the city geek

urban history, planning, architecture, mobility, street art and more

[thecitygeek]

keep la cambre car free

Allowing cars back into an important urban green space like Brussels’ Bois de la Cambre is not a future-proof way to deal with congestion on surrounding streets. What we need are ambitious mobility measures for the metropolitan area, backed by all political levels.

Brussels, like many cities worldwide, has taken measures, often temporary, to give extra room for cyclists and pedestrians in the fight against the new coronavirus. Even before announcing 40 km of extra bike lanes (many of them planned since quite a while) and several slow streets, Brussels decided to ban car traffic from the Bois de la Cambre (Ter Kamerenbos in Dutch) to give city dwellers extra space to exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown.

A decision to make a park car free may not sound very spectacular, but the 1,2 km² of green space in La Cambre is cut into pieces by several high capacity roads of up to three one-directional car lanes. Many commuters from Uccle, as well as the Flemish and Walloon municipalities beyond, use the ‘Bois’ to drive into and out of the city. The regional mobility administration has counted up to 16.500 cars using this leafy urban highway on a regular workday.

Parts of the park already went car free on Sundays and during summer holidays, but the sudden general ‘closure’ made many people (re)discover this beautifully landscaped park designed by Eduard Keilig in the mid-19th century. It used to be a playground for the local bourgeoisie. Brussels’ answer to the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.

Things changed when the traffic engineers from the mid-20th century turned the winding lanes, laid out for horse and carriage, into fast roads, making La Cambre look and feel more like a race track in the woods, complete with giant arrow signs and concrete kerbstones to help speeding drivers to stay on the road (see the picture above taken last January). These days however, the wide asphalt has been taken over by people. For a lot of urban kids, it turned out to be a great place to get familiar with cycling.

With corona measures being gradually suspended and the economy picking up speed, the dream might be over though. Congestion in the area is getting worse, especially on Chaussée de Waterloo and Chaussée de la Hulpe. Many motorists are getting angry and now the mayor of Uccle is asking Brussels to allow cars back into the park, claiming an “economic and environmental disaster”.

Moving people, not cars

Congestion is a reality, but going back to the pre-corona status-quo is not going to fix traffic and certainly won’t help the environment. Opening more asphalt to cars will just pull more cars into the city, notably of people abandoning public transport because of covid-19, aggravating congestion elsewhere in town and making it even more difficult to address issues like road safety, pollution and the climate crisis. Recently we all experienced what our cities can be like without “non-essential” traffic, so now is a great time to question our habits and make changes that can help to build the future we want.

Fair enough, but what about the economy? We cannot deny the rise of teleworking and e-commerce that could take cars of the road. Still, even if congestion gets worse because of people avoiding public transportation, we must not forget it’s not the cars that need to get to work. It’s the people driving them. It’s not the cars that spend money in the shops on Avenue Louise. It’s the people driving them. So we urgently need to facilitate other ways to move about. Ways that waste less space and are more sustainable for ourselves and our planet in the long run.

This means making cycling a lot safer with dedicated infrastructure. The Brussels Region has a plan to do this on Avenue Louise, but Chaussée de Waterloo and Chaussée de Charleroi are also begging for a makeover. Interventions are also needed beyond the borders of the capital region into Sint-Genesius-Rode and Waterloo, to speed up the long promised interregional cycle network RER Velo. After all, the rising popularity of electric bikes has made longer commutes totally feasible. 

It also means making public transportation more efficient and attractive, with more dedicated lanes for buses and trams, also across the park. We need to make better use of the existing suburban railways in the area too. The recent S-train station at Vivier D’oie/Diesdelle, for example, should be better integrated with the different bus operators serving Chaussée de Waterloo, with free transfers and synchronized schedules to allow smooth transfers. The same goes for the terminus of tram 92 at Fort-Jaco, which is not even visible from Chaussée de Waterloo.

