Belgian 'urban village' delivers social housing with style

An 'urban village' in a Belgian city is proving that social housing can be beautiful, writes Robert Steuteville in CNU's Public Square. According to Steuteville, "The Village of Heulebrug is a 66-acre urban village, an extension of the City of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, that delivers social and affordable housing along with exceptionally competent vernacular architecture."

The village is built around a central tower, with narrow streets emanating out in a modified grid. "Northern and western edges of Heulebrug seamlessly connect to the existing urban fabric, while the southern and eastern edges face the City’s greenbelt. A trail and right-of-way preserve views of the open space, which the planners describe as a 'second coastline.'"

Heulebrug offers both market-rate and affordable housing, including publicly owned social housing. The first phase of the project began in 2002 with 185 building plots, 26 social housing units, and 124 private apartments, some of which are income-restricted. Plots in the second phase, begun in 2017, were allocated to young resident families and include conditions such as a 20-year ban on resale to discourage speculation. At present, "The village is about 80 percent built out with 851 living spaces, civic uses, and a small amount of commercial space."

While Modernist design is now more popular, former mayor Leopold Lippens supported the idea of using vernacular Flemish architecture for Heulebrug. The design team developed a "simple yet precise one-page code of urban and architectural standards" that govern aspects like roofs, windows, doors, exterior walls and other elements. For Steuteville, "This village demonstrates that a municipally-sponsored development designed to address the housing needs of lower-income residents can transcend the conventional perception of a 'housing project.'"

The success of the village has also prompted a more ambitious affordable housing policy for the whole city, said engineer-architect Mathias Delrue.