For a long time, the Nieuwstraat in Brussels was a paragon of monofunctionality, with vacancy above the many clothes shops. The country’s most famous shopping street lost its connection with the city. Following several ideas competitions, BUUR Part of Sweco drew up a master plan in 2014 and then also designed the public space. That redevelopment set in motion the neighbourhood’s renewal.

In the master plan, Nieuwstraat acts as a lever for the redevelopment of the neighbourhood, and it is precisely because of this revival that it can fully assume its role as the backbone of the city’s commercial centre. BUUR has attached great importance to the side streets and their intersections with Nieuwstraat. The properties located at these points are often unattractive because economically uninteresting. And yet their location makes them visible from different directions. They are interesting locations for new typologies that combine living and working.