Holiday Spaces for Molenbeek-Brussels
A Place for Culture in the Multicultural Metropolis Rana Habibi
Urbanisms of Inclusion Holiday Spaces for Molenbeek-Brussels A Place for Culture in the Multicultural Metropolis Rana Sadat Habibi
Thesis submitted to obtain the degree European Postgraduate Masters in Urbanism [EMU] Academic year: 2010-2011 Promotor: Prof. Bruno De Meulder Urbanisms & Inclusions 1: Sint-Jans-Molenbeek/Brussels
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculty of Engineering Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO]
Permission for Use of Content: The author herewith permits that the present dissertation be made available for consultation; parts of it may be copied, strictly for personal use. Every other use is subject to strict copyright reservations. Particular reference is made to the obligation of explicitly mentioning the source when quoting the present dissertation’s results. Leuven, 2011
Acknowledgement: My sincere gratitude to my mentor Prof.Bruno De Meulder, who opened new horizons for me in this project and relevantly changed my view to the world around me,and I am very thankful for that experience. And special thanks to Miodrag Mitrasinovic, Associate Professor of Design Studies and Brian McGrath, Associate Professor of Urban Design at Parsons The New School of Design, New York City, for their valuable feedback and for hosting the Urbanisms of Inclusion workshop as part of the Atlantis exchange programme. I want to thank my parents Shahin Eskandari and Prof.Mohsen Habibi who make opportunity for me to have new experiences in these two years and encourage me to discover new things in my life. And finaly I want to thank Nogol Moshirian, Dena Barmas and Reihane Sattari for their kind emotional supports and my K.U.Leuven colleagues especially Barbara Sandra.
CONTENTS A-HOLIDAY SPACES as a theme in URBANISM of INCLUSION A-1-Terminology A-2-Architecture of Holiday Space A-3- Holiday Space: Re-Image of Borders A-4- Holiday Space: Re-Present of Hidden-Appearance A-5- Holiday Space: Re-Define of Culture B- The URBAN IMAGINARIES on BRUSSELS B-1-Brussels and history of immigration B-2-Molenbeek house of immigrants B-2-1- Brussels Regional Parks B-2-2Poor City B-2-3-Poor City and Regional Parks B-3-How different neighborhoods use Brussels? B-3-1Regional Parks-Poor City-Public Transportation B-3-2 Ethnic Minorities-Poor City-Well Connected Parks B-3-3- Poor City-Well Connected Parks
B-4-Towards Holy Pockets B-4-1- Analyzing: Holy Pockets in Molenbeek B-4-1-1-Sacred Spaces B-4-1-2-Game Spaces B-4-1-3-Purifying Spaces B-4-1-4-Club Spaces B-4-1-5-Vacation Spaces B-4-1-6-Future Holiday Spaces B-4-1-7-Holiday Axis B-4-2- Analyzing: Gender Space
C- DESIGN: RE-IMAGE OUTSIDE-INSIDE C-1- Outside in Inside: Factory of Womanhood C-1-1-Programming-Spatial Structure C-1-2- Analyzing of Current Situation C-1-3- Proposal for Factory of Womanhood C-1-3-1-Children Garden- Birds Garden C-1-3-2-Garden of Industrial Archeological Relicts & Urban Orchard C-1-3-3-Women Garden C-1-3-4-Extention of La Fonderie Park C-1-3-5-Spatial Structure for Factory of Womanhood C-1-4- Time-Space in Molenbeek
C-2-Inside in outside: 7 Ethnic Gardens C-2-1-Social-Green Structure of West Brussels C-2-2-Analyzing 4 Green-Social (Intermediate) Space C-2-3- 21st Century Park C-2-4- Analyzing of Marie-Jose Park Complex C-2-5- Seven Ethnic Gardens C-2-6- Moroccan and Afghani Gardens C-2-7- Spatial Structure of 7 Gardens D- CONCLUSION Time-Space in Outside and Inside of Molenbeek
A-HOLIDAY SPACES as a theme in URBANISM of INCLUSION A-1-Terminology A-2-Architecture of Holiday Space A-3- Holiday Space: Re-Image of Borders A-4- Holiday Space: Re-Present of Hidden-Appearance
A-Holiday Space as a theme in Inclusive Urbanism “To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” 1 (Simone Weil, 1942)
From 19th century by industrialization and modernization, so many people migrated from rural to urban. This tradition of immigration increased middle of the 20th century by colonization of under developed countries, and till now we could see movement of post-colonial countries to the west countries. On one hand integration of immigrants with native residents and on the other hand sense of place or sense of dwelling for new entries is the main question of these societies. Holiday Spaces as cultural spaces introduce intermediate atmosphere which help boundaries of self and other, private and public, natives and immigrants change and society face less conflicts. Architecture of Holidays are kinds of Sacred spaces like religious institutions, gardens-parks or Club spaces like women clubs, young clubs which all participate residents in neighborhoodcity activities. By hinting cultural archetype of different ethnics, Holiday Spaces try to add new urban imaginary for residents. Holiday Spaces by breaking political-economical routines will make new sphere for dialogue, play and integration. By giving more space to hidden part of society, Holiday Spaces let them be present. And at the end holiday spaces make third sphere which new culture a combination of minority and majority resident’s culture could shape. To sum up, holiday spaces by including all minorities and majorities, hidden and appearance, public and private, lets all residents native or immigrants have dwelling in multicultural city.
This research is structured in 3 parts: First part: is speaking about terminology of holiday space and architecture of holiday space, then holiday spaces will explain as 3 hypothesis: Holiday Space: Re-Image of Borders, Holiday Space: Re-Present of Hidden-Appearance and Holiday Space: Re-Define of Culture. Second part: is speaking about Brussels, immigrants and possible integration spaces as holiday spaces by interviewing with residents, observations and mapping in BrusselsMolenbeek. Third part: is kind of searching by design to see how hypothesis like re-image of borders and re-present of hidden-appearance could translate in design. Factory of womanhood as Woman Club Inside of Molenbeek and Seven Ethnic Garden in Outside of Molenbeek in Marie-Jose Park are archetype result of this research by design.
