Ananian, Priscilla
[UCL]
Declève, Bernard
[UCL]
Brussels is shown to be a paradigmatic city, being a singular city-capital, city-region since 1989 and international city as well as an ordinary city assailed by the same contemporary urbanization problems as other European cities. The central districts of the town of Brussels were traditionally abandoned by rich groups who favoured peripheral residential spaces while making use of the facilities offered by the city. This demographic movement has two main consequences: the demand for additional infrastructure and equipment as well as the reduction in revenues due to a diminishing resident population. Within this context, the town of Brussels applies renovation policies to the old centre, based on District Contracts which provide inhabitants with incentives to return. These tools consist in four years’ contracts between the Region and the communes which implement devices and budgets divided up into five action parts, with the objective to renew the inhabitants’ environment at the tangible (built) and intangible (socio-economic) levels. This article aims to analyse the production of housing in the "Fonderie - Pierron" District Contract in Molenbeek Saint-Jean with regards to the implementation of the projects’ sustainable development parameters, at the level of building techniques, uses, functions and urban establishment. The analysis shows that the revitalization of the downtown area further to the return of the inhabitants and the residential production does not only serve to decrease the lack of downtown accommodation and consequently increase public revenues, but also constitutes an opportunity to renew old centres whilst considering the long term urban development.


Bibliographic reference |
Ananian, Priscilla ; Declève, Bernard. Housing Production and Requalification of the city centre of Brussels.51º IFHP World Congress, Future of Cities: Impacts, Indicators, Implementations (Copenhage, du 23/09/2007 au 26/09/2007). |
Permanent URL |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/73516 |