Six years later, “Molenbeek is the place to be”

From our special correspondent in Molenbeek (Belgium),

Jeans, a hoodie, a T-shirt with the “Google” logo on it… When Ibrahim Al-Wasari arrived in the hall of the building, the 44-year-old looked like a tech boss. With an ear-to-ear grin, he takes us on a tour of his digital school, which was founded in 2015. Breakout rooms with flashy sofas, a family kitchen that doubles as a cafeteria, and open spaces stocked with MacBooks, we can believe the heart of Silicon Valley.

The illusion is almost complete, but we are fine Molenbeek, one of the thirteen municipalities of Brussels. There, the Place Minoterie, in which Brahim El Oussari has taken up residence – more precisely that of his former elementary school. Each year, approximately 250 students from the area pay the university’s doors Molengek For free training in coding or digital marketing. And the man is very proud: “Molenbeek is a bit like Brooklyn in New York, it has become The place to be he explains.

Just look through the box to understand. A tall red brick building similar to Manchester, rising over several floors. This former flour mill from the 19th century was renovated a few years ago. Now it houses social housing, a theater and a bicycle repair shop. On the other hand, the building looks directly onto the Quai des Charbonnages. Along the Brussels Canal, the city council has built kilometers of Amsterdam-style bike paths. And on Daremon Street, which leads to MolenGeek, the colorful little individual homes look like they’re straight out of London. Seven years later November 13, 2015 attacks in ParisWe are far from the image portrayed by the media. He became infamous for witnessing the birth of – or harboring – cell terrorists Jihadi Responsible for the Paris attacks and from BrusselsThe city offers another face: the face of a multicultural city that attracts more and more companies, young professionals and artists.

cultural nursery

Back to the canal, you have to walk about ten minutes before coming white bee. Nestled between a garage, a wedding equipment company, and a former margarine factory, this 500-square-meter concrete shed is home to a “multidisciplinary and holistic artistic cell.” On three floors divided exhibition rooms, artists’ studios and a tattoo parlor. “The goal is to encourage young artists,” explain Jonathan and Marcus, the co-founders. “When we settled here we were told you wouldn’t do it in Molenbeek, it’s dangerous.”

A year after the opening of the art space, the two young men have no regrets. “In ten years, Molenbeek has completely changed. The city has become a real cultural hotbed with museums, artist studios and collaborative spaces. Explains Jonathan, an architect by training.

And Jonathan and Marcus aren’t the only ones. In 2016, it is Iconic Millennium Museum of Art – MIMA -, a museum of art and urban culture 2.0, which opened its doors in an old brewery, a few meters away. Turning away from the canal, we find a former sugar factory converted into La Raffinerie dance centre. Then you should return to MolenGeek to learn about L’Epicerie, an educational, cultural and civic center that hosts a theater group, sorority and young companies. The former industrial laundry has been rehabilitated at a third site, Lavallee. Since 2014, artists, entrepreneurs and craftsmen have shared 6,000 square meters of offices, workshops and showrooms. We can go on with the list for a long time.

gentrification in the city

If Molenbeek attracts more and more people, especially artists, it is also because the real estate prices there are very attractive. With an average of 350 thousand euros for a house, the municipality is one of the cheapest in the Brussels region, According to the Belgian Statistical Office. What attracts young workers who want to settle near the city center. Because all you have to do is cross the Brussels Channel and walk about 15 minutes – or just three metro stops – to get to the heart of Brussels. In the neighboring municipalities of Ixelles or Etterbeek you would have to spend almost twice as much to afford accommodation. “The population has really evolved in ten years. The arrivals are upper-middle-class people, in their 30s, young workers with young children, particularly Flemings,” Ibrahim El-Wassary explains. As a result, the population in Molenbeek exploded. It went from 88 thousand people in 2010 to nearly 98 thousand in the last population census.

With this “gentrification”, says the businessman, “fashionable” places have sprung up like mushrooms. In addition to the artsy spaces, there are now co-working spaces, such as Le Phare du Kanaal, organic stores, and vintage bike shops. The other side of the coin is that the arrival of this new, wealthier population has increased costs. In 2021 alone, housing stock increased by 9% in Molenbeek, According to the Royal Federation of Belgian Notaries (FRNB). “It is still accessible, but the increase is incredible. Ibrahim Al-Wasuri now fears that even the most humble will no longer be able to find housing.

“Future Lab”

For the founder of MolenGeek, the arrival of these new residents is also evidence of the development of multiculturalism. Because at Molenbeek, there is more A quarter of the population is of foreign nationality With a large Moroccan community. And for many of them, the Foyer, rue des Archives, serves as a second home. A pioneer in helping people of foreign origin to integrate in Brussels, the structure organizes, among other things, private lessons, language courses, excursions and support services. Each year, 250 people—mostly women and young adults—are welcomed by Loredana Marchi, into this grand three-story home that has become a center for diversity and inclusion.

From the height of her seventy years, Loredana Marchi knows the problems of the city by heart, which she has seen develop and develop little by little. The dean of the family warns of the danger of a social divide between “Molenbeek, the historic, more popular Molenbeek, and the new, Bobo”. “If we talk about inclusive diversity, then we have to make sure that there are places where people can meet,” warns this city historical figure. There is still little way to talk about a “multicultural city”, as the Septuagint thinks, but she is confident: “Molenbeek is the laboratory of the future for education, culture, social ties and diversity. We have all the problems, but we also have all the solutions.