The pedestrian zone in the center of Brussels, between Place Fontainas and Boulevard Adolphe Max, has been in place for ten years since Sunday. The zone has since become one of the busiest in the capital, but it has also been criticized for being too focused on tourists and events, rather than on residents.
Additionally, the fact that it is a mixed zone, where pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooter users cross, still regularly sparks debate.
Fourth most visited ‘traffic artery’ of Brussels
Since its redevelopment, which, in addition to new paving and more greenery, also included making central Anspach Avenue car-free for approximately 800 meters, the pedestrian zone has become the fourth most visited ‘traffic artery’ in Brussels, with 29,100 visitors daily. More than half of the commercial offers consist of catering establishments, including a variety of fast food options.
However, the City of Brussels also refers to several renewal projects in and around the pedestrian zone, such as the Oxy Tower (formerly the Mint Center), Brouck’r (located at the UGC cinema), or even The Dome (formerly the Actors building). Critic.
However, organizations such as Inter-Environment Bruxelles (IEB) or Arau, which are concerned with patrimony, lament a lack of commercial vision and a risk of overtourism. “The city has made a choice: to the benefit of the visitor and the detriment of the residents,” they say. The new projects reveal a lack of affordable housing, and mobility problems persist.
‘Open-air shopping center’
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close (PS), on the other hand, defends a “courageous” project that has “increased the number of inhabitants” in the city center and transformed a “boring city.” He also points out that more companies are settling there, “and not just small ones, if you look at Engie, TotalEnergies, and Bank of New York.”
But Arau believes the contours of the pedestrian zone in the central avenues are an outdated model from the 1980s, with the idea of creating an open-air shopping center. “The goal is to promote a commercial and tourist function,” says Marion Alecian, director of the civic organization.
“The problem is that this is to the detriment of local businesses and those that define the identity of Brussels. There is a qualitative return; we are left with a large, standardized project,” she believes, adding that “the increasing number of residents per neighborhood needs to be analyzed. Because we get many complaints from residents who want to leave because of the nuisance around the pedestrian zone.”
Arau further points to real estate projects that are environmentally damaging and inaccessible to residents. “These buildings provide luxury housing, making living along the boulevard even more difficult. These neighborhoods need affordable housing and social housing,” Arau says.
More events & more residents
The mayor promises to incorporate “social diversity” into the city center. We manage approximately 30% of the housing in the City of Brussels. But diversity also means generating income. So, I accept that the private sector builds housing, whose prices can sometimes be higher.
This also enables us to fund public services and social welfare programs. So, we are also happy that high-income people choose to live in the city,” says Close, who also points out that there are now more events as well as more residents downtown. “I have been organizing events in Brussels for 20 years because I wanted to bring the city out of its lethargy,” dixit the mayor.
Close also notes that, in addition to projects for redevelopment in the Lemonnier neighborhood for the construction of the new Metro Line 3, he is considering another major urban planning project: the redevelopment of the Sablon, situated between Place Royale and Place Poelaert.
“There is a lot of momentum there, and we want to take advantage of that to give it a more modern look. We have yet to decide on a course of action, but the renovation of public spaces remains one of our top priorities. The City of Brussels is constantly changing,” he admits.
Better air quality
A survey by Brussels Mobility reveals that support for the pedestrian zone increased between 2017 and 2021, particularly among frequent visitors to the Brussels city center, compared to residents from the city’s periphery.
According to Brussels Environment, the air quality in the center has also improved somewhat due to the reconstruction, which ultimately cost 27.8 million euros, exceeding the budget by more than 7 million euros. This has resulted in especially lower concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), although they remain higher than the World Health Organization standard.
