After years of consultations and modifications the urban planning agency Urban.brussels has issued a permit for the renovation of the busy Schuman roundabout in Brussels' European district. The car will have to make way for a real city square that is set to become a new eye-catcher in Brussels.
"Schuman Circus was a roundabout tailor-made for cars. Now it will become a square for everyone at the heart of the European Quarter," says Brussels secretary of state Ans Persoons (Flemish socialist). "It will become a new symbol of Europe in Brussels and highlight the fact that the European Quarter is evolving into a mixed neighbourhood on a scale for people."
Steel canopy as eye-catcher
The new city square will be a roundabout-shaped space with stairs and a modern steel canopy with a green roof under which visitors and residents can relax. The design takes into account activities and events that should be able to take place there.
The immediate surroundings of the square will also get a new look. There will be a large pedestrian area with benches, shrubs and almost one hundred trees. The Wetstraat towards the Jubel Park will be given a facelift so that it is pleasant to walk between the Jubel Park and EU buildings. Car traffic will be restricted between the Kortenberglaan and the Wetstraat. A safe, ochre-coloured cycle path will connect these two axes.
Long story
The first plans for the renovation of the roundabout date back eight years. Schuman Circus is not only a crossroads of traffic arteries, but also a crossroads of several levels of government. Two mayors (of Brussels City and Etterbeek), a regional minister (of Mobility), a secretary of state (of Town Planning) and a regional prime minister and a federal minister (responsible for Beliris that is in charge of major infrastructure work in Brussels) were involved.
In 2015, the then Brussels mobility minister Pascal Smet (Flemish socialist/Vooruit.brussels) and Brussels prime minister Rudi Vervoort (Francophone socialist) reached a political agreement to carry out a thorough overhaul of Schuman Circus, following which, in 2017, architecture firms COBE and Brussels-based BRUT were commissioned to design the future roundabout.
Years of consultation and fine-tuning followed. In 2019, the Brussels Mobility agency submitted a permit application, which was modified two years later providing more greenery and ensuring access to the square for people with reduced mobility and the visually impaired. The planning permission was issued at the end of 2021, but after discussions with the municipality of Etterbeek, Brussels Mobility decided to introduce two-way traffic on Blijde Inkomstlaan.
Eight years after the initial plans were drawn up, Urban.brussels issued a new permit and construction manager Beliris could start the work.
The project was part of the federal government's economic boost plan. This means it can count on €21 million in European funds. The total cost is estimated at €25 million. The work will start this year. How long it will take is unclear for now.