On Wednesday 19 March, RICS organised its first out of four lecture series on EU Sustainable Urban Regeneration. As these lectures all take place in Brussels, it seemed logical that this fascinating town should be the topic of the first debate.

RICS is honoured that Pierre Laconte agreed to be the speaker for this event. Mr. Laconte is President of ISOCARP, the International Society of Town and Regional Planners, and co-author of a recently published book titled “Brussels, Perspectives on a European Capital”.

RICS is organising these lectures to discuss various aspects of sustainable urban regeneration. Sustainability in this sense does not only relate to environmental aspects (although very important). Social and economical aspects also need to play an equally important role.

After the summer break RICS will present a list of recommendations on sustainable urban regeneration. These recommendations will be based on the outcome of the debates. Those who participated and others who are interested are more than welcome to share their thoughts and opinions. Contact details are at the bottom of the page.

Mr. Laconte’s presentation had three parts which focused on the dominance of the automobile, the history of Brussels and the coming about of the European area.

In short, one could say that the current layout of Brussels and the European quarter is one of chance rather than of master planning, and also one that Brussels has always been an ‘open city’, one where the locals have always tried to make the best out of the various foreign ‘invasions’.

What followed was a lively debate with the audience. Some comments focused specifically on Brussels, others were more general and provide excellent food for thought on what to take into account when we discuss sustainable urban regeneration.

On the next page you will find some discussion items that we took away from the debate. Please note that the comments on the next page were part of the debate and do not necessarily reflect the views of RICS.

Should you wish to comment on this article, or if you simply want to share your thoughts, please contact Sander Scheurwater at sscheurwater@rics.org.

for more information on the lecture series, please visit www.rics.org/eu

The comments below relate to policy, the European quarter in Brussels, transport, density, land ownership and urban design.

Policy

• Brussels has a fragmented decision making structure. With a Brussels regional government, 19 communes and 99 distinguishable neighbourhoods it is very hard to initiate sustainable urban regeneration. According to Mr. Laconte, the Brussels governmental structure is not able to achieve a balance to gain real sustainable regeneration.
• Decision makers have a vital role to play. However, it is up to the people to make their voice heard. The majority of the participants of the first lecture are Europeans living in Brussels who do not vote and do not actively participate in neighbourhood renewal. 

The European quarter in Brussels

• The European area came around by chance; there was no master plan and no long term view.
• When it was built in the 1950s, the area around North Station was vacant and designated for office buildings. Still, developers decided for a residential area as it was apparently cheaper for developers to buy out the residents, tear down the housing and build office blocks, than building office blocks around North Station. So, whilst this behaviour made economic sense to developers, it does not seem to be very sustainable from an environmental and especially from a social point of view. 

Transport

• The automobile is dominant in the urban landscape. A car is used approximately 5% of its time, but is also a big consumer of space for the 95% of its lifetime when it is not running.
• There is a congestion problem in and around Brussels. One problem is that Brussels is a city in debt and does not have the money to solve these issues.
• New roads actually create more congestion.
• Opinions on Brussels public transport varied, but in general one can get around. The major issue is public transport connections between Brussels and its surroundings. Many commuters are forced to come by car due to lack of good public transport.
• Inside Brussels, many kilometres are driven in search for a parking place

Density

• Brussels has a low density compared to other European capitals. A comparison was made with Paris where density is much higher. According to Mr. Laconte, Brussels could inhabit up to 3 million people (currently there are around 1 million inhabitants). Higher density can lead to overcrowding of streets and public transport. However, it is rather the perception of density that counts. Also, how is density measured? Options include the amount of dwellings per hectare, the amount of habitable rooms per hectare, or the amount of people per hectare. 

Land ownership

• An important element in regeneration activities is the question of who owns the land? Publicly owned land can be easier to develop than (fragmentised) privately owned land. 

Urban design

• What is missed most in Brussels is water. All present agreed that every city needs water. Mr. Laconte went further by stating that in any city you can bring water.
• Gentrification can have great positive effects on a city, but what does this mean for the local population with less means?