Tax car use instead of ownership

We also need to deal with car dependency in general, and stop paying employees with cars and fuel, as the OECD has urged Belgium to do for a long time. On top of that we can imagine a tax shift from car ownership to car use. The revenue from this congestion charge or road price scheme should be dedicated to fund maintaining and improving public transportation networks.  The catch is that in order to take this kind of measures, we not only need all the Brussels authorities around the table, but also the representatives of neighbouring municipalities, the regional governments of Flanders and Wallonia as well as the failing federal state. It doesn’t help that this city of 1,2 million has 20 people in charge of mobility and this country of 11 million has 4 ministers in charge of mobility… In the meantime, we can only hope that at least the decision makers within Brussels will agree to a future-proof compromise.

[thecitygeek]

the eu's plan for brussels’ tallest tower

The European Commission unveiled the winner of the international competition to design its future head office on Wetstraat/rue de la Loi in Brussels. The project will take a decade to complete and should include the new tallest tower in the city.

Ever since Brussels became the de facto capital of the European union, the neighbourhood where most institutions landed has been defined by a succession of vast construction sites, transforming the former upscale residential area known as the Leopold quarter into an administrative cluster crisscrossed by major infrastructure.

Looking at the plan for a new Commission complex, it seems the metamorphosis that started more than half a century ago is not over yet. With the announcement of the winning design last week, it was unveiled that construction of the new 200.000 square metre complex is expected to start in 2025, and last until ...2035. That’s another full decade of major construction work taking place along Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi.

European institutions organising international design competitions to build their own premises is a recent thing. Traditionally they were merely seeking to rent office space from developers, encouraging speculative construction. The price tag of the new Commission office is not yet known, but in the long run it should be compensated by economies of scale, rent and energy costs. 

So far not many details of the winning design, from an international team led by Spanish architect Rafael de la Hoz, have been disclosed, so it's hard to say whether the project will also benefit the neighbourhood and its inhabitants.

Before construction can start the Commission’s existing building block at number 130 will be razed to make way for new office space for at least 5.250 people, two childcare facilities, shops, restaurants, a visitor center and new public spaces.

The future Commission head office will include two towers, with the highest one topping out at 155 or 165 metres. The design is not yet final and it looks like there is a little debate ahead about the exact height, but anyway it seems like it will be slightly higher (not considering antennas) than the 150 metres of the Midi tower. That was completed in 1967 and still holds the title of the tallest building in Belgium. Until 1972 it was even the tallest in what was then called the European Economic Community. The tower is not only an icon of Belgium's postwar boom but also of the country's welfare state, as it houses the national pension administration. It being dethroned is thus highly symbolic. European institutions are more than ever leaving their mark on their host city.

[thecitygeek]

the streets of brussels on film

Meandering through its streets and squares, the new documentary Bruxelles, une traverse urbaine, explains how the fragmented urban spaces of Brussels came about. The film deals with the city’s peculiar urban history, but also with pressing contemporary questions about public space, like the position of the car and the quest for social cohesion in a superdiverse city. Another topic is the Brussels’ spirit and its specific humour. 

See the trailer here:

A special mention goes to the soundtrack by young jazz musician Martin Salemi. By combining his groovy sound with images of street life unfolding and the city’s noises director Luc Jabon wanted to evocate “the poetry of the street”.

The film premiered at Bozar and can be caught this Saturday at Kinograph, a pop-up cinema in a former gendarmerie school. Next week it will run at Vendôme.

[thecitygeek]

let’s make 2019 the year of the bridge

No less than five new bridges are planned across the canal that divides Brussels. Most of them will be car-free.

The Brussels Canal area is in the midst of a slow but steady makeover. Amoung the many projects are also a handfull of new bridges.

From north to south, the first one is the Picard bridge, connecting the growing neighourhood of Tour & Taxis to the North Station. The arched bridge will be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, but also buses and later trams. Foundation work was started last year and the building of the actual bridge is supposed to begin this summer: (image below copyright Greisch)

In the very center of the city, two new foot bridges are planned connecting the thriving Dansaert district to the historic heart of Molenbeek. Construction of the bridges at Porte de Flandre and Porte de Ninove should start by the end of this year: (renderings copyright Arcadis)

A bit further south an old pedestrian bridge was dismantled and will be replaced by a moveable bridge that’s accessible even when it’s up:

Finally, in Anderlecht, an old road bridge that was closed to traffic already several years ago, will also be replaced:

Most of these bridges have been delayed time and again, so one can only hope that things are finally moving forward this year.