1 - MALKKI,Liisa, ”National Geographic: The rooting of peoples and the territorialization of national identity among scholars and refugees” in: OAKES, Timothy S (ed.), The Cultural Geography Reader, Routledge, 2008, pp.275-281
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A-1-Terminology Holiday spaces are Time-Space. If we look at the root of this word in English we would see that the word holiday has kept this reference to the ‘holy’ origin of free time, rest and repose. Holidays beings extraordinary as opposed to the mundane, ordinary character of the everyday, are the permanent markers of discontinues moments on the calendar, pacing the continuous flow of everyday experience. Holiday is pause of everyday experience; it’s suspension of political and economically activities. It is a space which imaginary becomes reality and reality becomes in shadow. Political and economical rules would pause during holiday and cultural activities give more space for happening. As Michele Foucault described today’s life: Perhaps our life is still ruled by a certain number of oppositions that cannot be touched, that institution and practice have not yet dared to undermine; oppositions that we regard as simple givens: for example between private space and public space, between family space and social space, between cultural space and useful space, between the space of leisure and that of work. All these are animated by an unspoken sacralization. 2 So holiday spaces are neither public nor private spaces, they are liminal or in-between spaces which culture take shape and integration between different social classes could happen because these spaces are far from any political and economical activities.
As literature holiday space were defined as the other spaces by Michele Foucault or even basic definition illustrated by Hippodamus as third space. Third space of Hippodamus is neither political (or public) nor economical (or private) space, but rather sacred space, or hieratic space- to use Hippodamus’ term hieran. Also Foucault when speak about the other spaces, he is speaking about spaces which is the other of the political and the other of economically. Third space of Hippodamus, the other spaces of Foucault and Holiday spaces which is speaking here are all describing ‘Cultural Sphere’: the space of religion, arts, sports and leisure. Cultural spaces are a third realm between the private space of the hidden and the public space of appearance, a third sphere that we could venture to call the space of hidden appearance. It gives space to everything that has no place either in the public or the private sphere. It is the sacred space where the remainder rests. By remembering this third sphere, whose autonomy is largely forgotten in the relentless economization of everything, we can understand and articulate the relevance of heterotopias today. 3
2- DEHAENE, Michiel, DE CAUTER, Lieven, Heterotopia and City, Routledge, 2008 3 - the same reference
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A-2-Antology-Architecture of Holiday Space For better understanding of holiday spaces, defining physical embodiment of holiday spaces would be crucial. Through terminology of holiday spaces we could define 4 main characters for them. 1-It is a Time-Space 2-It is pause of everyday experience 3-It is suspension of political and economically activities 4-It is neither public nor private space Foucault’s examples of these qualities are: the honeymoon, old people’s homes, the graveyard, the theatre and the cinema, libraries and museums, fairs and carnivals, holiday camps, hamams, saunas and motels 4. On this base holiday space could categorized in five kinds of architectures: 1-Sacred Spaces: Sacred Spaces are like Gardens, religious places -Churches, Mosques- and Graveyards. The garden, an astonishing creation now thousands of years old, had in the Orient very deep and seemingly superimposed meanings. The traditional garden of the Persians was a sacred space that was supposed to bring together inside its rectangle four parts representing the four parts of the world, with at its centre a space still more sacred than the others, that was like an umbilicus, the navel of the world (it is there that the water basin and fountain were). And all the vegetation of the garden was supposed to be distributed in that space, within this sort
of microcosm. The garden is the smallest parcel of the world and then it is the totality of the world. 5 They exemplify the diversity of Persian garden designs that evolved and adapted to different climate conditions while retaining principles that have their roots in the times of Cyrus the Great, 6th century BC. Always divided into four sectors, with water playing an important role for both irrigation and ornamentation, the Persian garden was conceived to symbolize Eden and the four Zoroastrian elements of sky, earth, water and plants. These gardens, dating back to different periods since the 6th century BC, also feature buildings, pavilions and walls, as well as sophisticated irrigation systems. They have influenced the art of garden design as far as India, Spain and in total in Islamic Gardens. Today modern’s park, urban orchards and semi-public residential open spaces could be count on memory of ancient Gardens which people usually use them in their free time, for play or gathering or resting. Churches and Mosques are other kind of sacred spaces. They are gathering spaces and at the same time it’s a break of daily life of a week. The cemetery is certainly another place compared to ordinary cultural spaces; it is a space that is, however, connected with all the emplacements of the city or the society or the village, since each individual, each family happens to have relatives in the cemetery. People normally are going to cemetery in holidays but may be just once a year.
4 - Foucault, M. ‘Des espaces autres. Une conférence inédite de Michel Foucault’, Architecture, Mouvement, Continuité 5 (October): 46–9. (Republished in Dits et écrits IV, Paris: Quarto Gallimard, pp.1571–81.) 1984 5-same as previous reference 6-same as previous reference 10
2-Game Spaces: Game or Play is older than culture, Huizinga places great emphasis on the foundational character of play in the organization of society in general and the production of culture in particular. His definition in Homo Ludens contains seven elements: game or play is a free act (1) outside the everyday; (2) without direct purpose or material end; (3) that unfolds within a dedicated space and time; (4) that is rulebound; (5) often associated with a club or specialized society and (6) often partly hidden or disguised. 7 The analogy to the concept of holiday space is striking. Play is not simply an instance of culture but in fact precedes culture. Game Spaces are like Play grounds of children, Café where friends meet each other and play cards, Parks with different spatial qualities for picnic of families, children playing, pets (dog and cat playing). In multicultural cities Game Spaces could have crucial role for integration among different ethnics, and disappearing mental borders among them. 3-Club Spaces: Club spaces have more similarities with Game spaces but with more subjective and defined structures. Clubs also have role in adapting new social entries to society. Youth clubs, women clubs which looks more like NGO activities helps new minorities to better understanding of society. Even more recreational activities like Dance Clubs, Fashion Clubs or Food Clubs could have important role to introduce different cultures and at the
same time making sense of place for hidden part of society to be present. In these clubs each ethnic could simulate part of her-his culture of own country. 4-Purifying Spaces: Purifying Spaces have traditional roots in some Cultures, like “Hammam” of the Muslims which basically is a bath room. Till 50 years ago Hammam was an important figure in urban structure of Muslim Cities. These spaces are not just for cleaning but also are gathering spaces. Each neighborhood had one Hammam and it was kind of indoor urban square in terms of social gathering. Hammam could be comparable with Scandinavian “Saunas”. Saunas are more used in modern western life, but still you could see Hammam s in Muslims Neighborhoods in multicultural cities. 5-Vacation Spaces: Vacation Spaces like Youth Hostels, Bed and Breakfast and so on let people who are from other places come trough neighborhood and city. These places let outsiders will being part of place for some days, interact and visit and make new atmosphere. By being in a place and living for some days mental borders would change and new images could shape.
7-HUIZINGA, J, Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play –Element in Culture, Routledge&Kegan Paul Ltd, 1949.
