Master Plan of the Seraing Valley

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Last modified by the author on 15/06/2016 - 17:00

Urban reconversion

  • Address 1 - street : 4100 SERAING, Belgique

  • Gross density : 57.41 logt/ha
  • Population : 15 500 hab
  • Starting year of the project : 2006
  • Delivery year of the project : 2016
  • Key words : urban regeneration, brownfield

Certifications :


  • 800 ha

In the search for a new economic equilibrium based on a conversion of its steel business, Seraing has launched over 10 years in an overall reflection process of redevelopment and urban renewal.

A planning study led by Reichen & Robert Office, Urban Grand Prix 2005 will give birth to the Seraing Valley Master Plan that redraws a perimeter of 800 hectares in the short, medium and long term.

The Master Plan proposes a series of urban intent, articulated around invariants (river greenways and urban boulevard) and comes in a comprehensive development plan, a mobility plan and a plan of green areas, which areas priority interventions were then defined.

Its objective is to rebuild a post-industrial city attractive, based on the need to create new economic centers and ensure intelligent conversion of old abandoned industrial sites.

It ensures consistency and harmonization requalification actions and the concentration of resources and is a real negotiating tool against the industry that disengages as facing private developers. It provides a tool for discussion with neighboring entities, but also an aid to strategic decision for the leaders of the territory.

Through the implementation of its Master Plan, the strategy of the City of Seraing is to be the first investor in the territory in order to create optimal conditions for generating thereafter profitable private investment.

The Master Plan includes further development of a cultural center as leverage for economic development and attractiveness.

In its long-term strategy approach to quality of life and attractiveness of the territory, Seraing goes further with the implementation of various sustainable development initiatives that support the actions of the Master Plan:

  • The operation Bilan Carbone, awarded the prize for the most sustainable municipality in Energy and Environment Awards 2010.
  • ZECOS the project to the search for better energy efficiency in buildings, the use of clean energy and the promotion of soft mobility.
  • The subscription to the Convention of Mayors
  • The adoption of Agenda 21
  • The REMOURBAN H2020, energy, mobility, ICT

Today, in 2016, Seraing, strong a strong future project and undisputed attires but also public funding and private partners acquired his side, saw the first concrete results of the colossal work, he initiated 10 years ago.

Including an impressive transformation of its downtown reinforced a public space completely refurbished, new offices, housing, shops, green spaces and pedestrian areas. But also the creation of an urban boulevard crossing the valley, true structuring axis, promoting economic restructuring and fingering different projects along its route.

The second phase of intervention provided for in the Master Plan is now underway. The City, with prospects of growing, is preparing to increase its population and the presence of companies purveyors of jobs on its territory.

Programme

  • Housing
  • Offices
  • Businesses and services
  • Public facilities and infrastructure
  • Public spaces
  • Green spaces

Project progress

  • Management phase
  • Operational phase

Key points

  • Governance
  • Quality of life
  • Economic development

Approaches used

  • Agenda 21
  • Others

Certifications

  • Autre

Data reliability

3rd part certified

Type of territory

Spatial Seraing territory, its socio-economic operation and image were dictated for nearly two centuries only by the needs of industry.

Following the implementation in 1817 of the first Cockerill factories, the city will know an industrial, economic, demographic and urban runaway with the consequences: a landscape dedicated to the plant (blast furnace, coke oven, industrial and other railways fluids and materials pipes), a sprawl of housing, development of services related to the steel industry, a communication network implemented without great rigor, etc. The identity and the face of Seraing are so confused is with its fabulous industrial past, and in particular steel, which earned him to wear for very many years the nickname "Iron City".

Following the successive crises in the steel sector, and despite 4 large mergers and takeovers, to the formation in 2001 of Arcelor, new world number one in the sector, and in 2008 of ArcelorMittal, the Seraing industry does not return to competitiveness. The need to create new economic centers and ensure intelligent conversion of former industrial sites abandoned and heavily polluted becomes a priority for city leaders.

In 2001, a socio-economic analysis of the territory will be achieved. This work will highlight a series of data: an unemployment rate of 23%; economic activities (40%) related to one metal sector; 20% of social housing; a dilapidated housing; the lower part of the city focusing particularly high unemployment rate (31%), 46% of people receiving the minimum wage, 50% of housing in precarious comfort, many isolated and unemployed, etc.

