Ciney

How does the site contribute to the adaptable city?

A small town in the heart of the agricultural region of Condroz, Ciney has seen its urban structure undergo a transformation ever since the arrival of the railway and the creation of the train station just over 900 metres from the former centre.  Alongside this station, the Ciney Forges constituted a major economic cluster that set the pace of life in the neighbourhood.  When the activities were discontinued in 1988, part of the site was converted into community facilities.  The area between the reconverted factories and the railway is currently little used, and constitutes a strategic site given its proximity to the station, shops and services.  The purpose of converting this former industrial site is to “breathe new life” into the neighbourhood by introducing a functional mix between the passenger and goods platforms, the Leignon and the former Quai de l’Industrie.

Strategy of the city

The city wants to review the organisation of the train station neighbourhood of Ciney. The basic element of the redevelopment is to remove the level crossing on the railway line.  Two solutions are being considered:  a new bridge to the north of the station or an automobile passageway under the current level crossing.  Lorry traffic will be diverted to the bypass of the town.  National Road 937 that links the town with the Meuse Valley would run along the railway lines, freeing the Quai de l’Industrie for transit traffic.  The development of the last land reserve of Ciney would make it possible to erect a complex of offices and dwellings.  The development of the Leignon banks along its course in the neighbourhood would afford an opportunity to establish a “green and blue” ecological mesh. 

Site

Below the old town, the Brussels-Luxembourg railway line runs through Leignon Valley.  The Ciney Forges, which were linked to this line, were along the Quai de l’Industrie.  On the site of an old quarry, the East side played host to the foundry, the production workshops and the offices, whereas on the West side, bordered by the Leignon, comprises warehouses and a storage area.  The East part was turned into a vocational school, premises for associations and sport grounds, while the West side has remained a wasteland.  Only part of the old warehouses is occupied by a gardening establishment.  On the other side of the Leignon, the area occupied by the old industrial railway lines is little used.  The municipality wants to turn this old industrial area into a mixed functional zone. 

Adaptability: main elements to take into account

The development options wanted by the town pertain to office space, medium-sized dwellings and parking facilities for users of the railway and the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.  No shop will be planned so as not to compete with existing shops in the centre of town.  These works on the built environment shall be completed by the redevelopment of the Quai de l’Industrie into a public space that confers structure onto the built area and gives priority to soft modes of transport.  At the junction of the densely inhabited area of the town centre and the residential areas, the aim is to close the urbanised area of the town centre along the railway so as to make the urban structure more legible, in particular for railway passengers, whilst preserving the views onto the Parc de la Haute. 

The orientation diagram will be open-ended so that it can be adapted to decisions taken on the type of passage of the railway tracks and the scope of the office floor space. The dwellings will be adaptable to the maximum to meet the changing needs of the inhabitants, in particularly the elderly or persons with reduced mobility.  Sustainable improvements will enable the neighbourhood to make a transition to a living environment more respectful of the planet, in particular through density of dwellings suitable for a train station neighbourhood, minimum energy consumption, and waste reduction for both the construction and use of the buildings. Finally, whilst containing the risks of the river overflowing, the development of the site will secure sustainable management of the water cycle and reinforce the ecological qualities of the wet corridor of the Leignon.