Quartier ConneXion 

Gevangenissen van Vorst en Sint-Gillis: van een afgesloten site naar een open stadswijk die mensen samenbrengt 

Today, the prisons of Saint-Gilles and Forest are two closed 'districts' of 6.5 hectares (more than 10 football pitches) in the middle of our city. Vooruit.brussels wants to turn them into a new, open urban neighbourhood. A place where Brussels residents come together to create and relax and, in the future, to live and study.

The Forest prison is already empty today and the Saint-Gilles prison will soon be empty too. So, for Vooruit.brussels, there is no time to lose. The site needs new functions as soon as possible. 

By literally breaking open the closed sites on both sides of the Rue de la Connection, we are creating a new neighbourhood that will actually connect people. Welcome to Quartier ConneXion.  

In the short term

Standing still means going backwards. For Vooruit.brussels, the Forest prison, already empty today, needs new, temporary uses as soon as possible.
And when the last prisoners have left the Saint-Gilles prison, this site should also be opened to the neighbourhood as soon as possible. 

Vooruit.brussels wants to use the enormous potential of the sites to turn them into a vibrant, creative, active, and green part of the city that brings people together. And that way, we also avoid the buildings remaining empty for a long time, which could result in an urban cancer. 

By focusing on temporary use, we quickly create space to relax and play sports, we offer space to the many Brussels artists who currently have difficulty finding studio space and we lay the foundations for a new city park. 

In this way, we also discover what is needed and what works in this strategic location and can thoroughly prepare the long-term strategy of this new part of town.  

1. CREATIVITY 

Brussels is one of the world's artistic hotspots and we are rightly proud of that. Historically, and to this day, Saint-Gilles and Forest have had a great attraction for artists. 

There is no shortage of presentation venues in Brussels, but there is a growing need for creative spaces. Available spaces are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. Artists find it more and more difficult to find a suitable studio space and their financial means are limited.

De typologie van de gevangenis is ideaal om kunstenaarsateliers in te richten. Muzikanten en bands kunnen er terecht om te repeteren in de repetitieruimtes en de grote theaterzaal van de gevangenis van Vorst krijgt een nieuw leven als concertzaal.
De site leent zich ook uitstekend om een absolute street art hotspot te worden. In bepaalde delen van de gebouwen kunnen streetartists hun creativiteit volledig de vrije loop laten.  
Vooruit.brussels ziet Quartier ConneXion ook als ideale locatie om artistiek werk te tonen aan het grote publiek en performances en expo’s te organiseren.
We voorzien ook een openluchttheater voor openluchtvoorstellingen, film screenings en optredens.

"If we want to continue building Brussels as an international arts city, we should not only focus on presentation venues, but also on qualitative and affordable workspaces for creators in this city. There is more need for that today than ever!" Hilde Peeters (Vooruit.brussels) 

2. SPORT 

Sports bring people together. Vooruit.brussels wants to make Quartier ConneXion an attractive place for sporty Brussels residents. A place where young and not so young can unwind. We are planning numerous indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

Quartier ConneXion transforms the prisons into a sports paradise for dancing, skating, climbing, basketball, (beach) volleyball, jogging ... and there are plenty of walls to bash against. 

3. PARCK X 

For Vooruit.brussels, 'Quartier ConneXion' will be a new beating heart for St-Gillis and Forest. A connecting place where people can meet, unwind, enjoy themselves.

De grote open ruimtes rondom de gevangenisgebouwen vormen we om tot een groot  park, PARCK X, dat de omliggende wijken met elkaar verbindt.
PARCK X wordt een gemeenschappelijke tuin van de Brusselaars. 

In PARCK X we plant lots of trees and plants, which will literally and figuratively give oxygen to the city. There will be plenty of opportunities to play and relax. The sports infrastructure and the open-air theatre mentioned above will be nicely integrated into the park.

Blikvanger van PARCK X wordt de nieuwe stadsboerderij met vijver. Een plaats waar Brusselaars, die meestal geen eigen tuin hebben, zelf mee aan de slag kunnen. De stadsboerderij voorziet ruimte voor pluktuinen en voor hedendaagse volkstuintjes om fruit en groenten te kweken. 
In de nieuwe stadsboerderij grazen schapen en scharrelen kippen. En één van de ronde buitenruimtes transformeren we in een wilde vijver waar fauna en flora hun gang kunnen gaan. De werking van de boerderij gebeurt in samenwerking met de gedetineerden van het nieuwe detentiecentrum Berkendael. 

By opening up the two existing gardens of the former director's houses, they will form the link between the new urban district and Ducpétiaux Avenue.
Residents and visitors will be able to park in the prison staff car park, allowing us to make Antoine Delporte Square a real forecourt of Quartier ConneXion.

On the other side too, we literally open up the prison walls. This will create a new urban square in the middle of the Boulevard de la Connection, called Connexion Square. 

4. GENERATION Z IN QUARTIER X 

For Vooruit.brussels, 'Quartier ConneXion' will be a place where young Brussels residents can flourish. The site is not only an excellent play and sports area, but it can also become the home of young people and youth movements from the neighbourhood, finally giving them their own premises and a new youth centre.

Ook voor jonge ondernemers wordt ‘Quartier ConneXion’ the place to be. Veel jonge Brusselaars hebben geniale ideeën maar ze missen vaak het duwtje in de rug en plaats om ze te realiseren. Vooruit.brussels wil van ‘Quartier ConneXion’ een stek maken waar jonge mensen die ideeën ook effectief kunnen waarmaken.
Droom je al lang van je eigen fotostudio, tech startup, koffiebranderij, horecazaak,…? In ‘Quartier ConneXion’ kan je die droom waarmaken.  

In longer term 

‘Quartier ConneXion’ zien we niet enkel als een tijdelijke invulling van deze site vol potentieel, we zien het vooral ook als een test om te kijken hoe we deze zone op langere termijn kunnen transformeren in een nieuwe duurzame stadswijk.
Een invulling die, doorheen de tijd en samen met de buurt, vorm zal krijgen.  

Together with the 4 'temporary' functions we explained above, Vooruit.brussels emphasises housing, leisure, and education in the final reconversion of the prison sites. In addition, for Vooruit.brussels, the reintegration of inmates serving short sentences (maximum 3 years) must also be included in the development of the future of the site. The inmates housed at the Berkendael detention centre can be actively involved in activities at the site (such as the farm, adult education, artistic projects, sports activities, etc.). We also want to explore the possibility of creating a new detention house (for 50 people at the most) on the site.

A new residential district for people who keep our city going 

Vooruit.brussels wants to provide different housing types in the final transformation of the prisons, for a diverse and mixed public. In particular, we are targeting 'Key Workers' housing. This is inspired by a London concept where affordable housing is offered first to people who have essential professions in our city, such as nurses, health staff, childcare workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters, ...

A district that encourages young people to learn more 

For Vooruit.brussels, strong education is the basis for a strong future. We therefore see the final transformation of the prisons as an excellent opportunity to create a large new educational campus, with a nursery, primary and secondary school. A place where young Brussels residents are encouraged to learn.

Interesting examples 

Both in Belgium and abroad there are plenty of examples of how large unused sites were transformed into vibrant city districts with different functions. An overview: