Op 27 november 2015 organiseerde de VRP naar jaarlijkse gewoonte de Werelddag van de Stedenbouw. Dit jaar stond het congres in het teken van ruimte en economie met als titel 'It's the economy, darling'. Ruim 200 deelnemers woonden in de Budafabriek in Kortrijk tal van lezingen, workshops en terreinbezoeken bij die waren onderverdeeld in vier subthema's: 'Ruimtelijke verweving van economie en andere functies', 'Duurzame ruimte voor ondernemen', 'Retail en ruimte' en 'Incubatoren, spillovers & the next economy'.

1. Urban Enterprise Zones and the
Brussels Zone of Economic Expansion
in the City
Brussels’ policy instruments and strategies for mixed-use development
in a European context
Sarah De Boeck, David Bassens, Michael Ryckewaert

2. What are UEZs?

3. Research questions

4. Methodology
Comparative Analysis
ZFU Roubaix ZEEC Brussels
…

5. Theoretical framework: UEZs as
fragmented and splintered space?
« Tout bien rangé » Armelle Caron
Anagramme graphique de plan de ville de Montpellier
« Fragmented anxiety » Andy Harwood
« ZEUS and other zones in GPDO »
Brussels Capital Region

6. Comparative
analysis
ZFU Roubaix ZEEC Brussels
Objective Job creation for residents of the zone.
Attracting economic activity as leverage
of city renewal.
Job creation for residents of the zone.
Attracting economic activity as leverage
of city renewal.
Actors The central government allots zones
based on criteria of ‘deprivation’ and a
system of auction.
The Brussels regional government allots
zones based of criteria of ‘deprivation’.
Authority of the regional administration
Brussels Economy & Employment (BEE).
Zoning allocation criteria 5 criteria:
 > 10.000 residents.
 Unemployment of 25% lower
than the national average.
 The share of youngsters <25
years is higher than 36%.
 The share of youngsters >15
years without qualifications is
higher than the national average
of 29%.
 A local tax potential lower than
3.800FF per resident.
3 criteria, of which the average has to
be lower than the average of the BCR:
 Unemployment.
 The share of unemployed people
with the profile of worker.
 Income per tax return.
Location 1 of the 44 ‘Quartiers en difficultés’
spread over France, and part of the
metropolitan region of Euralille.
Roubaix is the only ZFU that is located in
the city center.
1 Zone of ‘deprivation’, located on both
banks of the canal Brussels-Charleroi,
from Vorst to just past the site of Tour
& Taxi (see figure 1 & 2 below).
Size 525ha. Estimation between 550ha and 650ha.
[1

7. Post-industrial tissue of Canal Zone Bxl
Zone of Economic Expansion of the City
(ZEEC)
Aerial photograph of a part of the ZEEC
Source: GPDO 2014, Observatbru.be
Source: Bingmaps

8. Post-industrial tissue of Roubaix
Zone Franche Urbaine 1 (ZFU) Aerial photograph of a part of the ZFU
Source: Ville Roubaix, Wiki France (Eric Gaba),
Picavet-Assainissement.fr
Source: Bingmaps

9. UEZs as an economic regeneration
strategy of ‘deprived areas’
Agglomeration of Lille Brussels Capital Region
Source: INSEE France Source: Wijkmonitor Brussel

10. Effects of UEZs?

11. Circumstances that enhance the
succeeding of UEZs?

12. Conclusions

13. Thank you for your attention!
Further information:
 www.cosmopolis.be – see Research ‘BMiX, Working and
Living in the Brussels Metropolitan Area’
 sarah.de.boeck@vub.ac.be