My Brussels: Our interview with Pascal Smet

Over the past years, Brussels Lover and Minister for Mobility and Public Works Pascal Smet has been changing the city in many ways, with the ‘cities for people’ philosophy in mind; more public space, more space for cycling and public transport, more space for people. Pascal Smet, who is also heading the movement ‘one.brussels’, responded enthusiastically to our invitation to follow him for a day, along his favourite places in Brussels…

Porte de Ninove

Minister Smet, tell us why you have chosen this place to be featured?

Call me Pascal, please! (laughs) Well, the Porte de Ninove had been a no-man’s land for so many years. It was polluted, dangerous, and not a nice place to hang out. Moreover, this area of the city centre is very grey. We have listened very carefully to the numerous citizen action groups who were demanding a park for more than 15 years. I am happy to say that in a few weeks from now kids will be playing, parents will be chilling, dogs will be sniffling and joggers will be able to run around in the brand new park of Porte de Ninove.

It took 15 years to build a park?

Don’t get me started! The Porte de Ninove area is actually a place where many different municipalities cross paths; Molenbeek, Anderlecht and the City of Brussels. Getting things done is rather difficult in Brussels, because of the labyrinth of institutions and responsibilities. With one.brussels we want to get rid of this institutional hamburger, focusing on efficiency, centralisation of competences and ambition!

Favourite spots in the area:

MIMA, the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art
Cycling along the canal
Belmundo restaurant, a social enterprise with proper vegetable garden

Pascal Smet’s ‘quartier’

How long have you been in living in Brussels?

I was born in Haasdonk, Flanders, but moved to Brussels around 30 years ago. You become a Brusseler the moment you move to Brussels, that’s what makes our city so inclusive! I love living in this area because you have everything so close by; bakers, butchers, my local ‘estaminet’, restaurants, culture, … It’s also super close to the metro and the Midi station, which makes it enormously convenient to move around the city and elsewhere. Thanks to all the local businesses and special atmosphere it often feels like I am living in a small village, including all the advantages of a big city!

Favourite spots in the area:

Barbeton, coffee in the morning and gin-tonics in the evening
Gaston, speculoos ice cream during summer and Brussels waffles in Winter
Charli, the best fresh bread and vanilla éclairs in town

Place Miroir

Pascal, we are in Jette, often called ‘the next Saint-Gilles’?

I tend to agree! Jette is a particular place. Many people think it’s far from the centre but that’s a myth. A 10-minute bike ride brings you straight to the canal and thanks to the construction of Tram 9 Jette is better connected than ever. By the way, we have started the works to extend this line towards Heysel. It will be the cherry on the cake!

Great news! Why did you choose the Place Miroir?

I think it’s the perfect example of how 1 + 1 can be 3. Three years ago this place, actually it didn’t deserve to be called ‘place’ was a parking lot. It became a ‘place’ once a week to hold a local market. Together with the constructive vision of the municipality of Jette we were able to move forward very quickly with this project. Cars can now park in the parking lot under the square. The square itself became a place to meet, to watch our Belgian Red Devils play during the World Cup, to skate, to cycle and to enjoy beautiful terraces. In Summer fountains will make it even more fun to hang out here. Watch out, Saint-Gilles!

Favourite spots in the area:

The ‘Fritkot’ on Place Miroir
The petting zoo next to Laerbeekbos, to hang out with my little cousins
The Parc Baudouin, great for kids

Parc Duden

Our last stop is Parc Duden in Forest…

This place is magical. It’s a real haven of quietness. City dwellers often forget to actively look for peaceful places, they even forget that they are right here in the city. The Parc Duden is a beautiful, romantic park, which accommodates the film school NARAFI on top of the park and a bit lower the Stade Joseph Marien of famous football club Union Saint-Gilloise. The Parc Duden is by the way almost directly connected with the fantastic Parc de Forest, where you can hang out, eat, drink and sport on the big lawns. I come here after long meeting days to relax, to breathe, to structure my thoughts and revitalise. Inner peace is so important to be able to take difficult decisions for this city, and in my personal life.

Which big decisions need to be made for this city?

Where to start? (laughs) I think we will need to move at even faster pace towards a city on human scale. We need to continue to invest in infrastructure that puts cyclist and pedestrians at the centre of attention, allowing to encourage dialogue and exchange between Brusselers. Moreover, we need to make sure that Brussels remains a social city, where nobody feels left out, a one.brussels so to say. With equal opportunities, a vision on the future and services for people residing in Uccle as well as in Molenbeek. A city that takes care of its people with people that take care of their city, it’s that simple!