Project R-12122

Assignment by the municipality of Houthalen-Helchteren: developing a master plan for Meulenberg (Research)

As a former cité designed by Joseph André, who was inspired by Adrien Blomme's design for Winterslag and who had, like Blomme, also Ebenezer Howard's garden city in mind, Meulenberg originally had a lot of potential due to its intertwining of living, working, services, open space and greenery. This historically present potential is nowadays insufficiently exploited. Within the complex North-South Limburg project and through the commitment of numerous associations and municipal services, the municipality of Houthalen-Helchteren detected the need to work on a master plan for which it called on the UHasselt in cooperation with Plusoffice Architects. Through a participative methodology, the team envisions to create, together with the municipality and especially the residents and users of the neighbourhood, a breeding ground for sustainable projects that the neighbourhood itself can continue (also after the project). The process is structured around three tracks. Each track is led by a partner within the research team. The tracks all develop in three steps and constantly interact intensively with each other. In 'space', a design study is carried out into a master plan as a spatial framework; the track 'participation' interweaves the neighbourhood with the spatial task; and track three consists in the design and operationalisation of the neighbourhood atelier, which includes the establishment of a neighbourhood lab. In the three phases (analysis and ambition formation, participatory development, action plans), the neighbourhood studio is a substantial, full-blown third partner. The aim of this three-phased process is to create an active coalition that can carry out sustainable projects and endorsed action plans in shared ownership and that will be able to continue to do so independently of the supporting project team after the project. The uniqueness of this project is that the neighbourhood studio, including a neighbourhood lab and neighbourhood sessions, literally manifests itself in the neighbourhood and evolves with and by local experts and neighbourhood residents who are maximally involved (i.e. also acknowledging the diversity of the residents). This methodology should result in an endorsed master and action plan, actual quick wins and an independently operating neighbourhood studio.

30 August 2021 - 29 August 2022