Master in Urban Design and Spatial Planning – KU Leuven Urban Studies January 16th, 2018
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place space near places
Pierre Verraes
Inhoudsopgave ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................3 NON-PLACE DEFINED BY THE FRENCH ANTHROPOLOGIST MARC AUGÉ ................................................3 CONTEXT ...........................................................................................................................................................4 METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................................................................5 INTERVIEWS.....................................................................................................................................................6 AREA 1: YSER ......................................................................................................................................................................6 AREA 2: HOEK (CORNER) .................................................................................................................................................8 AREA 3: ANTWERPSE STEENWEG ................................................................................................................................. 10 AREA 4: ANTWERPSE STEENWEG ................................................................................................................................. 10 AREA 5: BAUDEWIJNGEBOUW ....................................................................................................................................... 12 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................. 13 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................. 15 BOOKS:............................................................................................................................................................................... 15 OTHER: .............................................................................................................................................................................. 16
2
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
ABSTRACT Public Space or space in between? In this paper I will investigate the user experience of pedestrians in the Boudewijnlaan. By observing and interviewing people passing by and how they relate physically with the site. Do they bond with this place or do they see it as a transit space? Afterwards, I will summarize and discuss my investigation in a conclusion. It is not my intention to find a solution but rather to understand the underlying problems of the site and it’s surrounding area. Connecting will be an important approach in my research. Not only the connection between pedestrians passing by and the Boudewijnlaan but also the connection between the lane with all its commuters, habitants and workers and where they are heading. Making little maps next to the interviews will help to spatialize each viewpoint within the research area.
INTRODUCTION ‘We don’t experience the city as a continuous thing anymore, rather as a series of events’ – SMITHSONS 19671
Non-Place Defined by the French Anthropologist Marc Augé A Non-place cannot be explained without explaining the term Supermodernity. Supermodernity is a term that Marc Augé describes to explain how in these late capitalistic times, our awareness to certain aspects like space has changed.2 We have to deal with an excess of information throughout the day because of all sorts of media and it is as if the routes between our destinations have become mandatory. More and more space has developed in transit zones or routes to go from one destination to another. 1 Smithsons, P. (1967). Quoted in Cauter, Lieven de, De Capsulaire beschaving, NAi Uitgevers, Rotterdam,
2004, 67 p. 2 Auge, M. (1995). Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London: Verso
3
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Augé explains in his book Non-Places, Introduction to Anthropology of Supermodernity that we spend more and more time in what he calls non-places of transit. Non-Places are spaces that anthropologically speaking lack the basic fundaments of a place, which Augé describes as a space you feel related to, where your identity is of importance or/and is historical. 3 You might say the Boudewijnlaan functions as an outdoor tunnel of transit for people who are going to their destination. In a non-place a person becomes nothing more than what he observes and experiences in his role as a commuter, driver, etc.4
CONTEXT
Once the second city wall surrounding Brussels ran just in between the Antwerpselaan and the Boudewijnlaan. These parallel lanes form one wide lane but are divided in two. The side that now forms the Boudewijnlaan lay just outside the fortified city whereas the Antwerpselaan lay intra muros. 5 These two parallel lanes are divided not only by name but also on many other levels. Heavy traffic makes it extremely hard to cross over except at the zebra crossings where there are traffic lights. The Antwerpselaan consists of a large nighttime population6 and has a lot of facilities such as bars, shops and restaurants. The Boudewijnlaan especially has a large daytime population7 with a lot of offices. The segregation between daytime and nighttime population is an important factor here in this case study.