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A-3- Holiday Space: Re-Image of Borders All boundaries, whether national, global or simply street names on a road map are socially constructed. They are as much the products of society as are other social relations that mark the landscape. For this reason, boundaries matter. They construct our sense of identity in the places we inhabit and they organize our social space through geographies of power.8 Geographies of power are less easy to determine than physical marks. Whilst a street map can tell us where we are in relation to other physical markers, it cannot tell us how the people who operate in it classify street space. Sibley, a geographer who writes extensively on exclusionary practices in public space, provides a helpful framework for thinking about boundaries, using the terms open and closed spaces, A strongly classified space, says Sibley, has strongly defined boundaries, its internal homogeneity and order are valued and there is a concern with boundary maintenance to keep out objects or people who don’t fit into the shared classification (or culture) constructed by the dominant group (the insiders). The regularity of design and the high visibility of internal boundaries, which interrupt traditional patterns of social organization, make what is culturally different appear disruptive and deviant. Examples of strongly classified spaces include shopping malls, churches, schools, spaces where only those who belong and behave are welcome. Difference is not encouraged or tolerated.
In contrast, weakly classified spaces have weakly defined or open boundaries, and are characterized by social mixing and diversity. They include such places as sporting venues, carnivals and festivals, or in one word Holiday Spaces. Difference and diversity in culture, identity and activity in these open spaces is tolerated, understood and sometimes even celebrated.9 Policing of these open boundaries is not as necessary, as there is less concern with power or exclusion. Therefore Holiday Spaces in multicultural society has to reimage mental borders of residents. As Sibley mentioned the human landscape can be read as a landscape of exclusion.10 Inside and outside has a strong meaning in mind of residents. Interviews and previous studies show places which ethnic minorities use in cities are different places which native residents normally use. So by defining common holiday places which have more opportunities to integrate outsider and insider with each other image of borders could change. This common holiday spaces could discover by interviews with group target.
8-MALONE,Karen, “Street Life: Youth, Culture and Competing Uses of Public Space�, in Environment &Urbanization October 2002 (14) 2, pp.157-168. 9- same previous reference 10-SIBLEY, David, Geography of Exclusion, Routledge, 1995. 12
A-4- Holiday Space: Re-Present of Hidden-Appearance As mentioned in previous part, one of important issue in society is self and other, power and less power, minorities and majorities, private and public and hidden and appearance. As Edmund Leach mentioned, there is liminal space between childhood and adulthood and threshold spaces between public and private, there is also liminal space between minorities and majorities in society as well (like immigrants and rest of society). In this case holiday spaces produce more space for hidden part of society to crossing social and spatial borders by being part of place and being more present. As Sibley explained, if we consider question of residential segregation, which is one of the most widely, investigated issues in urban geography, it could be argued that the resistance to a different sort of person moving into neighborhood stems from feeling of anxiety, nervousness or fear. Who is felt belong and not to belong contributes in an important way to the shaping of social space. It is often the case that this kind of hostility to others is articulated as a concern about property values but certain kinds of difference, as they are culturally constructed, trigger anxieties and a wish on the part of those who feel threatened to distance between themselves from others. Also he made an example of Sacred Spaces like Religious Institutions. Religious institutions provide social and physical space and social networks that help the immigrants reproduce and maintain
their values, traditions, and customs in the midst of an often alienating and strange western society. Between different kinds of Holiday Spaces, Club spaces could have role for hidden part of society to have sense of place and participation. By looking at history of club spaces and identity, YMCA 11 could be one of the best examples of this case. Between the Civil War and World War I the Young Men’s Christian Association was responsible for the construction of more than one thousand buildings on Main Streets across the United States. The typical Main Street YMCA building’s formbrick, three or four stories tall, with some classicizing detail-is so standardized and well known that it is often taken for granted, a set piece in the American downtown. One model railroading supply company, Model Power, even manufactures an N-Scale YMCA building kit, which it sells to hobbyists constructing their ideal town layouts, along with its bank, library, town hall, railroad station, and drugstore. The YMCA, a typically typical building, has not attracted much attention from architectural historians. Its conservative styling and understated formal qualities do not lend themselves to the aesthetic narrative of modern architecture in the United States. Although it is part of the everyday landscape of American cities, it has pretensions (minimal though they may be in some cases) to the status of Architecture, including authorship by a professional designer. Betwixt and between high and low, YMCA buildings are common, yet in many senses extraordinary, features of the modern urban landscape.
11-LUPKIN, Paula, Manhood Factories-YMCA Architecture and the Making of Modern Urban Culture, University of Minnesota Press, London, 2010.
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In recent years scholars of social history have begun to interpret the YMCA as a site for the construction of identity based on class, race, and sexuality, as well as the lived experience of working-class men, African-American men, and gay man. Although they do not explicitly analyze the built environment, these studies all acknowledge the importance of space to the organization. YMCA was a building space as a site of gender formation. Yet, in the aftermath of the Civil War, white middle-class men, especially native-born men, confronted shifts in their work life that challenged their power, autonomy, and mobility to an unprecedented degree. The decisive shift from a regional, rural, agrarian system to a national industrial economy linked by rails had a profound effect on the identity of middle classes men in the United States. Fewer men had the chance to ascend to a position of economic independence. Instead, they were positioned within an increasingly rigid structure governed by managerial authority: a structure they helped to shape, but could not escape. Responding to this change, new leisure institutions (holiday club) housed in prominently designed and sited buildings, like the YMCA and Masonic Lodges, were an attempt to define men’s live and help them make sense of their place and their roles within this evolving system. YMCA’s program, sponsored by employers, was very much anchored in a programmatic, useful preparation for a productive and successful, if increasingly limited, work life. However it employed s degree of fantasy in its model
of manhood, emphasizing ascent and progress through a hierarchical structure that was not always present on the job. The members could avoid the though climb of the job ladder by taking the elevator from “a job” to life as a “captain of industry. Indeed, these kind of holiday spaces helped hidden part of society to participate in kind of community and then by having sense of place, there will be more opportunities to integrate with rest of society. So this research by focusing on the most hidden part of Molenbeek residents (in terms of urban participation) try to introduce new spaces for ethnic minorities and specially women who has less opportunity to be present in society with Architecture of Holiday Spaces. For this reason Gender Spaces will be important in spatial structure of holiday spaces which in analyzing part, I looked at it.
