par Pelgrims, Claire 
Référence Journées Suisses d'Histoire (8-11 juillet: Lucerne)
Publication Non publié, 2025-07-08
Référence Journées Suisses d'Histoire (8-11 juillet: Lucerne)
Publication Non publié, 2025-07-08
Communication à un colloque
| Résumé : | This presentation looks at representations of pedestrian and cyclist mobility in Brussels, Belgium from the 1950s onwards. Through the three main chronological dynamics relating to the articulation between speed and slowness, it describes the different imaginaries in which the various developments of slowness are embedded, from the relegation of pedestrians to specific spaces developed for them (galleries, parks, pedestrian areas) on the edge of the roadscape, to the contemporary development of pedestrian magistrals and a regional express network for cyclists. Between these two periods, there was a slow and timid reorganisation of spatial, temporal and qualitative pedestrian continuity when those involved in the urban struggles of the late 1960s came to power within the new institutions of the Brussels Agglomeration and then the Region. Even though pedestrian and cyclist mobility persisted despite their invisibilisation and marginalisation, the renewal of planning policies in their favour since the turn of the millennium has led to a significant redeployment. Campaigns to promote active mobility have led to a veritable ‘reinvention’ of the meanings of these modes of transport: rather than being “slow” or having a low environmental impact (soft mobility), they are now being promoted in terms of activity and responsibility (active mobility), while at the same time blending these imaginaries with the promotion of a new urban hedonism in a context of competition between cities. |
