Urban facelift to beautify Brussels

A French architect has won the right to revamp the European Quarter of Brussels, often denounced as a concrete ghetto.

Christian de Portzamparc’s design plans promise more green spaces, with fewer but much taller buildings and a tramline. It intends to do away with the domination of office spaces and grinding traffic along the district’s main artery, La Rue de la Loi. The European Commission buildings that line the street will be more pleasing to the eye and give a positive image to the area, according to the Commission’s vice president, Siim Kallas. The project will take at least 15 years to complete in order to minimise disruption to the Commission’s work. There is no word yet on the cost.More about: European Union

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