Abstract
Reconversion of Brussels urban motorways The Brussels-Capital Region experiences approximately 5.4 million passengers movements daily, the majority of which are done by car with the commuter flow entering or leaving the Region representing 33% thereof. The Government of the Brussels-Capital Region is now at a critical point in terms of sustainable infrastructure management with an overuse of the regional road infrastructures. Therefore, it is necessary to find solutions adapted to the different needs to ensure the accessibility and connectivity of the city for goods and people while guaranteeing the quality of life for the population. Brussels is inspired by several successful reconversion of a motorway into an urban boulevard such as the Cheonggyecheon Expressway in Seoul, Korea, or the Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, USA (see P. Lecroart’s works (IAU Ile-de-France)). Herrmann-Debroux: planning for more resilience, sustainability, dynamism and ‘living together’ The Herrmann-Debroux area is one of the southern gateways to the Region, located at the border with the Flemish Region. It is one of the twelve strategic sites defined by the Government. Primarily built after the Second World War, it has become an urban periphery. The area is crossed by the ‘E411 motorway, composed of several viaducts, and is bordered by a wide variety of urban spaces and activities, e.g. forest, sports centres, shopping malls, office buildings, universities, schools, and a hospital. The E411 is a barrier for the large landscape elements that it crosses, particularly the forest. Furthermore, the activities around this axis are disconnected – offices, shops, dwellings, public transport. Road infrastructures – mainly the Herrmann-Debroux viaduct – constitute visual and physical barriers and a major environmental issue, i.e. air and noise pollution. The Brussels-Capital Region’s ambition is to transform the E411 motorway into an urban boulevard. This boulevard will be a multimodal mobility support and a collective resource for various uses, reconciling the city and its inhabitants with their infrastructures. The objectives are to improve the permeability of the transport axis, reconnect the green spaces and the water network, and increase porosity between the urban blocks. It is therefore necessary to weave the urban fabric by articulating the metropolitan, regional, and local scales. The transformation of this city entrance is a unique opportunity to develop a land-use mix including economic, social, and residential activities, to develop a uniqueness, improve the urban quality, and make ‘living together’ successful. The project includes a reflexion on five different neighborhoods along the future boulevard. For example, a new district will be developed on an existing railway wasteland. This new place will be a new connection for pedestrians and cyclists but will also accommodate equipements and productive activities. perspective.brussels is in charge of designing a Master Development Plan to translate these ambitions. This tool combines regulatory components with strategic ones. To avoid future ill-conceived urban infrastructures, the solutions proposed by the urban strategic plan must be reversible and flexible, insofar as is possible. The project is being developed in cooperation with the private and public sectors with local citizens’ participation. Approved for the first time in May 2019, the definitive Master Development Plan will be ready by the end of 2021. The Brussels-Capital Region plans to realise the project within 10 years. Within the requalification of this city entrance, and with the ambition to generate a connect, adaptable and resilient city, the Region wants to create an example for future urban infrastructure transformation at the European and international level.
