When industries leave the city, they leave behind abandoned sites, devastated neighbourhoods and cracks in the urban fabric that take decades to heal. Gradually, life takes on a new momentum — cultural, social and ecological: buildings are temporarily occupied by artists and collectives, while wastelands are reclaimed by nature and marshes.
This life, at first marginal and barely visible, becomes increasingly noticeable. Yet many of these spaces disappear again with redevelopment projects. Former industrial sites are bought up to make way for housing and more profitable schemes. This walk explores two nearby sites that still survive: the Biestebroeck marsh and the Atlas brewery. Different in form and content, they nevertheless raise similar questions about the past, present and future of the city.