by Elliott Papazahariakis and Francesca Massa
Amongst the many words that come to mind when thinking
about European cities, one of them is certainly concrete. The ground on which we walk, the walls that surround us,
and much of the built environment are characterised by this versatile and
familiar material. Regardless of aesthetic preferences, the effects of extreme
urbanisation and mineralisation on humans’ physical and mental health have been
extensively studied (D’Acci, 2020). Depression, fatigue, feelings of unease and
disconnection from and within our surroundings
are just some of the consequences experienced by city dwellers. Beyond this,
research on the effects of climate change highlights the link between
mineralised environments and rising
temperatures and biodiversity loss in cities.
As we got acquainted with this subject,
it became impossible to ignore the unjustified
presence of concrete in cities.
Walking around Brussels,
we found ourselves
imagining a city in
which other alternatives were
possible, where citizens have the knowledge and the tools to reclaim public
space to make it greener, livelier, and more inclusive... And what if we told
you that we have found an organisation that is making these apparently utopian
thoughts a reality? In what follows, we will introduce you to Less Béton, a non-profit organisation that is greening the
city in a participatory and socially just manner.
In 2020, after ten years working
across Brussels’ non-profit sector, Laetitia Cloosterman founded Less Béton. Motivated by her environmental consciousness and a desire
to take an active role in the transformation of
the city she was born and raised in, Laetitia set out to develop her own
non-profit organisation. Her goal to reclaim
public space, however,
was not individual. On the
contrary, it was driven by the necessity to share this experience with other
citizens to create a common emancipatory platform. This is how she began to
develop numerous projects of demineralisation (or unsealing) and re-vegetation
of public space, together with the support and collaboration of local
organisations such as Heroes for Zero and
the Université Populaire d’Anderlecht.
The team only expanded in the summer of 2022
when Michèle Schor, a landscape architect with decades of experience in the
Commune of Schaerbeek, joined. The determination of this small team is exactly
what inspired us to dive deeper into their mission and vision
for the future.
(Source: Less Béton ASBL Instagram page,
2022. Rue de Bosnie project)
So, what does Less Béton actually do? They listen to citizens’ desires for their
neighbourhoods, create plans to collectively re-design public space, request
permits and funding, and when this is successful, they demineralise and re-vegetate streetscapes. In this way, they
act as an independent intermediary between citizens and the communes
they live in. Throughout the
entire process, Less Béton adopts a
holistic approach, in which demineralisation benefits the urban ecosystem at
multiple levels simultaneously, both for humans and non-humans alike. Below, we
look at how their small-scale projects tackle climate change, mitigating urban
heat, promoting biodiversity and fostering community.
As climate change intensifies and temperatures rise, cities are increasingly at risk of extreme
heat stress. Their rapid development has resulted in a material imbalance
between natural and built structures, which possess different heat retention
and water permeability properties. On
an urban scale, this can translate to significant temperature differences
between the built environment and the natural
environment that surrounds
it. This difference is known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect (Phelan
et al 2015).
As shown in the map below, the most densely urbanised
areas of Brussels experience the highest temperatures, meaning
that the consequences of urban heat islands are not felt
equally, but are concentrated in areas marked by inequality. In Brussels, these
belong to the croissant
pauvre (poor croissant), in which high density and low green and blue infrastructure provision converge.
Responding to this, the first projects have been located in highly mineralised communes such as
Anderlecht (in Square Pequeur) and Saint Gilles, (in Rue de Bosnie).
(Source: Bruxelles Environnement, (n.d.). Cartography of
freshness oasis in the Brussels Capital Region)
By removing concrete, the overall heat retention
capacity of urban spaces is lowered and, consequently, overall temperatures may
be reduced, especially during periods of extreme heat. Furthermore, through
re-vegetation, Less Béton also
enhances integrated rainwater management strategies in public space. By doing
so, water is absorbed by plants and soil, and eventually into the water table below ground.
Long term, this improves thermoregulation of streetscapes, fosters
drought resistance, and reduces the risk of flooding.
