africans (1960s-1970s) and the East-
Europeans (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...
Vacancy and the Commons
a common framework for inclusion
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a
n
a
l
A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
21
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
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.
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 Sint-
Jans-Molenbeek and Anderlecht, and small fragments of
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.
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
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]
23
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 half-
finished 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 Tekhn
(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).
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).
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).
25 : projects : a north-south network

E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
S
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n
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W
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B
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A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
NATIONAL SCALE REGIONAL SCALE (MICRO SCALE) FOREST STRUCTURE WATER SHEDS LOCAL SCALE (MEGA)MESH (MEGA)MESH 2
NATIONAL SCALE NATIONAL SCALE N-S BARRIERS
FOREST PATCHES RAILWAY SYSTEM RAILWAY + FOREST SYSTEM
S
e
n
n
e
M
a
a
lb
e
e
k
W
o
lu
w
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A
B
C
c
a
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a
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A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
S
e
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M
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k
W
o
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A
B
C
c
a
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a
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A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
HALF-FINISHED RINGROADS INTERCONNECTED RINGROADS NORTH-SOUTH BARRIERS
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%)
women
0-30 yrs.
49,9 %
(Brussels Region average 51%)
day care need
1.613 extra spaces needed by
2020 (161 per year)
to meet the Barcelona quote
(provide day care for 33% of all
children between 0-3 years olds)
unemployment
36,4 %
(Brussels Region average 20,5 %)
density
Cureghem: 13.500 inh/km
2
Laag-Molenbeek: 16.000 inh/km
2
(B.R. average 6.750 inh/km
2
)
moroccan
40,3% with Moroccan origins
ethnicity
70% foreign/double nationality
(Brussels Region average 46,3%)
highschool
dropouts
31,8 %
vacancy
9 % of all buildings
7 ha XXS sites
10 ha XXL sites
24
Rana Habibi
Verena Lenna
Barbara Sandra
Payam Tabrizian
Evelyne Vanhoutte
Miguel Vanleene
teenage
pregnancy
3,8 %
unemployed
women 18-64
> 50%
sports facilities
informal econ-
omy (markets)
population
growth by 2020
> 20%
school need
nursery/primary/secondary
schools to be opened by 2015
12 / 12 / 2
(% of school need in B.R.
35% / 31% / 33%)
6+ families
8,7 %
THE LOW
CITY AT A
GLANCE *
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
S
e
n
n
e
M
a
a
lb
e
e
k
W
o
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A
B
C
c
a
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a
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A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
S
e
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n
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M
a
a
lb
e
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k
W
o
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e
A
B
C
c
a
n
a
l
A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
ACCESS ON A REGIONAL SCALE LOW CITY MICRO SCALE
(LEONARD
INTERSECTION)
25
XL
XS
VACANT FUNCTIONAL
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
[26] [27]
27
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.
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
E 19
E 19
E 40 E 40
S
e
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a
a
lb
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k
W
o
lu
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e
A
B
C