The bridges are important because they will promote sustainable mobility, but also help to connect different people and different neighbourhoods. An attempt to bridge the social gap that the canal came to represent, as along it are most of the city’s poor parts. Symbols of unity in times of division.

[thecitygeek]

the case for chantier shopping

Instead of complaining about noisy construction sites and endless public works, we should embrace change, and support our favorite local shops, bars and restaurants to get them through those tough times.

Chaussée d’Ixelles, Brussels’ second busiest shopping street, is getting a makeover. When finished private cars will be banned during the day. Image courtesy Joop Hazenberg. 

Construction sites and public works are an integral part of city life. Citizens tend to think of them as negative because they come with noise, dust and blocked roads. All that building activity is not only a sign of a thriving city, however. In the case of public works, a couple of difficult years can give way to a greener square, a new tram line or a bike lane that will make life better for decades to come. 

So if your neighborhood or city seems paralyzed by several chantiers, do not avoid them. Be part of the change. Not convinced? Here are six good reasons to embrace chantier shopping, strolling, slurping and so on.

Improvised outdoor seating at café Chez Bernard on Place Jourdain. Part of the square in Brussels’ EU quarter is being pedestrianised. Image courtesy Bernard Lemort.

Support local business Shopkeepers and restaurant owners tend to oppose public works because they are afraid to go out of business during the time of construction. Their opposition can stall, alter or even cancel projects that are supposed to make a neighborhood better. Instead we should all try to see the long term benefits. Businesses should adapt their communication (some suggestions here). Customers can help their favorite places to survive the construction mess if they keep coming.

Try other means of transport Blocked roads are an excellent opportunity to change mobility habits. Leave your car at home, park it at a station, or simply take the bus or bike. It’s always good to question your routine, get some exercise and reduce your carbon footprint.

Less noise Trucks coming and going or non-stop drilling can get on everyone’s nerves, but work sites are not always that busy, especially during evenings and weekends. At those times, construction areas can actually be extra quiet, especially when roads are blocked to (trough) traffic. In that case you can hear the city with new ears.

See differently Blocked sidewalks can mean that you need to change your route, but this is an opportunity to see different places, or see what you know from a different angle. Walking in the middle of a blocked street makes it easier to look up to those façades that you hardly see when walking by underneath.

Meet people Changing a routine makes you more aware of your surroundings. You see familiar places with new eyes and are more likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger. On top of that the work in progress offers an easy conversation starter, so no need to start nagging about the weather.

Entertain your kids Going shopping with (small) kids can be a real burden, but if they get to see a bulldozer or giant construction crane in action, they will be entertained for sure.

Better service As shops and restaurants tend to be less busy during road works, the staff has more time for you.

[thecitygeek]

the troubled history of a park

Brussels’ Botanical Garden (image Hans Porochelt/Flickr) can feel like a little green oasis in the middle of an endless concrete jungle. It is one of the few real parks within walking distance from the inner city and the only one in Sint-Joost, the city’s most densely populated borough (more about that here). The Jardin Botanique or Kruidtuin can also be very photogenic, with its hidden corners, elegant statues and office towers in the background. One could say it is a kind of tiny Central Park.

It may surprise you then that this essential patch of greenery has known some very turbulent times since it was laid out in 1826 (making a few years older than the Belgian state). The park quickly became a reference point, and in 1852 the famous French writer Victor Hugo called it the best thing in Brussels together with the Grand’Place (”Bruxelles possède deux merveilles uniques au monde : la Grand’Place et le panorama du Jardin Botanique“). Check this postcard of a 19th Century painting by Henri Borremans:

This is another postcard from the 1930′s:

By that time part of the park was doomed though. The building of a railway connection across the city did not only entail massive destruction of the old city fabric (briefly explained here). One end of the central city tunnel is right under the Botanical Garden. The park was cut in two during the construction and after the opening of the tunnel in 1952 the division was made permanent by a new road... this still exist today as is seen on this photograph from Sarah Joy/Flickr.

More destruction would follow only a few years later when the new fast lanes (2 x 2) of the inner ring road were put right into the Botanical Garden. A tunnel under the existing boulevard would have been a lot more complicated because it had to cross the train tunnel, so the planners of the day decided this was the best option... here a photo from construction site. What remains of the park is on the left side. (The actual Botanical Garden was moved to the suburb of Meise by the way.) 

