Belgium in Brief: On The Steps Of The Palace

Belgium in Brief: On The Steps Of The Palace
Credit: City of Brussels

Something exciting is happening on the slopes of the Justice Palace in Brussels this summer.

After they were made car-free in March of this year, Brussels has been trying its hardest to give the space back to the residents of the Marolles neighbourhood, where the Palace is located.

With five selected projects, ranging from an urban beach over a climbing wall to the Hanging Gardens, the City is hoping to bring the lively atmosphere back to the area.

"The intention was to select projects that would test a particular use for those slopes. The aim is to eventually repurpose them for good," Ans Persoons, Brussels Alderman for Urbanism, told The Brussels Times.

"This is only temporary, but it will help to see what works and what does not work," she added.

The slopes were made car-free to restore the "unique heritage" of the Palace and to create a pleasant promenade, but mainly to give back such a large public space to the people of the Marolles, which is densely populated and has very limited public space.

"The intention is that the residents see the projects and everything that happens on the slopes as something that belongs to them," said Persoons.

"We want to highlight the slopes as a public area, and this is a first step towards the activation of that very large space," she added.

Will you go and have a look? What do you think? Let @johnstonjules know. Or @maithechini, since she wrote it today.

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Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your lunch break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:

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