Built around the route of the Chaussée d’Anvers/Antwerpsesteenweg and bordered by Brussels’ old port facilities as well as the initial incarnation of Bruxelles-Nord/Brussel-Noord station, the Northern Quarter was originally a prosperous neighbourhood with a rich and varied industrial and commercial heritage. The work on the North-South connection in the 1930s saw this area facing ‘amputation’ for the first time as it was cut off from the lower parts of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode/Sint-Joost-ten-Node and Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek. In the 1950s, the construction of the viaduct over Boulevard d’Anvers/Antwerpselaan completed its isolation and led to an exodus of its residents. At that time the Northern Quarter’s travails served as a pretext for the public authorities to completely get rid of the historic buildings and drive out those living there so that a ‘modern’ business district could be built around the new Bruxelles-Nord/Brussel-Noord station.
Today, the towers of the Manhattan business district are ageing, and the question of their major renovation is reigniting the tensions that run through this neighbourhood. Despite the resounding failure of this ‘vertical city’ model, private developers, with the approval of the authorities, continue to plan new towers. ARAU (Atelier de Recherche et d’Action Urbaines) will take you on an original tour that puts the urban history of this district into perspective in order to better understand the issues at stake.