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St Gilles plans makeover for Parvis
The municipality of St Gilles in Brussels has issued a call for proposals from designers for a new look for the Parvis St Gilles, aimed at “anchoring the car-free zone” according to alderman for sustainable development Willem Stevens.
The Parvis – the plaza in front of the St Gilles church extending over the Chaussée de Waterloo to the Rue de Moscou – has been car-free since last year – a situation the council now aims to make permanent with the complete make-over of the square. At present, the site is not quite suited to its new role. “The cobblestones are not ideal for pedestrians,” Stevens explained. “The designers will have to take account of the comfort of pedestrians, as well as the daily market, the terraces and the required loading and unloading zones. And there needs to be more green.”
The area concerned comes to 6,000 square metres, which includes a portion of the Chaussée de Waterloo. The budget is set at €1 million. The design team will be nominated in the new year, with the works due to be completed at the end of 2014 or early 2015.
Comments
This is a wonderful development. At long last pedestrians are kings in Saint-Gilles. Now let the municipality give a private company the right to built a large and luxurious commercial underground car park under the neighbouring square, and get rid of more parking space on street in order to give pedestrians more space in streets as well - just as they do in Barcelona and Madrid. The uggly car park on place Van Meenen and in the courtyard of the hôtel communal should go. You cannot put street life underground, but you can park cars underground and make public space really public, and not "privatised" to the benefit of motorists.