As part of the redevelopment project for the Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains, the City of Brussels launched a participatory process to draw the contours of the new square. This trajectory was adapted to the different users of the square: residents, traders, young people who often frequent the square, but also young people from neighboring schools. The goal was to give them all a voice in the future of the place. In collaboration with MAD Brussels, a creator incubator, the City organized a series of workshops with surrounding schools. In a framework where reference images of places in Belgium and abroad are presented, we wanted to encourage young people to create their ideal place. To do this, we used Lego blocks and a model to stimulate the imagination. By organizing actions on the square itself, in collaboration with various organizations, we wanted to bring as many young people as possible to the square to gather their opinions on the redevelopment. During this day of action, we collected expectations and made the identity of the square visible through a fresco. Finally, the city also organized a meeting with residents and merchants in the neighborhood to gather their point of view.
Problems and objectives
The City of Brussels wishes to redevelop the square, with the main objectives of:
- the requalification of the place, the improvement of its identity by the application of a specific design or the integration of an artistic intervention;
- the renewal of the basketball court and the expansion of potential uses of the space, inclusiveness by taking into account the issue of gender as a priority, as well as improving accessibility to active modes;
- increasing biodiversity and creating conditions favorable to the survival of existing tree heritage.
History and context
In the heart of the Dansaert district in the heart of Brussels, the Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains is a widely used public space. The heart of it is occupied by a basketball court, while the benches surrounding it welcome residents, students, workers and visitors to the neighborhood, who settle down in the shade of the plane trees for a break. It is lined with numerous facilities, shops and catering businesses.
This space poses certain cohabitation conflicts: young girls express difficulty finding their place, particularly once night falls, while the De Mot-Couvreur school does not have a square given that the front of the school is occupied by a parking lot. In addition, the construction site for social housing on Rue du Rempart des Moines will increase pressure on public space for a long period, accentuating the need to have adequate places to settle down.
Organizing, supporting and financing organizations
The City of Brussels
Recruitment and selection of participants
Direct contacts were made with schools to invite them to the workshops.
Direct contact was made with the associations located within a certain perimeter around the square to invite them to consultation times.
Direct contact was made with the merchant located on the square
Residents were invited to the public meeting with flyers, distributed in boxes around the Place.
Methods and tools used
During the workshops for schools, students were able to create their own models based on reference images from other cities and an exercise in prioritizing themes for the development of the square (vegetation, sustainability, security, sport and play, cleanliness, meeting, inclusiveness, accessibility, creativity and personal expression). Using Lego, the students could express their ideas for creating their ideal place.
Afterwards, they collectively identified the most interesting elements of the different models. This made it possible to create a list of possibilities for redevelopment.
For the meeting of residents and traders, the different models of the students were exhibited, with reference images from other cities. The students' priority themes were also shared. Then, local residents and traders drew their ideal place on the models, accompanied by a series of conditions to take into account.
For the field action, the cargo bike “Le Babbeleir” was used. Users of the place were asked about their ideal place. Post-its were added to the models created beforehand.
What happened: processes, interactions and participation
Here are the steps of the participatory process:
08/11-15/11 : 6 consultation workshops for schools (2x MABO, Atheneum Brussel, 2x Institut Mot de Couvreur, Imelda)
23/11 : consultation of residents and traders
27/11 : field action: user consultation
Influence, results and effects
The conclusions of the participatory process were integrated into the specifications for the future redevelopment. Key people (school directors, main users, local residents) were included as citizen members on the designation jury of the architectural office, as observers. They were therefore unable to take part in the decision.
The selected office took full account of the priorities explained within the participatory process.
Analysis and lessons learned
The list of possible developments produced by the students had little impact on the redevelopment project. If the participatory process had taken place after selecting the architectural office, a co-creation would havewould have been possible.