8-MALONE,Karen, “Street Life: Youth, Culture and Competing Uses of Public Space”, in Environment &Urbanization October 2002 (14) 2, pp.157-168. 9- same previous reference 10-SIBLEY, David, Geography of Exclusion, Routledge, 1995. 14
A-5- Holiday Space: Re-Define of Culture Holiday spaces by changing mental borders and making sense of place try to defining new kind of culture which is neither appearance nor hidden, not public nor private but it makes a third sphere which each citizens in multicultural city could experience. It has a specific originality which just only defines by its citizens. It’s neither Belgian nor Moroccan, neither Moroccan nor Turkish, neither Turkish nor Afghani but it’s combination of all those minority and majority cultures. And top of all Holiday spaces by making collage of different nationalities make city a place for dwelling. In Heidegger’s view, dwelling is enacted over generations through repeated traditions and customs. Holiday spaces by giving space to different nationalities and cultures lets values of each culture find a place in new context and dwellings happen. One kind of Holiday Spaces which has close relation with this issue is Sacred Spaces and specially Gardens. In English, “to dwell” is used interchangeably with “to reside,” or “to live” (in a place). 12 The act of dwelling, however, refers to a deeper connection to place: a rootedness that involves a life-giving connection of humans to the earth. And Garden’s important element is connecting human with earth.
landscapes and places. The account of the orchard as a treeplace, then, focuses on issues relating to the interconnections between trees, place, landscape and dwelling. A closer look at the orchard reveals a deep hybridity of people, nature, and technology – new and old – which is embedded in a complex array of networks, but which also has a time-thickened, placeforming dimension, and the trees are at the creative centre of all this. 13 Also soils is reminding home as well. Therefore Ethnic Gardens could be an option in multicultural society as archetype of new urban culture. A city with several archetype of different culture would be a better city for dwellings.
Orchard as kind of Traditional Gardens is the notion of dwelling. Dwelling suggests a rich, intimate and ongoing togetherness of beings and materials which constitute and reconstitute 12- JONES, Owain and CLOKE, Paul, ”Orchards” in: OAKES, Timothy S (ed.), The Cultural Geography Reader, Routledge, 2008, pp.222-240 13 - same previous reference
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B- The URBAN IMAGINARIES on BRUSSELS B-1-Brussels and history of immigration B-2-Molenbeek house of immigrants B-2-1- Brussels Regional Parks B-2-2Poor City B-2-3-Poor City and Regional Parks B-3-How different neighborhoods use Brussels? B-3-1Regional Parks-Poor City-Public Transportation B-3-2 Ethnic Minorities-Poor City-Well Connected Parks B-3-3- Poor City-Well Connected Parks
B- The Urban Imaginaries on Brussels
B-1-Brussels and history of immigration The Brussels Capital Region, which consists of 19 municipalities and has around 1 million inhabitants in an area of 163 square km. geographically, socially, and today also politically, Brussels is at the crossroads of Europe. Not surprisingly, the Brussels population is characterized by a large and very heterogeneous immigrant population. The demographic history of Belgium is the history of migration, and of migrant settlement. Indeed, as Lambert (1992) points out, one cannot think of Belgium without migrants. Belgium and Flanders in particular, has been a trading centre for the last millennium at least, and the same geographic conditions which made the Southern Netherlands a natural route for armies crossing Europe, not only facilitated trade but also made it a natural passageway, and point of settlement, for migrants. There has, however, been a qualitative growth in the number and concentration of migrants in the past two centuries, both in Brussels and in Belgium as a whole, and it is these which have largely formed the present native and, of course, the migratory populations 14. Although Brussels has long been the provincial capital for the area approximately covered by today’s Belgium, its population growth only began with the creation of the Belgian state in 1830. De Schaepdrijver notes that the population of Brussels, which was only 76000 in 1800, had grown to 235000 by 1856. This tripling of the population implies an annual average growth rate of 20/1000. If we assume growth at the national
annual growth rate of 7/1000 before 1830, the Brussels annual rate after independence exceeds 35/1000. By 1842, De Schaepdrijver notes, migrants made up 43% of all the Brussels population. Of these migrants, about one-six were of non-Belgian origin (7.5% of the total population), mostly educated Francophone attracted in to staff and manage the burgeoning state services. In the 20 century both the country of origin, and social standing, of the migrants to Belgium changed dramatically. Between the world wars most migration was of contract labor, in particular Italian, recruited for the mines and heavy industries of Wallonia and Limburg (in Flanders). After 1945 these industries began to decline, to be replaced by a growth in the service sector and more modern industries, mainly in Flanders, and migration, still mainly European, moved with the economy. However, the post-war boom was felt across Europe, and employers had to look further afield to recruit cheap labor, mainly to Turkey and Morocco. As with the Italian recruits of the 1920s, what began as temporary recruitment soon became circular and then more permanent as contracts were repeatedly renewed. Active worker recruitment ceased in the late 1960s with the economic slow-down, and new immigration has been restricted to family reunions since the early 1970s. Nonetheless, the strong localization of these populations, in particular the Turks, together with maintenance of strong ties with the towns and villages of origin, has led to a large movement of imported brides and
14 - ANSON, Jon, “The Migrant Morality Advantage: A 70 Month Follow-up of the Brussels Population�, in European Journal of Population, N.20, 2004, pp.191-218.
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At the same time, Zairean (Belgian Cango) independence led to an influx of immigrants from Africa, and the setting up, and expansion, of the European headquarters in Brussels led to the growth in immigration of while collar European workers, many, but not all, on a short term basis. Brussels is thus a particularly propitious for an analysis of migrant relative morality. Over the past 200 years Brussels has grown more than 10-fold, and has become a centre of international migration. The recent concentration in Brussels of many international institutions (European Community, NATO, etc.) has led to the growth of a large and very heterogeneous international population, across a broad range of social locations, ranging from unskilled job seekers at one end of the scale to well-established career officials at the other. The population of Brussels is more diverse and colourful than the population of most other European cities and has been so for several generations already. As such, for the population with an immigrant background, it was often the parents or grandparents who came as migrants. Having already integrated in the previous generations, the migrant background of the second and third generation is not discernable from official statistics and they enjoy the same social and political rights as any other Belgian citizen.
