When Antwerp city council decided to build their new futuristic central public library (“Permeke”) they chose to locate it right in the middle of an impoverished crime-ridden area near Central Station. A bold move.
The library, along with successfully chasing away the local prostitutes, was intended to dramatically upgrade the area. For a limited period of time, there was even a mobile Police station right in front of the “Permeke” central library. 
Years later the project partly turned out to be a failure: most of my friends and acquaintances hardly ever visit this library anymore when it became ever so clear that a high-tech new library does not solve intricate crime problems.
At night the area is basically still not safe enough. A close friend was recently attacked a few steps away with a knife – local police officers confirmed that safety in the area is still ‘problematic’ at night.
Great library, but shame on how Antwerp city council is still ignoring the basic fact that building one prestigious project is definitely not going to solve street crime problems in an impoverished area
This blog is not affiliated with or endorsed by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.
Great idea. Too bad it wasn’t part of a more comprehensive plan. It might have worked.
Comment by John — January 26, 2007 @ 3:19 pm |
Thanks for commenting. It sure might have worked. But when it comes to planning, this city tends to go for countless, scattered prestigious solo projects. Several highly successful private comprehensive plans were finished recently though. Just take the nearby riverbank area: 20y ago the area was a desolate reminder of the past. Now it’s an upscale area, lined with condos, penthouses, riverside lofts and virtually no street crime.
Comment by Peter - blog author — January 26, 2007 @ 4:35 pm |
Peter, I was planning on going today to the Kubus restaurant which I believe is inside the library. Is the situation still as fucked up as you describe here? maybe I’ll go today sans-laptop and see how are things now…
[Blog author: "The restaurant is safe during the day Eduardo. I wouldn't recommend visiting the area at night though: my partner was robbed by a nutcase flashing a knife right next to that library. I saw the recent street crime figures and they are still very high in that area. "]
Comment by Eduardo Arcos — July 13, 2009 @ 2:20 pm |