3 Augé, M. (1992). Non-lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité. Paris: Seuil. 103 p. 4 Augé, M. (1992). Non-lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité. Paris: Seuil. 103 p 5 Stad Brussel. Binnenstad. Liège. Pierre Mardaga, 1989/1993/1994 (Bouwen door de eeuwen heen in Brussel) 6 Nighttime population: How many people that live in a place. Cortright, J. (2016, November 14). Daytime and nighttime segregation. Retrieved December 14, 2017, from http://cityobservatory.org/daytime-v-nighttime_segregation/ 7 Daytime population: Not how many people live in a place, but how many gather there regularly during their waking hours. Cortright, J. (2016, November 14). Daytime and nighttime segregation. Retrieved December 14, 2017, from http://cityobservatory.org/daytime-v-nighttime_segregation/
4
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Until the 19th century there were two fortification walls surrounding the historic centre of Brussels and each wall had seven city gates. The Antwerpse Poort, which now forms a square, is a reminder of this past. The City Gate of Antwerp was demolished in 1860.8 In 1819 a circular boulevard was constructed on the 14th-century town wall that now functions as the Brussels Small Ring. The Zenne River ran through the Boudewijnlaan but disappeared with the Covering of the Zenne in 1871.9
METHODOLOGY
To find out why the Boudewijnlaan is considered a Non-Place several investigation methods were used in this case. Qualitative research took place in the form of semistructured interviews off which the questions were based on the Place Game10 and interviews that were recorded. Another method was observation, also whilst interviewing, which gave me a lot of useful information. Photographing some important observations will help to explain some important aspects of this case. Later on the collected interviews, observations and photographs will be further investigated by coding. The codes that are most interesting will be categorised and connected to each other.11 10 interviews were held around 5 different areas in the lane. Mapping is a second method of investigation that will be presented in this paper. Every space that an interviewee mentions will be presented in little maps. This will be an important tool to keep an overview on the case but still safeguard each individual relationship with the Boudewijnlaan. Each of the 10 transcripts will be summarized and laid next to the little ‘destination’ map. By discussing each interview separately the individuality of each interviewee will be held save. As a last step the transcripts and maps will be categorised and connected to each other. These elements will help me to formulate a conclusion and discuss how not only I but also 10 other users of the space experience the Boudewijnlaan.
8 T’Kint, S (2008). De tweede stadsomwalling van Brussel [Brochure]. Retrieved January 3, 2018, from
http://erfgoed.brussels/links/digitale-publicaties/pdf-versies/de-weergangen/de-tweede-omwallingwandelgids 9 Solvel, F. (2014, March 21). Under Brussels, the Senne. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/under-brussels-the-senne 10 The Place Game: How we make the community the expert. (2016, June 14). Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://www.pps.org/article/place-game-community 11 Löfgren, K. (2013, May 19). Qualitative analysis of interview data: A step-by-step guide [Video file]. Retrieved December 13, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRL4PF2u9XA&list=PLr58U2LUKcGBS7d2vQbOTZ_Ue0YEZ1gS6&in dex=105
5
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
INTERVIEWS Area 1: Yser
Chantalle: Chantalle, asked me suspiciously what the purpose of this interview was. She lives in the residence HĂŠliport IV Building Block. Before I interviewed Chantalle, a girl asked me the route to Tour & Taxis, which she explained to the girl. Get up, go to work and return: That is how Chantalle describes a typical working day. She does not see this area as somewhere she could relax, meet or let alone sit. A lack of surveillance is one of the key issues for her. There is no sittable space except for the bus stop. I see that the raised plant beds that are planted by pollarded plane trees are not ideal to sit on (to high and overgrown by creeping bushes). Not only was their no surveillance but also for her there was no sense of community. People of foreign origin do seem to talk to each other but she felt excluded. She was robbed here in the middle of the day. She does explain that this corner is a place where people assemble before they go to Tour & Taxis. Green space The raised plant beds and other green space are purely decorative and seem to lack any function. The raised plant beds may be rarely used as a bench but because it is so overgrown by creeping bushes it is rather difficult. Because the raised plants beds are near parking space it seems also rather odd to sit here.
6
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Mireille: Mireille lives 15 minutes away from Brussels in a sub municipality and is scared here even at daytime. She was on her way to the AVA. She used to visit the petting zoo a lot with her kids but does not know if there still are animals inside. She was constantly watching the zoo and was excited when she eventually saw a sheep through the fence. Although at the start of the interview she says that she never comes here, she does say she comes here to shop. She mentions another place as a better alternative to meet people, sport or even to smoke a joint: the Park of the Basilique de Koekelberg.