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B-2-Molenbeek House of Immigrants Molenbeek (west of Brussels) is a part of Brussels that is beginning to show the hallmarks of a ghetto. A whole series of social processes suburbanization, de-industrialization, and degeneration of the social fabric-has had a negative impact on the overall quality of life and the community there. This situation is particularly glaring in Oud-Molenbeek, the older part, where the decline of the urban fabric has been paralleled by increasing social and ethnic tensions. Molenbeek seems to be the melting port for all the problems of the 19 century town: dilapidation, unoccupied buildings, demolition sites which remain unfilled and under privileged, largely immigrant population.15 As geography point of view, very well-off parts are located on the hills and very deprived parts are located in the valley and Molenbeek is one of the most deprived neighborhoods. Also this kind of exclusion of geography could see on Parks location as well. All the regional parks are located on edge of poverty line but not inside. Brussels- Charleroi canal that in 18 century was still part of Brussels fortification and in 19 century industries buildings were located along it, now in 21 century is surrounded with multicultural societies which are so segregated. Although it seems like physical and more mental border between pentagon (center of Brussels) and Molenbeek or in better word between east and west, but it has lots of opportunities to turn to integrate space. 15- DE MEULDER, B. Molenbeek, or what became of the welfare state. La Rue, La Fonderie and La Poudrière, labs and credos in the city of industry and squalor. Archis (4), pp.30-37, 1996
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Un-used factories, vast vacant sites of old train station which called “Tour and Taxi” and at the same time micro cultural activities in Molenbeek which more than 57% of inhabitants are immigrants (Moroccans, Turkish) make a possible situation and opportunities for recovering multicultural image of Molenbeek and consequently Brussels as metropolis. So some of the Policy options 16 of decision makers to achieve social injustice in Brussels is: a. Promote the cultural diversity of young people in Brussels. b. Promote activities to mix the various populations and the cultural resources produced by young people. c. Produce a regional project for the mobilization of young people centered on different cultures. d. Put an end to the focus on security and concentrate on participation and citizenship
16- DE MEULDER, B. Molenbeek, or what became of the welfare state. La Rue, La Fonderie and La Poudrière, labs and credos in the city of industry and squalor. Archis (4), pp.30-37, 1996
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B-2-1- Brussels Regional Parks
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B-2-1- Brussels Regional Parks This map shows regional parks, Cemeteries and main infrastructure of Brussels. 23
B-2-2-Poor City
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B-2-2-Poor City This map illustrates Poor area in lighter gray, poorest part of Brussels in darker gray and administrative part showed in pink. Poor area is along Brussels-Charleroi canal, post-industrial part of Brussels which were occupied with large industrial factories in 19 century. 25
B-2-3-Poor City and Regional Parks
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B-2-3-Poor City and Regional Parks This map shows regional parks in relation with Poor city. If we look at carefully to this map would see most of the regional parks are located in margins of Poor city or in other words parks are as border of poor and rich cities. 27
B-3-How different neighborhoods use Brussels?
Whereas in 1970 Brussels represented the oldest population in the Kingdom, immigration has contributed to its rejuvenation, making the Region the youngest in Belgium. This is marked in particular by a high birth rate (14.8%). The large number of young people is also seen in the upper age groups; the under 20 age group (248,915) represents 24.1% of the Brussels population and the under 25 age group (317,280) represents 30.7%. The presence of young people varies according to municipality and neighborhood. It is especially marked in the poorest area of Brussels. Mobility becomes an essential factor in the differentiation of social classes in the era of globalization. Young people in Brussels from fortunate backgrounds benefit from this tendency towards mobility, often multi-polar in and outside Brussels as well as abroad. Immobility is more a characteristic of young people from working-class backgrounds.
B-3-1 Regional Parks-Poor City-Public Transportation This map shows how public transport system (Tram lines and Subways) link regional parks together.
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B-3-1 Regional Parks-Poor City-Public Transportation
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According to interview was record by IAM, NÉ SOUS LA MÊME ÉTOILE in May 2008 which published in name of Jeunes en ville, Bruxelles à dos ? L’appropriation de l’espace urbain bruxellois par des jeunes de différents quartiers, Young people in 3 different socio-economic neighborhoods and 2 different opposition’s regions south-west and south-east, use Brussels in different ways. The group target was 28 boys and 3 girls in age of 15-20. Among 31 interviewees who gathered in AMO (Neighborhood-House), 12 persons were from Etterbeek, 9 Persons were from Anderlecht and 10 persons were from Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. According maps, Anderlecht which has similar socio-economic character (59% of immigrants) with Molenbeek during day has more traveling around west (local) part of Brussels, whereas Young people in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Etterbeek have travel to most part of city. These maps show mental borders of people who live in Molenbeek and Anderlecht. At the same time these 3 maps illustrate common places which all these 3 neighborhoods travel to them, like Parc d’Osseghem, Parc Elisabeth, Parc Marie-Jose and Parc des Etange which all have Subway Stops in location. Therefore these Parks have potential to become integration spaces to change mental borders of inside and outside, self and other.
Flow of Anderlecht Residences Base on Interviews
Flow of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Residences Base on Interviews
Flow of Etterbeek Residences Base on Interviews 30
B-3-2 Ethnic Minorities-Poor City-Well Connected Parks
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B-3-3- Poor City-Well Connected Parks
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B-3-2 Ethnic Minorities-Poor City-Well Connected Parks This map illustrate 4 regional parks in west of Brussels, Parc d’Osseghem, Parc Elisabeth, Parc Marie-Jose and Parc des Etange which all have Subway Stops in location have potential to become integration spaces to change mental borders of inside and outside, self and other. 33
B-4-Towards Holy Pockets
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B-4- Towards Holy Pockets
For better understanding of Molenbeek and its residents, I did several fieldworks in different days of week and weekend to see how people use streets and public spaces and for better understanding which kind of holiday spaces are more popular for ethnic minorities I used 2 kinds of methodology: 1-Observation and make some short movies and also by chasing people from their house to other places. 2-Interviews Through my observations in old Molenbeek most of public spaces included streets were more occupied by men than women. In tea salons and shops in Ribaucourtstraat , corners of Rue de l’Ecole and Rue de l’Elephant and in urban squares more men could visible than women. Women mostly move together or with their children. Play grounds, in front of mosques and Chaussee de Gand – Shopping street are the places in old molenbeek which women mostly show up. It seems they use more in-door spaces than out-door. The only places have the balance range of women and men are Parks. Families because of children or just for resting and playing are coming to parks, so parks become a holiday place which both gender of women and men are involved. The second methodology is interviews. Because of my language limitation (English and Persian) I couldn’t have interview with people in the street which mostly could speak French, in my several trying that I did I could just make conversation with 2 Russian and Romanian girls in street. Therefore I made an appointment with Mrs. Loredana Marchi, director of Foyer (Social NGO) located in rue de ateliers 25, Molenbeek. Purpose of this appointment was finding some immigrants inhabitants in Molenbeek, who could speak English. As her suggestion,the best solution was group target of second generation age of 36
12-18. There is a program in Foyer on Wednesday and Friday for school students who have illiterate parents to help them doing their homework. So by helping Anne-Sophie, I could interview with 10 girls and 2 boys in 2 days. As introduction she explained me normally children come from different schools and don’t know each other so here is kind of meeting places for them as well. It’s totally free so they parents are motivate to let them come. She also explained they have several outdoor activities like having lunch outside, bike tour, cinema,… but most of the time they have some difficulties with fathers for daughters, they just accept activities which related to schools not extra ones. But these difficulties are more related to first generation immigrants, for second generation who are adapted to new context, it’s much easier. I did the first interview with Merve, she is 18 years old and was born in Brussels- Molenbeek. Her father was born in Molenbeek as well, but her mother came to Belgium just 28 years ago, when she married. Her father is working in a hotel outskirt of Brussels; (Chateau de limineltte).She is living in Jean Dubrucqlaan near Benzene Station. She likes her neighborhood they moved to this place 5 years ago because they need bigger space, before they lived in Nieuwstraat-city 2. She has one sister 21 years old and one brother 15 years old. She and her sister are studying Social Science in Erasmus School. She takes metro, tram and walk for 10 minutes to reach her school. For her the most interesting point of Brussels is multiculturalism. She said I have Belgian, Turkish, Iranian and Moroccans friends. She spends her free time with her family and mostly goes to Atomic Park and Elizabeth Park. In respond to question about future, she said, she has a fiancé who met him in Turkey; he will come to Belgium next year.
