"Reconnecting neighborhoods
"Reconnecting neighborhoods" Grand Hospice.
Pali pali, a gas pedal of cultural, social and solidarity projects, has been chosen by the CPAS of the City of Brussels to organize the temporary occupation of the Pacheco site over the next two years. The plan is to create a "cultural and social third place" offering a wide range of community services and activities to residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and beyond.
In anticipation of the major renovation work required to create a housing and community services complex, the Brussels CPAS has decided to make the site available for an innovative project with a strong social and cultural focus, in line with the needs and aspirations of local residents. A call for projects was launched at the beginning of March. On this basis, the CPAS de la Ville de Bruxelles selected a project and appointed the site manager-coordinator.
The winner, Pali Pali, defines himself as a gas pedal of cultural, social and solidarity projects. With a wealth of experience, he manages and activates venues, accompanies projects and trains entrepreneurs. He recently developed the See U project in the former Ixelles barracks, the largest temporary occupation in Belgium, which brought together over 100 project leaders on the site.
For its founder Edouard Meier, "the ambition is threefold: to bring together several complementary activities, to offer a mediation and welcome center for the neighborhood, and to demonstrate social innovation". Programming will revolve around seven social and cultural themes (solidarity, art & culture, education / health / sport, lab & innovation, sustainable development, social economy, living together / creating links), and will be subject to a call for projects.
The project led by Pali pali will open the site to the public, in particular the gardens, and will involve the surrounding neighbors and associations on a daily basis in order to create a real culture of proximity. This focus on co-construction is supported by key local players such as Jeugdhuis Chicago Maison de Jeunes, the Comité Alhambra, the Chicago back non-profit organization and the LD3 /Het Anker center, all of whom have played an active role in developing the project. Other local partners will also be involved.
"With this in mind, the programming of the temporary occupation will be determined by a call for projects involving the associations and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. To guarantee this collective and participatory dynamic, pali pali will identify the associations active in the neighborhood and the nature of their involvement in the project," explains Khalid Zian, President of the Brussels CPAS.
In addition to this major project, the site will also host the DREAM project, centered on the recovery of unsold food and its delivery to associations active in this field, as well as training modules for the Brussels-Ixelles police zone, in two pavilions adjacent to the main building.
The full program will be announced shortly, and the gardens are already scheduled to open this summer.