Brussels, Belgium

The Project

Yser Square was a formerly congested area that was pedestrianized in June 2023 as part of the “Good Move” regional mobility plan and in advance of a total redevelopment slated for spring 2024. During Mobility Week and the annual Car-Free Sunday, the new asphalt mural transformed the space into a place for artistic expression, public gathering, and improved safety.

Presented by the art collective Patrimoine à roulettes, “Ys’Air, Sur leurs traces” was imagined together with Salvation Army’s Foyer du Selah as a way for diverse local communities to express themselves and reappropriate urban space through art. The stated thoughts and dreams from passersby and workshop participants were converted to Morse code and painted onto the ground. Further building on the common themes of cleaner air and reengagement with the natural environment, images of animals were painted onto furniture made with decommissioned street signs as a way to imagine the return of wildlife to a city free from automobile traffic and with more open space for migration.

Reclaiming a high-traffic area in the heart of Brussels

Overall, the mural aims to raise questions about how cities can evolve to become more welcoming, more resilient, and more creative, while the pedestrianized space is designed to reduce traffic crashes and vehicular emissions.

• A 22% reduction in the dangerous air pollutant NO2
• Up to 700 fewer vehicles traveling through the intersection during peak hours following the creation of the public space

Use the slider to see the transformation