She likes Belgium because it’s her country and she has lots of friends and family here and can work after her education. She just thinks about Turkey for her elderly time. Molenbeek for Merve is nice, livable and active place. The other interesting interviewee was Nooria, Afghan Girl. She is 18 years old and it’s her second year in Belgium. She was born in Jalal Abad in Afghanistan but she just lived there for 6 years then moved to Pakistan with her family. Her parents came to Brussels 12 years ago, her mother doesn’t work and her father first was working in Parking now he has informal shop (Dokan). She is living in Molenbeek, she has lots of ambitious for education, and she wants to study and starts to work. She is learning Dutch now and should learn French as well, she mentioned that all her life is learning new languages. She has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Boys are older than her they are working in Car Factory. She explained that her father is very strict and she has permission just for going to school after 3 clock she should back home, Foyer for her is part of school so she has permission to come there as well. She loves shopping and just go sometimes to Molenbeek Thursday market with her mother and sisters. She said my father doesn’t like I show up outside a lot, they engaged me to one of my cousin, I didn’t see him so long time, should wait for him to come Brussels, but I’m not sure I’ll like him, but there is no choice. For her image of Afghanistan is Orchard Gardens. She used to walk along canal and pick up fruits from trees. Now in Brussels she doesn’t have any space which feel home and because of her conditions she felt so isolated. I did this interview in Persian.
The last interviewee was with Moroccan siblings, Noura (17), Mohammed (15) and Safia (12). Noura could speak English very well and translate my questions for her siblings. They were born in Brussels, their mother was born in Boujaad and their father was born in Nador. They lived in Brussels Central till 2003 and after that for having bigger place for living, they moved to Molenbeek, Oprichter Straat. Noura answered my question “what do you think about molenbeek”, by a question: do you think Moroccans make danger in Molenbeek? It was surprised and at the same time painful for me that she was worrying about this image. I explained her that I came to Molenbeek 5 times and till now nothing happen to me and for me Brussels is like other capital cities which everything can happen, so for me generalization of exceptions is not wise able and real image. But because of this image, she likes Brussels central more than molenbeek. Safia likes Antwerp but Mohammed likes to live in Molenbeek, because he can play football with his friends and he feels like home there. For them like other students, they spend most of their time at school and the way between schools till house is the main experimental spaces. De Brouckere, rue Neuve, Rogier, Yzer, Al Motaqih, Hicret, Machelen and FC Brussels are the places which they usually go. Among them just Safia the youngest one each Saturday is going to Mosque to learn Quran.
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According to interviews and fieldwork observations, the activities which are going on in Molenbeek could categorize in Sacred Spaces (Mosques and churches), Game Spaces (Parks, Playgrounds and Tea Salons), Purifying Spaces (Hammam, Sauna), Club Spaces (Youth Centre) and Vacation Spaces (international Youth Hostels). By focusing to understand who use these holy pockets, discovered that Play grounds, in front of mosques and Chaussee de Gand – Shopping Street are the places in old Molenbeek which women mostly show up and the rest is using by men. And Parks are places which same rate of men and women is visible. Also some buildings like 19 century un-used factories beside la Fonderie park discovered which has potential convert to Future Holiday Spaces.
B-4-1- Analyzing: Holy Pockets in Molenbeek B-4-1-1-Sacred Spaces B-4-1-2-Game Spaces B-4-1-3-Purifying Spaces B-4-1-4-Club Spaces B-4-1-5-Vacation Spaces B-4-1-6-Future Holiday Spaces B-4-1-7-Holiday Axis B-4-2- Analyzing: Gender Space
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B-4-1-1-Sacred Spaces
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B-4-1-2-Game Spaces
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B-4-1-3-Purifying Spaces
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B-4-1-4-Vacation Spaces
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B-4-1-5-Club Spaces
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B-4-1-6-Future Holiday Spaces
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B-4-1-7-Holiday Axis
B-5-Holiday Axis This Axis works as Holiday Space collector. It includes Ribaucourtstraat , Rue de l’Ecole, Rue de l’Elephant, Rue Vanderstraeten and Birminghamstraat. These streets are collector part of Holy Pockets which illustrated in last pages.
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B-4-2- Analyzing: Gender Space This map illustrate who use these holy pockets, as mentioned before Play grounds, in front of mosques and Chaussee de Gand – Shopping street are the places in old Molenbeek which women mostly show up. And Parks are places which same rate of men and women is visible.
