Huy (BE)

How can the site contribute to the productive city?

Descending from Condroz, the Hoyoux River flows into the Meuse River at Huy. Since the Middles Ages, the valley has welcomed numerous artisans using the river’s hydraulic power. Metallurgical and paper industries developed in the 19th century along the river which was then lined with a railway line and national highway. With the deindustrialisation, the neighbourhood of brownfields and working-class dwellings has been forgotten. The establishment of the hospital has given it some momentum. The creation of an activity center combining housing, shops, offices and economic activities of production and services on this "site to be redeveloped" must reinforce the economic vitality of this forgotten area.

City strategy

At the intersection of the Meuse River and the road linking the Hesbaye agricultural zone to the Condroz woodlands and pastures and other Ardennes forests, the city of Huy has been a regional hub since Roman times. In the 1960’s, the city-centre was disfigured by the creation of the “Huy inroad” This urban scar is now healed. While the city is currently developing long the Meuse between the new bridge to the west and the nuclear power plant to the east, local authorities want to revitalize the north-south connection. The Sainte Catherine district, in the south of the old centre, is decaying, following the abandonment of industrial activities. The objective is to make it an attractive activity hub at the entrance to the city.

Site definition 

The Saint Catherine district occupies the bottom of the Hoyoux valley whose slopes remain wooded. To the north, the Huy hospital has been renovated and enlarged. The place des Italiens square and the railway viaduct constitute the southern entrance of the city coming from the Condroz. From the west, the railway and the National road. A nursing home project will soon begin to the east of the strategic site. The project site will house the Thiry workshops, which specialize in the production of machines for industrial paper. Most farm buildings have been demolished with the exception of a few buildings, including the old industrial hall stretching along the national road. The land is now being used as a temporary parking lot for the hospital.

How is Production Considered in the Urban Diversity Program?

The program envisages the completion of a multi-functional centre incorporating housing, shops, offices and business premises. The hospital will soon be completed to the east of the strategic site by a 121-bed nursing and care home, with a daily care centre and a 20-unit serviced residence. In view of these health infrastructures, the option envisaged is to host paramedical activities: specialized medical centres, premises for health care providers, medical analysis laboratories, etc. Workshops for the manufacture and sale of medical supplies would complement this offer.
For a long time, it was made up of working-class dwellings, the housing of the district diversified thanks to renovations and new constructions in progress. A real estate complex to the southeast of the strategic site, currently stalled, will probably reinforce this trend. Complementary to the new cluster, the supply of large dwellings on the project site will contribute to social diversity. Given the proximity of the regional slow lane on the old railway linking the banks of the Meuse, activities around soft mobility are also envisaged. Finally, the green and blue flows of the Hoyoux valley bring an environmental dimension to the project. The large flow of the river allows for the production of hydraulic power.