The picture underneath shows how it looks today on a bright day. The park is on the right this time. The historic wall on the left used to be limit of the Botanical Garden (photo William Murphy/Flickr).

What about the future? Bas Smets, Brussels’ contemporary star landscape architect has made plans to make the road cutting across the park a little greener. Propositions have also been made in the past to put a roof over the inner ring road in order to reconnect the park with the city centre, but this is not likely to happen any time soon. The more future-proof thing to do though, is probably rethinking all of the inner ring road (and other urban highways) as argued here.

[thecitygeek]

parisian density in brussels

Brussels is generally not considered a densely populated city, but that depends on how you measure density. Its most populous square kilometre is home to nearly 30.000 people (and is just behind the corner from the EU quarter). The ‘lived’ density is higher than in most other European cities. 

Population statistics usually depend on administrative boundaries. The bigger the area, the more empty land (be it forests, mountains, agricultural land or industrial/office zones) that can bring down the average population density. But people living in a dense urban area surrounded by empty land still experience high density, even if it’s not reflected in the stats.

In an attempt to make the available data between countries more comparable, Alasdair Rae of the department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Sheffield University, looked into the population density of every square kilometre in all of Europe, instead of just the averages.

His data shows that, while Spain has a low density when you look at the national numbers, it has a very high ‘lived density’ because people tend to live very concentrated in cities and along the coasts. It is therefore not surprising that the most densely populated square kilometre in Europe is in Barcelona. Close second is one in Paris. Both hold more than 50.000 people.

Spain and France have a bunch of other square kilometres with more than 40.000 inhabitants. The numbers are much lower in the rest of the continent. Turns out that Brussels is actually a density leader if we exclude Spain and France.

The European capital has a square kilometre with almost 30.000 people. That is more than the densest square kilometres in Stockholm (26.000), Amsterdam (23.000), Lisbon (22.000) or London (20.000). Only Szczecin (Poland) and Athens can rival with Brussels.

The most densely populated square kilometre of the city more or less coincides with the borough of Sint-Joost, known as the poorest and smallest municipality in Belgium, and a part of Schaarbeek. The crowded area sits just north of the European quarter, a neighbourhood with a very low density.

So on average Brussels may not seem very dense with 7.500 inhabitants per square kilometre, especially compared to Paris, its big sister to the south (21.000 inhabitants per square kilometre). Still, many citizens do live in areas with Parisian density. Sint-Joost, Old Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles, Kuregem or Flagey all have more than 20.000 people per square kilometre.

[thecitygeek]

gare maritime gets makeover

The magnificent former goods station at Tour & Taxis is getting a promising makeover. But will the project also benefit the struggling population of the neighbourhood across the street?

The renovation of Tour & Taxis’ Gare Maritime is one of the most exciting projects in Brussels these days. The gigantic former goods station (opened in 1908) is being renovated and will find a new purpose as a kind of covered neighbourhood with a food hall, urban farm and several retail and working spaces.

Renovation of the Gare Maritime (picture Jan de Moffarts)

Different functions will be housed in ten wooden structures that are to be separated by a grid of laneways and promenades, some of them bounded by greenery. All this under a magnificent wooden roof carried by iron art nouveau columns. 

Rotterdam based firm Neutelings-Riedijk is in charge of the makeover. You can hear more from architect Willem Jan Neutelings in this video presentation.

The new Gare Maritime will likely become the new heart of Tour & Taxis and give the former logistics and customs complex a true destination beyond the occasional fairs and events. The project could also be a gamechanger for the west bank of the canal, generally speaking the poorer part of Brussels. 

Even though the project has not got much promotion so far, a couple of corporations already signed up to set up office in the Gare Martime. So it seems the conversion will be a commercial succes as well as an architectural one.

Rendering courtesy Extensa / Neutelings Riedijk

It remains to be seen how the new Gare Martime will affect the Quartier Maritime, that sits just across rue Picard. This neighbourhood is part of the borough of Molenbeek. Its population, often with a migration background, is among the poorest in the city.

The people behind the project say that the Gare Maritime will be a true public space, open to all. At the same time gentrification of the surrounding neighbourhood is considered inevitable and even desirable to some extend in order to create a mix in an area that has historically always been working class.