Boekye: Boekye is an African refugee staying in Le Petit Château: a refugee centre. For Boekye this area is a passage to the North Station rather than a meeting place. People meet, talk and sit at the court of Le Petit Château. But what is interesting is that this passage concentrates his mind when he is at stress in his refugee centre. Everyone seems to be just getting alone with his or her own business.
7
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Area 2: Hoek (Corner) Mina: Mina works here and was in a hurry but I managed to ask some questions. What annoyed Mina about this street was the difficulty to cross over to the Antwerpsesteenweg and the lack of clarity between the bus and car lanes. People did not really met here in her opinion but rather at the Pharmacy Yser at the corner of the Antwerpse Steenweg and the Voorstadstraat. She also talked about how she is afraid to walk near the children’s playground ‘Harmonie’ at the corner of Harmoniestraat and Pijlstraat, where a group of young troublemakers join from 7 until 9 in the evening.
Wim: Wim works here and is smoking a cigarette in his break and is leaning against the inner wall of an open garage under his office. Wim mainly points out the fact that there is not enough housing in the street. For him this is the main reason people just pass by here and do not greet each other like in the Antwerpse Steenweg. Rarely he does sit on the benches in front of the Baudewijn Building.
8
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Bouchra & Habnane: Mother and daughter who were strolling with a baby in a buggy This pair of women sees this street as alternative route to the Antwerpselaan so they do not expose their children to the prostitutes who are present there in high numbers. When asked about their experience of the street they respond in a very negative way: it is unclean, unhealthy and certainly not comfortable. For them, in comparison with the Manhattan neighbourhood where they are heading, this place is nothing. Habnane, said “This neighbourhood is just pfieuw passing by like a sky-rocket”
Marie-Thérèse: Marie-Thérèse was an 80-year-old woman who comes from Ukkel by train and subway to attend senior conferences. Lives in Ukkel and only comes here for her weekly senior conventions. She only walks 50 meters here from the metro exit to the building. After asking several times she does mention that she does cross over the ring to head out to Rogier or the Boulevard de Brouckères by feet but only when it’s sunny. Interesting is that she also mentions that some people cross over the ring via the metro exits but for she prefers enjoying the daylight.
9
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Area 3: Antwerpse steenweg Mainak: Mainak was an Indian civil engineer that works here nearby. Like many others interviewees Mainak responds by offering me better alternatives for meeting people: The old city centre of Brussels, the Grand Place. He addresses that there is a big difference between ‘the other side’ (Antwerpselaan) and ‘this side’ (Boudewijnlaan). - This side is an office section that is not readable where people just pass by to go to the gym or to take the metro. There is not a lot of conversation and at night there are a lot of drunk people. - The other side is readable because there are a lot of signboards and there all the activities are centred. Mainak also mentions that near the port there is no greenery.
10
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Area 4: Antwerpse steenweg Déli Pierre Sandwicherie: A family owned sandwich bar that has seen the area change a lot the past 20 years and which is very popular among the people working here to grab a quick snack. An elderly lady was the boss of this establishment. The boss told me: ‘you can change the roadway, you can change the street but if you do not change the people than it stays always the same. I had three hold ups here, in the middle of the afternoon.’ Here I learn that the Diamant Bar at the corner of the Antwerpsepoort was once a fancy restaurant called ‘Champs Ellyssees’ which was a renowned Luxury tavern. Now the Diamant Bar and the Bar on the other side is open day and night and prostitutes walk in and out. Punjab Bar and other bars underwent the same faith. After some research mafia seems to buy a lot of local cafes and pubs to turn them in bars where clients and prostitutes can meet. 12
12 [Open letter written by the Comité of the Neighbourhood Alhambra intended for the commission of
Brussels] [Open Letter]. (2014, December 26). Retrieved December 23, 2017, from http://www.comitealhambra.be/index_htm_files/Concertation_loch_ness_comite.pdf
11
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Area 5: Baudewijngebouw Peter: Peter works for the Flemish Government in the Brussels Boudewijn Building. What is interesting is that whenever Peter meets with other people they meet in the Noordbuilding or the ‘Schans’. This construction is an indoor terrace under glass, which is filled with daylight. It functions as a cafeteria where colleagues can drink, eat and meet. The Noordbuilding is connected to three towers of the Flemish government via the desk, which works as a funnel. Also striking is that whenever Peter does meet colleagues out of the Building it is near the North Station because there are other Government Buildings of Flanders where he meets.
