Dames Blanches districtBrussels

In south-east Brussels, on the edge of the Sonian Forest, the Dames Blanches district turns a large vacant plot into a park neighbourhood. It reinvents the garden city: terraced houses and small apartment buildings are arranged around courtyards and shared gardens, and the forest enters the district, from its edges into the public spaces, the communal courtyards and the private gardens.

The public spaces borrow their vocabulary from the forest. At the entrance to the district, a large clearing hosts vegetable gardens and play areas; a network of grove squares offers open places for many uses; at the bottom of the valley, a landscaped stream collects rainwater in the open and lives to the rhythm of the seasons. Paths and cycle tracks form a network to explore on foot or by bike, and cars keep a low profile.

Open-air water management reduces flood risk, shared gardens encourage local food and collective practices, and ecological corridors link the district to the forest. Nature is not merely preserved here: it becomes the heart of everyday life.