Following this diagnosis, and following the announcement by Arcelor in late 2003, a gradual closure of the hot phase in Liège (2 blast furnaces and a coke plant in Seraing), a perimeter of priority intervention will be defined among the 3,600 ha of Seraing: the Seraing valley, 800 ha particularly precarious, located along the Meuse, including 130 ha of future brownfield, a dilapidated housing, areas of economic and social decline and a network exceeded mobility. The urban development of this scope has been driven over the centuries by the industry and therefore is not at all suitable. The city authorities have therefore decided to concentrate all conversion efforts so that gradually the industrial valley finds attractive scenery and a good quality of life.

Seraing then attaches a series of objectives and continues the expertise of its territory to launch in 2004 of a European tender in order to initiate an urban study of the Seraing valley. A Franco-Belgian consortium of several specialized skills gets the market headed by the French architect and urban planner Bernard Reichen (Grand Planning Awards 2005)

All operations, on a scale never before seen in Belgium, will give in 2005 the Master Plan of the Seraing Valley that redraws the whole of the Seraing Valley (800 hectares) in the long term and proposes a series of urban intent articulated about invariants (river greenways and urban boulevard) and comes in a comprehensive development plan, a mobility plan and a plan of green areas. Of priority intervention areas were then defined it: the center of town entrance, the redevelopment of an area of ​​8 hectares consisting of old industrial buildings and a park on a river and creating a boulevard urban crossing from east to west valley.

Climate zone

[Cfc] Marine Cool Winter & summer- Mild with no dry season.

More info

 http://www.eriges.be

Detail of subsidies

ERDF 2007-2013 ERDF 2014-2020 Wallonia Province de Liege Liege Europe Métropole Urban Policy

Project holder

    Seraing

    City

    Owner

Project stakeholders

    rear RCA

    Other

    Legal validation, estimation of costs, research grants, research partners, obtaining financing and authorization required, public procurement, consultation of residents, urban and territorial coherence under the Master Plan, information and communication, monitoring sites, etc. .


Quality of life / density

The main objective of the Master Plan Seraing is to rebuild a post-industrial city attractive, creative new jobs and generating a better living environment for residents, workers and land users.

To do this, the city has exceptionally well located land available and following the departure of former steel activities.

The priority of the Master Plan was to reconstruct a recognizable and qualitative downtown. In 10 years the neighborhood has undergone a complete transformation and upgrading.

In 2008 the construction of a new Administrative Centre, the first and largest (6.345 m²) passive public building in Wallonia was the first step toward the redeployment of the entire city and its economic and social revival.

This building is located on a public space completely refurbished including 15,000 m² of pedestrian space, green areas, parks, water areas, integrated street furniture at all.

The main artery has been a complete transformation from single road wide boulevard incorporating broad sidewalks, bike paths and green areas. The Néocitta complex took place along this artery, including housing, offices and commercial ground, An urban park of 6,000 m² adorns everything. Facing Néocitta, a former industrial site of 18,000 m² is, meanwhile, in the process of remediation in order to implement a project dedicated to food in former industrial halls and in a second phase an area of ​​8,900 m² will be available for a real estate project.

This impressive transformation of downtown has the effect of attracting private investors and new businesses source of jobs in the territory.

Culture and heritage

For the recovery of old industrial sites and buildings and their conversion, Seraing wants to highlight its industrial architectural heritage of quality and within a sustainable development logic, the soil is essentially a non-renewable resource that should save.

The Master Plan provides for the redevelopment and upgrading of several former industrial sites:

  • 18,000 halls in the heart of the new city center, participating in its social and economic revitalization through the creation of a center dedicated to food
  • 4 ha of industrial halls connected to a 4 ha park on a river, for the implementation of a project for cultural and event orientation and revitalization of an entire neighborhood
  • requalification of 130 ha site of glassworks of Val-Saint-Lambert through the implementation of Cristal Park project including shops, leisure, tourism, business and housing

By choosing maintains and renovation of old buildings the city wants to maintain and enhance the traces of its rich industrial past. Each project reflects the heritage of the site by the maintenance of existing structures and the use of materials from the former activities: cast iron, corten steel, etc.

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Author of the page

Bénédicte Borckmans

Communication Manager


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