c
a
n
a
l
A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
A
B
C
SMW A
B
C
THE LOW CITY COMMONS
28 : City of Commons
a new spatial scheme for Brussels
References // publications
Le Dveloppement de la Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
depuis 1700. Brussels : Commune de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean,
Service de l'instruction publique
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Weissenbruch
ABEELS, Gustave (1983). La Senne. Brussels : Ministre de la
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ANDERLECHT (2008). Gentegreerd Cultuurbeleidsplan
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accessed March 15, 2011.
BISA (2010). Bevolkingsprojecties 2010-2020 voor het Brussels
Hoofdstedelijk Gewest. In: De cahiers van het BISA 1(2010).
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BBROW (2005). Les logements vides Bruxelles Leegstand
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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
CULOT, Maurice et al. (1997). Brussel en de Zenne. Brussels :
Archives dArchitecture Moderne
DANCKAERT, Lisette et al. (1989). Bruxelles : cinq sicles de
cartographie. Knokke : Mappamundi
DEBERGH, Annelies (2006). Serie Leven van Landbouw. Fase
1: van voedsel- naar landbouwcrisis. In: VeeteeltVlees 11(2006)
DELIGNE, Chlo (2003). Bruxelles et sa Rivire. Gnse dun
territoire urbain (12e-18e sicle). Brussels : Museum van de
Stad Brussel
DELIGNE, Chlo (2005). Brussel boven water: de relatie van de
stad met haar waterlopen van de Middeleeuwen tot vandaag.
Turnhout : Brepols
DEMEY, Thierry (1992). Bruxelles, chronique dune capitale en
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DEMEY, Thierry (2008). Een kanaal in Brussel : bron van leven
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FINCOEUR, Michel et al. (2000). Brussel en de overwelving van
de Zenne. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van Belgi
HUBERTY, Colette (2000). 100 ans de logement social
Molenbeek : bilan et perspectives davenir. Brussels : Le
Logement Molenbeekois
JAUMAIN, Serge (ed.) (2004). Bruxelles et la jonction Nord-Midi:
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la Ville de Bruxelles
KURGAN-VAN HENTENRYK, G. (1996). Gouverner la Gnrale
de Belgique: essai de biographie collective. Brussels : De
Boeck Suprieur
29
LEBLICQ, Yvon (2000). Voor, tijdens en na de overwelving
van de Zenne. Brussel : de verandering in beeld. Brussels:
Koninklijke Bibliotheek van Belgi
MAZIERS, Michel (1994). Histoire d'une fort priurbaine:
Soignies 1822-1843. Sous la coupe de la Socit Gnrale.
Brussel: ditions de l'Universit de Bruxelles
OBSERVATORIUM VOOR VOLKSGEZONDHEID EN WELZIJN.
Gemeente Anderlecht: Gemeentelijke fches voor de analyse
van lokale statistieken in het Brusselse gewest, fche nr 1, editie
2(2010).
OBSERVATORIUM VOOR VOLKSGEZONDHEID EN WELZIJN.
Gemeente Sint-Jans-Molenbeek : Gemeentelijke fches voor de
analyse van lokale statistieken in het Brusselse gewest, fche nr
12, editie 2(2010).
PIERRON, Sander (1935). Histoire Illustre de la Fort de
Soignes. Brussels : La Pense belge.
PUISSANT, Jean (ed.) (2005). Molenbeek, une commune
bruxelloise. In: Les Cahiers de La Fonderie 33. Brussels : La
Fonderie
SINT-JANS-MOLENBEEK (2008). Gentegreerd Cultuur-
beleidsplan 2008-2013.
[Online] Retrieved from http://www.molenbeek.irisnet.be/la-vie-
a-molenbeek/loisirs/culture-famande/service-communal-de-la-
culture-neerlandophone on August 3, 2011.
SMETS, Marcel (1977). De ontwikkeling van de tuinwijkgedachte
in Belgi. Een overzicht van de Belgische volkswoningbouw.
1830-1930. Brussels : Pierre Mardaga ditions
STYNEN, Herman (1979). Stedebouw en gemeenschap: Louis
Van der Swaelmen (1883-1929), bezieler van de moderne
beweging in Belgi. Brussels : Pierre Mardaga
VAN DER BEN, Dick (1997). La fort de Soignes. Pass, prsent,
avenir. Brussels : ditions Racine
WALDHEIM, Charles (2006). The Landscape Urbanism Reader.
New York, NY : Princeton Architectural Press
WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de Brux-
elles ou description historique des localits qui formaient
autrefois l'ammannie de cette ville (1855). Brussels : ditions
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, Bndikte (2010). Agglomrer. Une anatomie de
