Urban(e)(istiques) Anomalie(ën)(s)

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Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains, photo by Michael Ghyoot.

Rue de l’Ourthe, Molenbeek

Boulevard du Jubilé, next to café ‘Duc du Brabant’

On the Jubelfeestlaan / Boulevard du Jubilé, cars often park in front of private garage doors. For the local residents this is annoying: they can not exit their cars from their garages.

Some of them have found ways to emphasize the applicable parking restriction. Here’s an example: An orange pilon with a wire wound around it, serves to block the space in front of a garage. The wire permits to vary the size of the reclaimed space. It can be used for one garage, but unwound all the way, it also helps the neighbors. Variations on this theme can be found anywhere in the neighborhood.

Metro Porte de Hal / Hallepoort

Temporary solution to prevent further damage of splintered glass. The stickers read:

Dear clients,
Damage of the installations by vandalism.
MIVB / STIB will do everything in its power to execute the necessary repairs as soon as possible. Our apologies for the involuntary derangements.

Rue Bonehill, Sint-Jans Molenbeek St. Jean,
Photo by: Murielle Dasnoy (Suède36 architects)

In the past, Brussels basements were used for storing coals that served as fuel to heat the house. The coals were dumped from the street through a hole into the basements. Now that houses are heated by other means, these coal chutes have become redundant. Often they are right underneath the front door. Without question, you will drop your keys in your basement sooner or later unless …
The streets around my house , in the quarter Molenbeek show simple DIY solutions to prevent this from happening. Each household has its own inventive way to cover the cast iron grids. Often seen stereotypes are: use a doormats, a punched through metal plate, an old wooden plank, plastic bags, or cement the whole thing up.

Sq. Auguste Smets

Wiels, Av. Van Volxemlaan, 1190, Bruxelles
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Brussel Deze Week, date unknown, © photo Saskia Vanderstichele
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