Augé mentions in his book Non-lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité that there will be no individualisation without identity checks.13 People who go to the gym or their jobs have member cards and only become an individual as soon as they cross the desk.
Nothing out of the ordinary you would think but when Peter told me the indoor hall and cafeteria are open for the public I was surprised. The place did not function as a public space but rather like a canteen in High School where the civil servants are the pupils. It reminded me of William H. Whyte who speaks off about Self Constructed Mega in the film The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. A public space that takes you away from the street, in this case literally with a moving staircase. You can spend the whole day in
13 Augé, M. (1992). Non-lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité. Paris : Seuil. 83 p. 12
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
the three buildings and its covered terrace without ever having to make contact with people on street level. This can be seen as a brutal rejection of the street. 14
But although it is a huge space which could bring together a lot of people it is not used as one. Peter does mention that there were efforts to involve more outsiders and attract more visitors by holding some Art expositions. But very few of these events took place. The building functions as a capsule that is part of a series of capsules (the other building of the Flemish Government) for the civil servants of the Flemish Government. 15
In ‘Heterotopia and the City’ Protected Public Place is mentioned for similar places. The only difference is that here almost no public comes over. 16
CONCLUSION What is the most remarkable about the interviews is that whenever I asked questions about this avenue, interviewees had the tendency to talk about other places. They started comparing the lane with other places or they explained why other destinations were such great places to go to. These places they talk off are their destinations, places that have great value to them or places they avoid. They rather walk here than some places where it is even worse. Odd because those spaces these pedestrians avoid are considered places in a sense. They relate to those areas because there are elements that they recognize. The very fact that they purposely avoid those spaces is proving that those places exist. 14 H. Whyte, W. (1988). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces [Video file]. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from https://archive.org/details/SmallUrbanSpaces 15 De Cauter, L. (2004). De capsulaire beschaving. Over de stad in het tijdperk van de angst. Brussel, 208 p. 16 Dehaene, M. and De Cauter, L. (eds.) (2008). Heterotopia and the City, London and New York: Routledge. 117 p.
13
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Is it hard to talk about this space because there is not a lot to talk about? The mirror in Foucault’s analysis of Manet’s painting Les Mots et les choses is an attempt to clarify the active role of the spectator, the story the subject tells of itself, a play of reverberating illusions and ‘othering’. Foucault describes three types of spaces: the nonplace of utopias, heterotopias that are counter-spaces and finally the mirror. This mirror is a virtual space, or non-place, where I see my image reflected there where I am not, yet my gaze in this mirror is directed back at myself. Thus I turn from this reflected image of myself to reconstitute myself where I am in the likeness I perceive in the mirror. 17 Dans le miroir, je me vois là où je ne suis pas, dans un espace irréel qui s'ouvre virtuellement derrière la surface, je suis là-bas, là où je ne suis pas, une sorte d'ombre qui me donne à moi-même ma 18 propre visibilité, qui me permet de me regarder là où je suis absent - utopie du miroir.
