Large-scale public spaces help to define the atmosphere of a city but the everyday spaces – the streets, squares and junctions in neighbourhoods – contribute just as much, if not more, to the quality of life of residents. In Brussels, the Region and the municipalities are redeveloping these areas using a standardized approach. In some cases, however, experimentation is possible.

One of the main tasks of the Brussels Bouwmeester Maître Architecte (BMA) is to ensure a vibrant urban life. This naturally involves well-thought-out architectural projects, but public spaces are no less crucial to the quality of life of the city’s residents. Over the last decade, the BMA has supported large-scale projects in the public space, among which the redevelopment of Rond-point Robert Schuman in the European Quarter, but also Square Sainctelette and the park at the Porte de Ninove, both projects straddling the Pentagon and the canal. For these three flagship projects, the project leaders – Brussels Mobility, Brussels Environment and Beliris – organized special design competitions, supported by the BMA, in order to generate proposals that best address the specific challenges of each site. The BMA considers the competition the appropriate tool for these vast projects as it enables essential values such as justice, inclusion, transparency and care for our shared space to be carried out at the heart of the city.