Urban Economy Workshops Report, describing, documenting and analysing the workshops led by Mark Brearley in Flanders and Brussels 2013–2020.
Authored by Jan Zaman at Departement Omgeving (the Flemish Department of Planning) this report documents the five workshops which have taken place in Flanders and Brussels regions, organised and led by Mark Brearley in partnership with Departement Omgeving and Architecture Workroom Brussels. Each workshop was between one and five days, and took place in Buda, Zennevallei, Bordet, Lefevrestraat and Bissegem. They involved design professionals and local stakeholders, and utilised the auditing methods developed by Mark Brearley and Jane Clossick in London, as well as exploration of opportunities through design research and architectural and urban propositions. As part of the working method used in the various workshops, there is also an important part devoted to ‘walking and talking’, which the document explores. These are not noncommittal explorations; they lay the foundation for the reflection and production of the workshops. The bottom line of this approach is to look around without passing judgements, a tried and tested method already advocated at the end of the 19th century by scientists such as urban sociologist and anthropologist Patrick Geddes.
External links:
Departement Omgeving
Architecture Workroom Brussels
“In the second decade of the 21st century, the broad debate on Flanders’ spatial planning is entering a new phase. The assumption that greenfield land can be claimed for most urban development is increasingly reaching its limits. The redevelopment of brownfields, urban infill and the revitalisation of old industrial areas are increasingly coming under the spotlight as ways to move forward with urban development. The task of facilitating the search for (re) location for every company is becoming more complex.”
— Jan Zaman, Department Omgeving