A Non-Place is space between places; a space between destinations. People passing by here do not feel related to this space. People do seem to find the freedom to reflect about their own problems. For a brief moment they are released of all the pleasures and burdens that places bring forth. The Escapism of the times we live in The issues of the destinations these pedestrians are heading and even more global issues maybe seem easier to explain in these empty zones. The lacking of vital elements of a place we relate to, offers an emptiness that works like a clear sheet. When people rarely do talk about what is bothering them in the Boudewijnlaan. They mention the elements that are lacking. It is not safe, not peaceful and not sociable; it lacks all the elements that their destinations do seem to have. 19
For some people these empty spaces work therapeutically because here they can just be anonymous for a while. For Boekye who is a sans-papier this was certainly the case. Maybe non-residents feel liberated in non-places like the Boudewijnlaan. The places they have to attend to, faces them with the rather sad fact that they have no identity because they do not have the legal documents to become a citizen. At least in these non-places no one seems to have an identity. 20
Non-places on the other hand bring forth a feeling of solitude. It is space where we do not feel connected to the environment that is surrounding us. Even for people who work in this lane it seems difficult to explain their relationship with the space. Interesting in this study area is that the public lane is brutally cut off the inside of the buildings. There seems not only lack of pleasant public space but also of space in between the private and public. The private zones seem to reject the public lane and are 17 Dehaene, M. and De Cauter, L. (eds.) (2008). Heterotopia and the City, London and New York: Routledge.
63 p. 18 Foucault, M. (1984). [1967] ‘Des espaces autre’ [Of other spaces], Architecture, Mouvement, Continuité, (5): pp.46-49. 19 Dealing with non-place in exploitation, belonging and drifting (2003). Retrieved January 10, from http://arkitekturforskning.net/na/article/view/275Nordisk arkitekturforskning 70 p. 20 Unregularized immigrant
14
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
physically cut off. The Boudewijngebouw however is public but the place does not function as one. At the Basic-Fit gym it is very clear that there is a separation between the Basic-Fit members and the others. Of course this phenomenon is logical because they do not want trespassers using their facilities without paying. But why does this separation have to be so brutal? I remember when we used to go swim in high school there was a huge cafeteria for the non-users which even overlooked the swimming pool and its users. Individuality is something, which people only sense when I ask their name or when they check in their work or gym. Otherwise they float in an aura of anonymity.
References Books:
•
Augé, M. (1992). Non-lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité. Paris : Seuil. Auge, M. (1995) Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London: Verso De Cauter, L. (2004) De capsulaire beschaving. Over de stad in het tijdperk van de angst. Brussel, 208 p. Dehaene, M. and De Cauter, L. (eds.) (2008a) Heterotopia and the City, London and New York: Routledge. Foucault, M. (1984) [1967] ‘Des espaces autre’ [Of other spaces], Architecture, Mouvement, Continuité, (5): 46-49. Graham, S. (2004). Cybercities Reader. London: Routledge
•
Smithsons, P. (1967). Quoted in Cauter, Lieven de, De Capsulaire beschaving, NAi Uitgevers,
•
Rotterdam, 2004, 67 p. Stad Brussel. Binnenstad. Liège. Pierre Mardaga, 1989/1993/1994 (Bouwen door de eeuwen heen in Brussel)
• • • • •
15
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places
Other:
•
[Open letter written by the Comité of the Neighbourhood Alhambra intended for the commission of Brussels] [Open Letter]. (2014, December 26). Retrieved December 23, 2017, from http://www.comitealhambra.be/index_htm_files/Concertation_loch_ness_comite.pdf
•
Dealing with non-place in exploitation, belonging and drifting (2003). Retrieved January 10, from http://arkitekturforskning.net/na/article/view/275Nordisk arkitekturforskning pp. 70 H. Whyte, W. (1988). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces [Video file]. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from https://archive.org/details/SmallUrbanSpaces
• •
• • •
Löfgren, K. (2013, May 19). Qualitative analysis of interview data: A step-by-step guide [Video file]. Retrieved December 13, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRL4PF2u9XA&list=PLr58U2LUKcGBS7d2vQbOTZ_Ue0YEZ 1gS6&index=105 Solvel, F. (2014, March 21). Under Brussels, the Senne. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/under-brussels-the-senne T’Kint, S (2008). De tweede stadsomwalling van Brussel [Brochure]. Retrieved January 3, 2018, from http://erfgoed.brussels/links/digitale-publicaties/pdf-versies/de-weergangen/de-tweedeomwalling-wandelgids The Place Game: How we make the community the expert. (2016, June 14). Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://www.pps.org/article/place-game-community
16
Boudewijnlaan: Non-Place. Space near places