Studio Associato Bernardo Secchi Paola Viganò

Architecture | Urbanism | Landscape

studio

Liège is changing , from and in response to the decline and eventual disappearance of the industry in the mining area. One problem is the apparent lack of attractiveness and another one the degradation of the city center. This has led to a polarization of the urban fabric between rich and poor where workers are still not integrated or interact with the rest of the city. The topography of the valley of the Meuse reinforces the fragmentation of the urban fabric, but also represents a strength of this territory.
These elements led us to the definition of  four different urban models, or simply four types of cities:
1. The dense city: old and compact, localized between the Meuse river and the hills.
2. The mining city: the mining landscape on the hillside which consists on mining housing tissues andf abandoned mining activities sites and heaps.
3. The steel city: the landscape of the industrial valley that has played a leading role and is now the place where  major changes might come. Industries are mainly located along the Meuse river, which implies an enormous potential for the valley.
4. The emerging city (or the 'edge city'): the contemporary city, on the plateau developed a long road and transport infrastructures and large objects agglomerations: university, business parks, shopping centers, etc.
The first objective was to assess the implementation of the tram and the structured and sustainable development regarding these four types of cities in Liege. This was a great opportunity to be able to reflect on the future of a territory based on the installation of a public transport infrastructure through its various social and urban morphologies.