lextension bruxelloise (1828-1915). Brussels : VUBPress
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, Thodore and Van Molle, Albert (1878),
published by Brussels : Institut cartographique militaire.
In: WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de
Bruxelles (1855). Brussels : ditions Culture et Civilisation,
frst pages (no page numbers).
base map: Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In:
Soignes. Brussels : La Pense belge, p. 21
4 : The three valleys of Brussels
base maps:
- Carte des niveaux et des terrains de al Belgique by
Verstraeten, Thodore and Van Molle, Albert (1878),
published by Brussels : Institut cartographique militaire.
In: WAUTERS, Alphonse (1971). Histoire des environs de
Bruxelles (1855). Brussels : ditions Culture et Civilisation,
frst 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
5 : 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'agglomration bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866),
published by Brussels : tablissement gographique de Ph.
Vandermaelen. Available at Brussels : Sint-Lukasarchief.
- Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste
(1910), published by Brussels : Muse royal de l'Anne.
base map: Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In:
Soignes. Brussels : La Pense 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 Dveloppement 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
11 : The Park City
base maps:
- Plan d'ensemble pour l'extension et l'embellissement de
l'agglomration bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866), published
by Brussels : tablissement gographique 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).
- tang 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'agglomration bruxelloise by Besme, Victor (1866), published
by Brussels : tablissement gographique de Ph. Vandermaelen.
Available at Brussels : Sint-Lukasarchief.
14 : Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste (1910),
published by Brussels : Muse royal de l'Anne.
15 : Spatial evolution of the Water City and the Forest City
base maps:
- Sonienbosch by Van Werden, J. (1659), In: PIERRON, Sander
(1935). Histoire Illustre de la Fort de Soignes. Brussels : La
Pense belge, p. 21
- Nouveau plan de Bruxelles Industriel by Verwest, Auguste (1910),
published by Brussels : Muse royal de l'Anne.
- Atlas cadastral de Belgique by Popp, Philippe-Christian (1842-
1879). Bruges : P.C. Popp and B. Valckenaere & Cie. [Online],
accessible at http://dgtl.kbr.be:8881/main.
31
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
18 : Immigration to the Low City
19 : The low city geographically: situation
base map: digital map by URBIS Brussels.
http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbis
20 : The low city geographically: vacancy
based on: fieldwork on-site
21 : North-souh accessibility
http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/departements/services/urbi
22 : East-west accesibility
23 : North-south infrastructures as barriers
24 : Projects: a north-south network
25 : Projects of the Commons
26 : Matrix of the Commons
27 : City of Commons
References // internet
General:
Website Sint-Jans-Molenbeek:
http://www.molenbeek.be/
Website Sonian Forest (history):
http://www.zonienwoud.be/
Abattoirs d'Anderlecht:
http://www.abatan.be/
Urbanisms of Inclusion
http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/subpage.aspx?id=58015
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/
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/,
Number of foreigners, naturalisation and progeny
at Non-Profit Data :
http://www.npdata.be, Accessed Aug 7, 2011
IMAG(INARI)ES
cataloguing the voids
The obsolete low city
space, much wasted ..
35
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 Sol-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 Sol-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 Sol-Morales put it beautifully:
"Recent photographers [...] have captured the condi-
tion of these spaces as internal to the city yet external
to its everyday use. In these forgotten places, the mem-
ory of the past seems to predominate over the present."
Coming back to de Sol-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.
vacant corners
despite their strategic location,
surprisingly many corners remain
unbuilt and unused.