(Source: Less
Béton ASBL Instagram page, 2022. Integrated Rainwater management (GIEP). From
the left Square Pequeur project and Place des Heros project)
Beyond this, the project also fosters the creation of
spaces for more-than-humans in cities, supporting biodiversity. When concrete
is replaced by soil and new vegetation is planted, we open up spaces in which animals,
insects, and other forms of non-human life can flourish. Following Ikin et al
(2015), increasing green spaces is one of the key ways to support
biodiversity-sensitive cities. As part of Less
Béton, one of Michèle’s main duties is to select plants that can adapt to
the increased heat and dry period in Brussels, as well as to the nutritional
and dwelling necessities of local fauna. As shown in the images below, the
organisation also uses organic materials to create shelters for non-humans against
adverse weather, pollution and traffic. This consideration of the
non-human in urban design is especially innovative, exploring human and
non-human relationships on a practical level,
and reinforcing the positive relationship between increased biodiversity
and human health (Taylor & Hochuli, 2015).
(Source: Less Béton ASBL Facebook page, 2022. Square Pequeur project)
Finally, weaving this all together, Less Béton is founded on collaboration. Each intervention they
launch is guided by local communities who are involved from a project’s initial
design through to its execution. By working together, participants learn about
the flora and fauna that inhabit Brussels and the everyday risks of climate
change. In doing so, they share knowledge of their neighbourhood’s
peculiarities, and thus play a necessary role in the redesign of the public
space they will experience first-hand. By practising inclusive urbanism in
this way, social ties across neighbourhoods are strengthened in the name of
environmental justice. The pedagogical aspect of this work is particularly
evident in Less Béton’s latest intervention in Saint Gilles. Together with
students from Ulenspiegel School, they redesigned the square in front of the
school entrance (Place des Heros)
within the framework of the urban renovation regional plan Contrat d’Ecole. Their role as intermediaries
gave depth to the regional plan, introducing a participatory approach that brought
a new vibrancy to the square and its surroundings.
(Source: Less Béton ASBL Facebook page, 2022. Place
des Heros project)
For now, this is only the beginning. While Less Béton’s projects predominantly take place on a neighbourhood scale, there is a
wider, more serious, even philosophical goal at play here.
As Michèle underscored in our conversation with her, “Our aim is to
demineralise the consciousness of people.” Framed this way, the act of removing
concrete from the streets and replacing it with soil becomes something far more
profound. It gestures towards an urban future in which concrete
is dislodged from its pedestal,
citizens participate in city-making, and nature flourishes.
Their work not only envisions, but works towards cooler streets, and warmer
communities. Less Béton shows us that
another city is possible.
References
Brussels Environment. (n.d.). Cartographie des îlots de
fraîcheur dans la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
https://environnement.brussels/sites/default/files/ilots_de_fraicheur_ensemble.pdf
D’Acci, L. S. (2020). Urbanicity mental costs valuation: a review and urban-societal planning consideration. Mind &
Society, 19(2), 223-235.
Ikin, K., Le Roux, D. S., Rayner, L., Villaseñor, N. R.,
Eyles, K., Gibbons, P., ... & Lindenmayer,
D. B. (2015). Key lessons
for achieving biodiversity‐sensitive cities and towns. Ecological Management &
Restoration, 16(3), 206-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12180
Less
Beton ASBL. (n.d.). Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/less_beton_asbl/
Less Béton ASBL. (n.d.). Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/lessbeton.be
Phelan, P., Kaloush, K., Miner, M., Golden,
J., Phelan, B., Silva III, H., Taylor,
R. A. 2015.
Urban Heat Island: Mechanisms, Implications, and Possible
Remedies,
Annual Review
of Environment and Resources, 40:1, 285-307
Taylor, L., & Hochuli,
D. F. (2015). Creating better cities: how biodiversity and ecosystem
functioning enhance urban residents’ wellbeing. Urban ecosystems, 18, 747-762.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0427-3
