Skip to main content

Affordable and Resilient Built - sharing good practices and knowledge,

  • Published on January 15, 2021
The Usquare project aims to create a new urban dynamic based on knowledge, innovation, inclusion and accessibility, healthy and resilient environment. It leverages on the architectural existing quality to preserve heritage and scale-up refurbishment of circular building solutions for current and future transformation, using both circular design and reuse of local materials. The project is considered an European regional best practice, that can help the transition towards the implementation of Green Deal objectives in terms of climate and resource preservation. Different programs will participate to the circular economy objectives by providing sharable spaces and services for both inhabitants and users. Therefore, disseminate project results and giving insights about the planning process, the ambition, scale and the stakeholder cooperation could inspire other circular urban development and refurbishment projects, help to replicate and scale-up sustainable actions.
The planning phase of the project has been completed end of 2020. The transitory phase developed during the planning phase has been implemented two years ago. A hundred of organisations, private companies and NGO's are accompanying the site transition during the temporary occupation. On the site, we find today: urban mining stakeholders, producers, logistic specialist, urban and architectural designers, engineering teams, academic research groups, start-ups specialised in different sectors: food, entertainment, family care, reuse industry, digital innovation. This temporary occupation, the biggest in Brussels region provides helpful feedback: - testing planned activities in a real context and before the definitive set-up, - evaluate the success of proposed models, - involving the local community, district inhabitants, assessing needs and demand - host innovation and innovative models, - strengthen the vision, by introducing activities related to sustainability, food (urban agriculture, affordable markets), - activation of the public space, use of the buildings to avoid deterioration Involving community and stakeholders within the process is a valuable too and for success, that should be used in each project. The interaction between people offers a vibrant, dynamic identity to the site. The project gained the acceptance of the neighbourhood. It allowed inhabitants to discover, share and use new public spaces, a valuable asset in the current sanitary crisis time. In the context of COVID 19 pandemic, creating a space for interaction between stakeholders is likely to deliver a new resilient way of living and working to better recover and cope with the sanitary crisis.

Supporting document(s)

49-74c88062afc6ef83a5c7baf951e1641c_20201130_Affordable_and_Resilient_Built_Environment_Project_Template_UIR.pdf Download
Download

You might also be Interested in