Ideally this should all be managed to avoid too much displacement, and empower the local people so they can benefit from the chances (for example jobs) that the development can bring. 

[thecitygeek]

blast from the past: midi station

If you are familiar with today’s Brussels Midi (South) station it’s probably hard to imagine, but the city’s main international train stop wasn’t always the non-descript, uninviting place we find today.

Back in the 1860′s a grand neoclassical station was built just south of the city centre te accomodate a booming number of train passengers. The building designed by architect Auguste Payen replaced an older and much smaller station that was located next to today’s place Rouppe.

The grand steel and glass station hall and the long façade featuring classic columns and triomphalist statues were dismantled in 1949 to make way for a new station designed by Adrien Blomme, his son Yvan, and Fernand Petit. The new building was no longer a terminal but a functionalist through station, with the tracks about 6 metres above ground level. This facilitated the connection with the new Central Station (opened in 1952) and the North Station via a bridge and tunnel (the so-called North-South-Junction).

The arrival of high-speed rail in the 1990′s brought another makeover for the station. The charachteristic clock tower on the westside was demolished, killing the station’s soul for good. Today’s generic interior feels more like a hybrid between an airport and a mall than a historic train station. Passengers that venture outside are discouraged to walk into the surrounding neighbourhoods by disorienting and unwelcoming public spaces (except maybe during the popular Sunday market).

Back in 2010 the Belgian railways unveiled a plan to revamp Midi station once again with a landmark design by Jean Nouvel but his plan was shelved soon after. Without clear ambition for the future of the railhub, passengers and residents have been waiting for a new vision that’s worthy of Midi’s status as a major international gateways to the city.

[thecitygeek]

Navez is a small social housing project in the Brussels district of Schaarbeek. Designed by local firms MSA and V+ it was awarded the emerging architect prize at the 2017 mies awards.

[thecitygeek]

a tale of two cities

Map of the Brussels metropolitan area by Architecture Workroom Brussels. The blue parts represent the city of shiny office districts (darkest blue) and their employees (the ‘thinkers’). The various shades of red on the other hand represent industrial areas and their workforce (’the makers’). The clear distinction was obtained by exaggerating census data, but the image corresponds to a certain reality: most of the blue neighbourhoods are well-off and attractive. The red areas are more rundown, and often facing poverty and unemployment. The map shows how both the rich and the poor city continue over the border of the capital region into the neighbouring municipalities.

[thecitygeek]

does brussels need the pompidou?

It seems Brussels will at last get a museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. The Belgian capital has signed an agreement with the Centre Pompidou to turn a Citroën building (pictured above) into a cultural hotspot by 2020. The announcement has been met with excitement but also with many raised eyebrows, especially in the city’s large artistic community. The project, even though the details are still subject to negotiation, seems to be more about political ambition, attracting tourists, and spurring development than about culture and art.

The response is unsurprising given that minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort, the political father of the project, has no cultural responsibilities but is in charge of territorial development and regional tourism. With the help of a strong international brand like the Centre Pompidou, Vervoort is looking for a Bilbao effect. It is hoped that the museum will be the new must-see venue. The project is a major investment for the city, but it is supposed to pay for itself by way of spending in hotels, shops, and restaurants. The new museum could indeed bring more visitors to the city; the local tourism industry has suffered from recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels.

But unlike Bilbao, Brussels already has a thriving international arts scene. While the national collection of modern art remains largely locked up in a basement waiting for political consensus, many small galleries and exhibition spaces do regularly show modern and contemporary art. Several art fairs are attracting more buyers every year and a growing number of artists from all over Europe and beyond are calling the city home. For all these reasons, many international media outlets have dubbed Brussels ‘the new Berlin’.

So what about all those artists, gallery owners, and the surrounding economy? Wouldn’t it have made sense to invest in the existing structures and collections, instead of hiring expensive experts from Paris for a project that may eclipse local dynamics? Brussels has been looking to imitate Paris ever since it suddenly became a European capital at the beginning of the 19th century. But the problem is also political. In bicultural Belgium, cultural policy is divided along language lines, but most museums in bilingual Brussels are still owned by the federal state. Just like that disintegrating state structure, those buildings are crumbling. In this context of political fragmentation and lack of will to cooperate across regional, linguistic and political divides, Vervoort has no choice but to look abroad to cement his ambition. Given the strong French presence in the city’s arts scene, Paris is the most obvious place to look for collaboration.

