JONATHAN ORTEGAT

LIVING AND WORKING IN NOVACITY I
2026

Small productive businesses are making a comeback in Brussels, even on the ground floors of residential buildings. NovaCity I, completed in 2023, is the first project of its kind in the capital and is the result of a new public policy.

Hicham, Pauline, Xavier and 65 other first-time buyers live in the upper floors of this brand new building. Meanwhile, Roldan, Noune and Mamadou, along with 13 other entrepreneurs, have set up their businesses in the ground-floor workshops.

In an unprecedented move, the director has invited residents and entrepreneurs to come together for the first time to share their experiences and potentially defuse certain conflicts.

By deconstructing urban utopias and the images that stem from them, they are attempting to collectively sketch out a future for their new home. This is an endeavour that has become all the more necessary, since NovaCity II is set to be built right across the street in a few months' time.