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C- DESIGN: RE-IMAGE OUTSIDE-INSIDE
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C- Design Concept: Re-Image Outside-Inside
According theoretical view in first part and analyzing in second part 2 kinds of holiday spaces choose as proposals which are kind of club space and sacred space. Towards reimage of borders, changing meaning of inside and outside is important. For this reason thinking of activities and archetype which participate hidden part of molenbeek residents which means Women in neighborhood happenings and make them sense of place could be a step for re-define meaning of inside. Also women centre could be attraction for other women from outside of Molenbeek, so it would be again the other image of inside, outside in inside. As a proposal for changing image of outside for insiders in Molenbeek and similar neighborhoods, an element or archetype like ethnic gardens which has cultural elements of different ethnics could be interesting. So design part will be in 2 parts: 1-Outside in Inside: Factory of Womanhood 2-Inside in outside: 7 Ethnic Gardens-Adding Layer to existing Parks
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C-1-Outside in Inside: Factory of Womanhood C-1-1-Programming-Spatial Structure C-1-2- Analyzing of Current Situation C-1-3- Proposal for Factory of Womanhood C-1-3-1-Children Garden- Birds Garden C-1-3-2-Garden of Industrial Archeological Relicts & Urban Orchard C-1-3-3-Women Garden C-1-3-4-Extention of La Fonderie Park C-1-3-5-Spatial Structure for Factory of Womanhood C-1-4- Time-Space in Molenbeek
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C-1-Outside in Inside: Factory of Womanhood By focusing on Inside of Molenbeek and defining different kind of Holiday spaces Moroccan and Turkish immigrants have highest percentage of Molenbeek residents. This neighborhood in collective memory is one of the dangerous parts of Brussels. Through analyzing, discovered that most of the places are using by men, and women and children have less appearance in activities. So by giving space more to women and children security of neighborhood could improve as well. At the same time most of these women who are mothers of next generation are illiterate and don’t have any job. The term of Factory of Womanhood is coming from book of Paula Lupkin “Manhood Factories: YMCA Architecture and Making Modern Urban Culture”. Factory of Womanhood in Molenbeek is a network of Holiday Spaces (that means breaking routine life of Women as house wife). This factory will
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be multicultural, and help women to improve their abilities and be familiar with their rights. It will be organized in 3 categories: childhood (which are mostly second and third generation of immigrants) adulthood (first or second generation) and womanhood (mostly first and second generation). The main question of this factory is “who is the 21st century woman?” and through this question will define several activities which improve individuality and confidence of women. Sport, Art, Knowledge centre, Spiritual activities are kinds of these activities. But the most important face of this factory is that women find a place to transfer their voice to society. Magazine publishing will be part of this factory to improving knowledge of girls and women who has less connection with society. Production like cook laboratories, planting flowers can be make small-credit opportunities for women (specially for
first generation of immigrants who even can’t speak Dutch or even French, e.x.Turkish ones). These activities basically could get place in brown field spaces like un-used factories. Also it will work with semi-public Gardens which exist on neighborhood. This Factory act like NGO (club space), and will work not just for Molenbeek but for other immigrants and citizens which live in outside as well.These activities basically could get place in brown field spaces like un-used factories. Also it will work with semi-public Gardens which exist on neighborhood. This Factory act like NGO (club space), and will work not just for Molenbeek but for other immigrants and citizens which live in outside as well.
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C-1-1-Programming-Spatial Structure by considering of 3 stages of childhood, adulthood and womanhood, also by attention to multicultural context and different generation of immigrants, multiple activities and spaces planed. These spaces are mix of indoor and outdoor to propose covering all kinds of stages and ethnic minorities. these activities are divided in 3 kinds of Learning, Laboratory and productive spaces. In learning centre, activities like Health Information, Family Knowledge and Social Knowledge on one hand and on the other hand some skills like Music and Art classes, Beauty Centre, Dance Club, and some spiritual sports like Yoga clubs are provided.They could be located in Indoor spaces.In Laboratory part some functions like Tea Salons for both women and men, Fashion Lab, Cook Lab, Multi-Media Centre and Wedding House are included which could happen in both Indoor and Outdoor spaces.
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The last part is Production. Newspaper for informing neighborhood events, CD production for Young Girls Music Bands, also Fruits, Flowers and Vegetables which provided in Urban orchards or Urban agriculture. These kinds of productions will provide activities for all stages of women life. In Bottom, we could see how these activities could happen in Molenbeek.
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400 x 400 meter Inclusive Buildings
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La Fonderie Park
Current Location
C-1-2- Analyzing of Current Situation
The main transport connection between this part of Molenbeek is Bus line which has one stop in Front of La Fondrie Park. The main Buildings which are included in this complex are La Fondrie Museum and 3 un-used Buildings in the yard which belongs or 19 century railway station. The other important building is international youth hostel which is very active now. 6 social housing towers are other notified buildings which are located in semi-public green yard. the other valuable building in this complex is old, un-used factory which has potential to convert to Indoor space. La Fonderie Park, 19 century is other opportunity of this complex which is not very active now. And finally parking of international youth hostel and yard of old factory which now is car wash could be part of green structure of Factory of Womanhood network.
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C-1-3- Proposal for Factory of Womanhood
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The main concept of this complex is that how indoor and out door activities could work with each other and network of actions could happen. This network is included 4 types of Garden-activities: - Garden of Industrial Archeological Relicts & Urban Orchard This garden provides collection of Industrial Archeological Relicts and at the same time mix with Urban Orchard, in this complex buildings like La Fonderie Museum, (ex) Printing Office, Social Knowledge Centre , Fashion Lab and Tea salon are located. - Children Garden- Birds Garden This complex is include Children Playground , Garden for Birds and Youth Hostel, this garden is in relation with tea salon and Fashion Lab. - Extension of La Fonderie Park La Fonderie Park by extension to current street would have more space for trees and people and would act like Theatre Stage. Fashion and music exposition could happen in this park. by changing street axis, in front of youth hostel would be more space for trees and green space as well. - Women Garden by transforming car-wash to Garden and by converting old factory to Wedding House, network of Factory of Womanhood would be complete. this garden during ceremony could work as wedding garden but in other case could work as Women garden for some Moslem residents who needs more intimate space. All this network is connected with walk path.
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C-1-3-1-Children Garden- Birds Garden
1- Current situation 2-Removing border 3- Children Garden 4- Birds Garden in connection with Youth Hostel and Fashion Lab 5- Spatial Structure
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C-1-3-2-Garden of Industrial Archeological Relicts & Urban Orchard
1- Current situation 2-Removing border 3- Garden of Industrial Archeological Relicts in connection with La Fondrie Museum 4- Urban Orchard in connection with Tea Salon and Fashion Lab 5- Spatial Structure
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C-1-3-3-Women Garden
1- Current situation 2- Outdoor-semi open-Indoor space 3- First Floor Wedding House and Garden 4- Second Floor Wedding House 5- Spatial Structure
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C-1-3-4-Extention of La Fonderie Park
1- Current situation 2- Extention of La Fonderie Park and changing of Street Axis 3- Park as Theatre, Park as Public Space 4- Spatial Structure
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C-1-3-5-Spatial Structure for Factory of Womanhood
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C-1-4- Time-Space in Molenbeek
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C-2-Inside in outside: 7 Ethnic Gardens C-2-1-Social-Green Structure of West Brussels C-2-2-Analyzing 4 Green-Social (Intermediate) Space C-2-3- 21st Century Park C-2-4- Analyzing of Marie-Jose Park Complex C-2-5- Seven Ethnic Gardens C-2-6- Moroccan and Afghani Gardens C-2-7- Spatial Structure of 7 Gardens
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C-2-Inside in outside: 7 Ethnic Gardens-Adding Layer to existing Parks
These holiday spaces can re-image meaning of inside and outside. As mentioned before, Molenbeek is sort of social ghetto and located in deprived neighborhood. It has a very compact fabric and has only 19% green spaces inside old Molenbeek. But exactly at the edge of poor line there are 4 parks which are very well-connected by subway and tram lines. Through interviews is discovered young people who are living in well-off areas of Brussels in East, used to go those parks. So basically those parks have capacity to act intermediate spaces roles. By adding new layer (ethnical signs which make familiarities to immigrants feel sense of place) or extending parks, people who lives inside Molenbeek won’t be outsider any more. These parks are part of holiday spaces, Sacred Spaces, which citizens use them at weekends and their free time. By focusing mainly on children, which are normally second or third generation of immigration and are half-Moroccan, half-Belgian, integration could happen much more easily in terms of Play. 7 gardens in memory of 7 ethnics who live in Brussels: Belgian, Spanish, Itlaian, Moroccan, Turkish, Afghani and Romanian. In design, Moroccan and Afghani Gardens focused more. As mentioned in first part Gardens are kind of sacred spaces and each ethnic has own type of gardens. Moroccan and Afghani Gardens have very similarities to Persian Gardens. So 2 kinds of Persian Gardens with names of Bagh-e-Ghadamgah in Shiraz-Iran and Bagh-e-Shazdeh Mahan in Kerman-Iran choose as Garden Archetype for Moroccan and Afghani gardens. The most important character in these gardens are orchards and playing water with topography. Persian gardens were kind of public square which people gather together and eating fruits and have picnic in holidays.