Vervoort’s ambition cannot be cultural given his lack of competence in this field; and there is no support from other political bodies in charge of cultural matters. Still, the project has other goals besides simply attracting visitors to spend money. The Citroën museum is expected to speed up regeneration in the city’s canal area. This former industrial part of town has already been undergoing quite a makeover. Situated around the future museum, many old warehouses and factories have been replaced by upscale housing or have been renovated into lofts in recent years. And many other refurbishments are planned. The arrival of the Centre Pompidou probably won’t alter this existing situation of urban renewal; it will only speed up the process. This is, in fact, a process that risks pushing out the many artists who currently live in the area. The museum project could not only outshine, but also directly harm the existing art scene.

The likely gentrification is also contrary to another goal. The museum is supposed to bridge the gap between both sides of the canal; the waterway is a symbol of division. Towards the southeast lie the city’s upscale neighbourhoods, areas that are home to many of Europe’s political institutions. Most people living in the areas to the northwest are struggling to make a living. Infamous Molenbeek is, for example, just across the canal from the Citroën building. Any social ambition of the museum will be obsolete if it pushes out the people that it is supposed to reach.

This text was published in the january issue of Apollo - the international art magazine.

[thecitygeek]

Have railways made any progress in the 21st century? Not in Belgium. Sure we have high speed railways to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. But intercity trains are running slower than in the 1930′s. And most local trains are not frequent enough to attract commuters. As this map from 1928 shows our international connections were also much better back in the day. Brussels had direct trains to places like Milan, Warsaw, Vienna and Istanbul. The seaside city of Ostend, with its ferry connection to England, was an almost equally important international station. The Channel railway tunnel changed all that. Besides inspiring nostalgia, the map is also interesting from a design perspective as it is probably one of the first schematic maps ever made. The  history behind this Leo Marfurt poster can be read here. 

[thecitygeek]

three ways to improve transit in 2017

Road congestion in and around Brussels is bound to inspire a few more headlines in 2017, as the mobility debate keeps raging but authorities cannot decide on measures that make a real difference.

Many experts believe that some kind of road pricing is the key to success. A better use of the existing train network, in combination with extra park and ride facilities, is another popular claim. Others dream of several new metro lines and/or new car tunnels. But the truth is that most of those things won’t happen any time soon, because of budgetary constraints (the railways are facing huge cutbacks for ex.) and political complexity.

So let’s focus on a few things Brussels can do to improve mobility in the short term by making mass transit more efficient and attractive.

1.     Make room for trams and buses Brussels is investing in public transportation and that’s good, but the effect will be marginal as long as trams and buses are stuck in traffic. A recent study showed that almost one third of inhabitants have no good connection to the city centre. No wonder Brussels is still a car city, even though it has an extensive transit network. Many lines are just not efficient and reliable enough. Dedicated lanes can change that, together with priority at intersections and comfortable stops that make it easy to change lines. In many cases this will mean a redistribution of space from car lanes or parking spots to transit. Some of those decisions will be tough, but in the end mobility is about the number of people we can move, not the number of cars.

2.     Promote the existing commuter trains Politicians like to complain about the limited commuter train system (the completion of the RER/GEN network was planned for 2012, but will take many more years). But the truth is that many interesting connections do exist and service on several S-lines is supposed to improve by the end of this year. High time then for Brussels to work together with the national railway company to promote the S-trains, especially also in the commuter belt, and integrate them better into the city’s own transport network. The collaboration could pave the way for a much needed metropolitan transport authority and integrated tariff system with all four transport authorities serving Brussels.

3.     A mobility pact with the municipalities Regional policies are often blocked by one of the 19 municipalities that make up the Brussels Capital Region. To put an end to these useless political fights we need a mobility pact. The region and the municipalities should agree on the general direction to follow and stick to that policy regardless of local interests, populist resentment or electoral motives. This pact should give an answer to fundamental questions. Do we want more or less cars? Do we want better transit? More people moving by bike? Then all levels should act on it, getting inspiration from best practices elsewhere. There is no time to lose!

