2014-03-13 – On Thursday 13 March, the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region and the planner in charge of the Canal Plan, Alexander Chemetoff, gave a presentation at MIPIM 2014 about the development options for the Canal Zone, and in particular the Biestebroeck, Birmingham and Vergote sites. They are among the six test sites selected by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region in the context of the Canal Plan on 26 September 2013.
The Canal Plan has been devised as a means of providing an operational response to the needs arising from population growth, and aims to meet the following objectives: the reinforcement of housing and economic activities for the benefit of all, while ensuring that these functions are integrated into the urban environment, and the improvement of public spaces so that the Canal can serve as a link between different districts.
To achieve these goals, Alexander Chemetoff has identified a potential group of sites totalling 313 ha, most of which are controlled by the local authorities.
The proposals outlined on Thursday are also based on the premise that the economic and residential functions should no longer be treated in isolation from each other. The Region faces an inevitable increase in density of settlement, and urban functions must be integrated in order to achieve two goals: more housing AND more jobs for the people of Brussels!
The proposals are primarily a coherent, comprehensive and ambitious development vision. That vision must now form the basis of a dialogue that leads to concrete projects being implemented.
The Minister-President commented: ‘All actors need to take responsibility, because the development of the Canal area must be a common cause in which all public- and private-sector organisations active in the residential or business sector in Brussels join forces.’