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C-2-1Social-Green Structure of West Brussels
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C-2-2-Analyzing 4 Green-Social (Intermediate) Space
Based on Brussels Analyzing and Interviews in second part of research, 4 parks defined as potential to integrate different ethnics minorities with each other and with majorities. also these parks should provide sense of place in outside for residents who live inside of some neighborhoods like Molenbeek. in this order mental border of inside and outside would be change. for finding structure which how a park could provide this integration should look at meaning of Park in 21st Century 17: as much as possible a park should not be bounded or bordered in a zone defined by city planners or a social sector. It must be open: visually, socially and ecologically. - needs to be programmatically open to change - open to participation of community -open to aesthetic participation of users by using comprehensible formal languages -open to momentary or time-share ownership of the users -it could let the city come in with its urban uses and activities, with restaurants, theatres, museums or even complementary housing according to this definition, these 4 parks has different functions and accessibility for all residents, so the design concept for adding layer would be cultural sign and activities to absorb ethnic minorities as well.
17-KOH, Jusuck and BECK, Anemone, “Parks, People and City�, in Topos, 55, 2006 75
C-2-3- 21st Century Park 18
Multi-Functional -it could let the city come in with its urban uses and activities, with restaurants, theatres, museums or even complementary housing
Culturally Enhancing -workshop for artists, and thus belong to and even support the community, as well as be open to the public at large -realizing necessary interpenetration and mutual complementarity between nature and culture, park and city -therapeutic, creative and spiritual experience it can be, leading to the realization of living landscape, the quality of “villa urbana” and “villa rustica”, city and country, and country in the city. - park design must strive for an emotional adoption by the local users - it can function as healer and inspirer for a good way to live and for a just and healthy city - a place where citizens learn or are reminded of how to build a livable and civilized city
Ecologically Performing - Productive ecologically, it can also function as urban farm for food and/or flowers - parks could be designed to teach citizens about the indispensable reciprocity between humans and nature, and culture and nature in the process of their symbiosis and coevaluation -by releasing the natural energy of the site, by letting it breathe, live, grow, change and become, we would find new sense in the “pleasure of giving” - parks designed to be free, creative, and living would make us happy, or inspired and wondering 18-KOH, Jusuck and BECK, Anemone, “Parks, People and City”, in Topos, 55, 2006 76
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C-2-4- Analyzing of Marie-Jose Park Complex
From physical point of view, Topography of this regions considerable. This park has a good accessibility to residential areas and other urban facilities. in south east of this park complex, West Station is located which has access with Tram lines and Bus station. The other considerable point is varieties of residential buildings: Towers, Social Housing and Villas which are signs of residents diversity. social housings are more occupied by immigrants, villas and towers more by Belgians. Also there are vast lands of Farms in this area, which are consider as urban farm and agriculture farms. the rest part of this area is woodland, regional park, local park, boulevard and park way which is part of Green-Belt of Brussels. 79
C-2-5- Seven Ethnic Gardens According 21st centuery park definition, parks should be open to every one. also according to Brussels diversity population, there are at least 7 kinds of immigrants who live in Brussels: Moroccans, Turkish, Afghani, Spanish, Italiana and Romanian.
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Garden as Sacred space has cultural elements of each ethnics. vegetations and orchards which remind environment and soil of country. People normally are going to gardens for picnic in holidays, so restaurants which provide local foods of each
ethnic could consider as function. also Gardens provide a place for ethnic festivals , music and dance. these gardens produce new urban culture and help residents to understand different
cultures. at the same time these gardens make sense of place for ethnic minorities who are far from home. so 7 gardens would be as proposal for 7 ethnics who live in Brussels.
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C-2-6- Moroccan and Afghani Gardens
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As Landscape Architecture point of view, these Gardens could have archotype of each Country. for example Moroccan and Afghani Gardens have very similarities to Persian Gardens. Persian Gardens basically have Orchards, Flowers and Water has a main role on it. It has rectangular shape and It is symbole of life and death. because during seasons trees shape will change.
So 2 kinds of Persian Gardens with names of Bagh-eGhadamgah in Shiraz-Iran and Bagh-e-Shazdeh Mahan in Kerman-Iran choose as Garden Archetype for Moroccan and Afghani gardens. Persian gardens were kind of public square which people gather together and eating fruits and have picnic in holidays.
C-2-7- Spatial Structure of 7 Gardens
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D- Time-Space in Outside and Inside Conclusion
D- Time-Space in Outside and Inside
Conclusion: By looking back to first part of reaseach and 3 definitions of Holiday space: 1- Re-Image of Borders 2-Re-Present of Hidden-Appearance 3- Re-Define of Culture and looking at 2 projects, Factory of Womanhood and 7 Ethnic Gardens, we could conclude that by concerning cultural elements of minorities in urban structure of multicultural cities, sense of place and sense of participation in urbanneighborhood activities would be increase. By giving more space to hidden part of society like things which propuse in Factory of Womanhood in Molenbeek, will increase rate of safty and social Justice of urban-neiborhood. Holiday Spaces are including all cultural activities and are open to all residents. so it has potential to create new culture which is combination of all minorities and majorities. at the end, Holiday Spaces are sacred and protective spaces which helped minorities to crossing social and spatial borders by being part of place.Holiday Spaces have Time-Space character which give capacity to different social attraction find a place and end to social integration.Holiday Spaces redefine meaning of Inside and Outside and result will be mixity and at the same time give sense of locality.
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SIBLEY, David, Geography of Exclusion, Routledge, 1995