[thecitygeek]

This interesting map by Simon Kuestenmacher shows the world’s major French speaking urban areas. Surprisingly Paris is the only city in France stil in the top 20. Then again one should always be careful with statistics. Even if French is an official language in most of these cities, many of them are multilingual. Lingala is one of the most important languages in Kinshasa, for example, while English is widely spoken in Montreal. French is the dominant language in officially bilingual Brussels, but most of its suburbs that are counted in the urban area of 2 million are dominantly Dutch speaking and part of officially unilingual Flanders. So we cannot conclude that Kinshasa has more French speakers than Paris, for example. I think it is safe to say though that the rapidly growing Congolese metropolis is now the largest city where the French language is an important part of everyday life. Abidjan, Dakar and Casablanca are also on the rise. Time for Montreal to burry its claim as ‘second largest primarily French-speaking city in the world’. Africa is the future, also when it comes to the French language.

[thecitygeek]

brussels metro ghost stations

I recently got the chance to visit a ghost station of the Brussels metro while researching this piece about unused underground infrastructure. It is hidden behind some white panels in a quiet corner of the ticket concourse in Gare du Midi underground station and it look something like this (photo Bart Dewaele):

The unfinished platforms were built in the 1980′s together with the rest of the station as we know it. The idea was to put the trams on Avenue Fonsny underground at some point. And guess what, it is actually planned to happen in about 5 years time (probably a bit more). So this sleeping infrastructure will be put the use 30-odd years after construction. One could say that visionary engineers built an expansion-proof metro...

Interestingly, the sleeping station connects to an old car tunnel built back in 1958 or thereabout. It was closed shortly after and few people still know it exists. Here’s a rare picture from the national railway archive (Midi station clearly recognizable in the background):

When put underground, trams on lines 81 and 82 will call at the said platforms (the stop at Rue Couverte will disappear), and continue through the former car tunnel to reach a new station called Constitution. That new station will replace today’s Lemonnier as it is not possible to convert the latter to metro standard as is the plan with the all of the premetro station from North until Albert. This means Lemonnier will be a ghost station at some point, although trams will still pass through.

And how about other ghost stations? The most famous one is probably Sainctelette. It is visible when traveling between Yser and Ribaucourt stations on lines 2 and 6. The station was never finished. While building the line, engineers came to the conclusion that it would be too close to both neighboring stations...

Another ghost station exists under Saint-Guidon station. In the early days of metro building, engineers planned another line between here and Gare du Midi, but this never materialized. The unfinished station is hidden behind the doors at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the platform towards Herrmann-Debroux.

The largest ghost station is to found under the working Louise station. The sleeping infrastructure could be put to use if trams on Avenue Louise are put (partly) underground, but this probably won’t happen any time soon.

Other than the said stations, there are some ghost spurs. Some of those will be put to use in the years to come (at Gare du Nord one can see the start of a new tunnel towards Schaarbeek for ex.), others will probably remain sealed of, like the branch leading from Etangs Noirs towards Ossegem (intended for a line towards Berchem). 

Finally, many metro stations also have smaller unused spaces. There’s one at Anneessens that will become a small-scale cultural venue, and Albert and Simonis-Elisabeth will accommodate new underground tram terminals in the not too distant future. Others still might be revived one day, like the space visible from the tunnel between Schuman and Merode, a reminder of the early days when Schuman was the easternmost station of the first premetro line opened in 1969 (conversion to metro followed in 1976, so we celebrate the 40th birthday of the metro this year).

[thecitygeek]

This is what we call visionary art I guess. All things will never be all things, a permanent light installation in Brussels’ European district by artist Lotte Van den Audenaeren, took on a whole new meaning after the bombing in nearby Maalbeek metro station on March 22nd. When leaving the station onto Chaussée d’Etterbeek one can see the words ‘Forget & Remember’ projected on the blind concrete walls behind the bus stops on both sides of the road. The installation has been in place since 2014 (with an interruption due to technical failure) and was commissioned by former Brussels Capital Region ‘bouwmeester’ Olivier Bastin. Photographs by Heleen Rodiers.