fenced corners

mostly used for billboards
and advertising
XXS
7 ha
36
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
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.
XXL
10 ha
38
thurn & taxis
the former customs buildings of the
Brussels harbour have been aban-
doned 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
west station area
a large lot adjacent to the current
West Station building has re-
mained vacant after the demolition
of an obsolete brewery in the 1970s.
A bridge to nowhere is its only wit-
ness today.
The space has been invaded in
February by entrepreneurial artists,
who constructed a public garden
that opened in July 2011.
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 re-
opened in 2009.
The former marshalling yards
remain a vast open space along the
tracks.
(photo below by B. Sandra)
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
43
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 Sol-Morales'
concluding notes:
"How can architecture act in the terrain vague with-
out becoming an aggressive instrument of power and
reason? Undoubtedly, through attention to continuity:
not the continuity of the planned, effcient, and legiti-
mated city but of the fows, the energies, the rythms es-
tablished by the passing of time and the loss of limits.
[...] we should treat the residual city with a contradic-
tory 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-Jans-
Molenbeek, 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.
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 offcers
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 play-
ing with his older brother if there is lots of
sunshine, and indoors playing Nintendo 3ds
in his room on the second foor if it is raining
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)
The lacking low city
space, much needed ..
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 Sol-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.
References //
publications
DE SOL-MORALES RUBI, Ignasi (1995). Terrain Vague. In:
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 mres // ecolan
PROJECT XS
participe futur
1 : Interventions by Recetas Urbanas, Seville
Strategies for participation //
De Sol-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-Jans-
Molenbeek)
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 (Gentegreerd 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
school
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
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
teenage
pregnancy
3,8 %
employed
women 18-64
< 50%
day care need
1.631 extra spaces needed by
2020 (161 per year)
to meet the Barcelona quote
(provide day care for 33% of all
kids between 0-3 yrs. old)
population
growth by 2020
> 20%
school need
nursery/primary/secondary
schools to be opened by 2015
12 / 12 / 2
(% of school need in B.R.
35% / 31% / 33%)
6+ families
8,7 %
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%)
women
0-30 yrs.
49,9 %
unemployment
36,4 %
(Brussels Region average 20,5 %)
density
Cureghem: 13.500 inh/km
2
Laag-Molenbeek: 16.000 inh/km
2
(B.R. average 6.750 inh/km
2
)
moroccan
40,3% with Moroccan origins
ethnicity
70% foreign/double nationality
highschool
dropouts
31,8 %
vacancy
9 % of all buildings
7 ha XXS sites
10 ha XXL sites
PROJECT XL
maison des mres
ecolan
53
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.
maison des
mres
colan
maison
des
cultures
de foyer
la fonderie
JES
dar-
el-
amal
la rue
mq heyvaert
maison des enfants
les uns
et les autres
mq la goutte dhuile
de vaartkapoen
BELLEVUE
cc
maritime
mq quatre-vents
SAB
mq rose-
chimiste
mq revvision
mq rive gauche
FAARE
mq van meyel
mq librateurs
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
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1891
54
maison des mres
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 ac-
tive 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 dif-
fculties getting a job because of their large
families. The ones wanting to enroll in adult
education or evening school fnd them-
selves 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 fexible hours) and room
for kids to play safely, might decrease the
gap these women experience in their aspira-
tion 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%) (Vanden-
broeck, 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 search-
ing for day care priority. So is a study-
ing parent. By giving parents fnancial
support and time-wise priority, this
programme could even start work-
ing 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 commis-
sioned by Leopold II and constructed
around 1910. It consisted of 19 build-
ings, most of which have been renovat-
ed. 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: cole vtrinaire and Abattoirs
d'Anderlecht
9 : (left page, small map)
The veterinary school in 1891
Zoom of veterinary school on a 1891 topo-
graphic map of Belgium
10 : (right page)
Old veterinary school
old postcard showing northeastern faade of
the veterinary school.
55
programming
day care
education
social
restaurant
atelier
leisure
11 : MDM social restaurant
12 : MDM education programmes
57
site
Senne river
13 : New section through
Boulevard de la Revision
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1891
Ninoofsepoort
B
o
u
l
e
v
a
r
d

d
u

M
i
d
i
58
abatan ecolan
slaughterhouses abatan,anderlecht
Focus of the project
This project tackles the low city's educa-
tional 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.

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 ex-
panding 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.
The Ecolan proposal provides one of each:
one multi-disciplinary high school, and a
combined elementary-nursery school.
Project site
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 connec-
tion could be reinforced with regard to
the newly proposed programmes.
A branch of the old Senne river used
to fow 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 build-
ings, that could be better integrated
into their surroundings.
The March des Abattoirs is an exotic
open-air meat, fsh 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 (sur-
face 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 de-
serve (for instance, there is no beftting
entrance). Attractiveness, visibility and
accessibility of the halls are issues this
proposal attempts to improve.
14 : (left page, large map)
Site location
two obsolescent sites: cole vtrinaire 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
59
3
0
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0
3
0
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C
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A
U
SSE D
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?
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A
B
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c
a
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a
l
L
a
S
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n
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DELACROIX
CLEMENCEAU
TRAM 31
TRAM 81
3
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SSE D
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a
S
e
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e
DELACROIX
CLEMENCEAU
TRAM 31
TRAM 81
3
0
.0
0
3
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C
H
A
U
SSE D
E M
O
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c
a
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a
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L
a
S
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n
n
e
DELACROIX
CLEMENCEAU
TRAM 31
TRAM 81
17 : site accessibility
by car, bus, tram, subway
new bus line added in red
20 : new sports facilities
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
21 : market surface area
42.000 m
2

(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)
61
public space along canal
water: canal and the river Senne
housing with inner courtyards
reference to former trajectory of the river Senne
small canal at level -4m:
access to Caves de Cureghem and subway tunnel
canal at level -1,5m: playground
public promenade
along canal
main entrance new schools
+ busstop
ponds, fountains, sprinklers
housing: duplex typologies around and inner
courtyard. (building height: 9-12m)
housing: blocks along Albert I square.
(building height: 18-20m)
24 : site proposal
covered playground
(level 0m)
elementary school for 200 children
nursery school for 100 children
double height ateliers
(car mechanics carpentry)
high school for 3000 pupils
(1/2 of the places to be created by 2015)
midi-tower palace of justice
reference to former trajectory
of the river Senne
small canal at level -4m:
- access to Caves de Cureghem
- access to subway tunnel
housing for large families:
- underground parking facilities
- duplex typologies
- ground foor typology
- inner courtyard and public space
existing housing:
row houses with gardens
25 : section AA'
Bergense-
steenweg
62
covered playground
(level 0m)
elementary school for 200 children
nursery school for 100 children
high school playground
Caves de Cureghem
(level -4m)
ateliers (carpentry, mechanics)
ABC canal
Erasmus Hogeschool
(university campus)
outdoor multi-use terraces
(skate, bike, picnic)
sports facilities for schools and neighbourhood
(dimensions badminton, volley all, basket ball)
63
0m 50m 100m 200m 500m
0
m
5
0
m
1
0
0
m
2
0
0
m
5
0
0
m
SECTION AA'
S
E
C
T
I
O
N

B
B
'
S
E
C
T
I
O
N

C
C
'
S
E
C
T
I
O
N

D
D
'
SECTION AA'
64
0m 50m 100m 200m 500m
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, 'empti-
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 op-
portunity 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
SECTION AA'
SECTION DD'
SECTION CC'
SECTION BB'
65
66
ALBERT I
SQUARE
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-de-
overwelving-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://
www. vgc. be/ NR/ r donl y r es / 6 515D4 4 0 -161E- 4A18 -
B54F- 4D9665D009E8/ 0/ 2011_car tograf i e_Brussel se_
Nederlandstalige_kinderopvang2.pdf, accessed Aug 18, 2011
30 : bird's eye view from the canal
67
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 m
2

(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'
26 : sections BB', CC' and DD'
27 : site plan, level canal-caves de cureghem
28 : site plan, level market halls
29 : schemes of pathways and public space
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)
All schemes plans of slaughterhouse site:
base material (digital plans) provided by ABATAN to ORG architects and urban
designers, 33 1/2 Union Square, Somerville, 02143 MA, United States. [http://
www.org-public.org/]
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 gographique militaire, Brussels. [Online], retrieved
from http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/communes/anderlecht/rue-des-
veterinaires/ancienne-ecole-veterinaire/localisation, accessed Aug 3, 2011
10 : Old veterinary school
[Online] Retrieved from: http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/photo/1dc0d8db
a7c6148ae17f0c64ae139de9, accessed Aug 3, 2011.
11 : MDM exploded axon
base material of all schemes and plans of the veterinary school provided by
RTER Stoofstraat 30, B-1000 Brussel [htttp://www.arter.be]
12 : MDM social restaurant
based on fieldwork pictures
13 : MDM education programmes
based on fieldwork pictures
14 : Site location
base: satellite picture of Cureghem from Googla Maps, Imagery 2011
15 : The abattoirs site in 1891
Carte topgraphique de Belgique by Institut cartographique militaire (1891),
published by Institut gographique militaire, Brussels. [Online], retrieved
from http://www.reflexcity.net/bruxelles/marches-couverts/abattoirs-d-ander-
lecht/localisation, accessed Aug 3, 2011
16 : View of the abattoirs around 1905
Anon. (1906). Abattoirs et Marchs d'Anderlecht-Cureghem. Leipzig : Eckert
& Pflug Kunstverlag.
69
Thanks //
to Bruno De Meulder, for his patience, his open-
mindedness 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 RTER, for benevolently allowing me to use their digital
base files of the cole Vtrinaire 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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