Reimagining the Garden City Model for the 21st Century
Perched between city and countryside, the Bellevue plateau in Jambes offers a unique topography and landscape identity. Inspired by this setting, POLO Labs and POLO Urbanism envisioned BelleVIE: a new residential neighbourhood structured around open space, soft mobility and urban agriculture. The masterplan is a contemporary reinterpretation of the Garden City, aiming to reconcile spatial, environmental, and social demands while addressing today’s sustainability challenges. Drawing on the historical model, which sought to blend city and country environments into a human-scaled system, the holistic vision proposes a living framework for collective life, anchored in its landscape.
The masterplan preserves long views across the Meuse valley and integrates a range of open and built typologies, carefully balancing density with permeability. A continuous green backbone, articulated by a main soft-mobility axis, provides structure to the neighbourhood while connecting a network of public and semi-public spaces. These range from small gathering spots to productive landscapes and biodiversity corridors, offering an open space system that supports future generations while fostering ecological and social resilience.
Growing landscapes, growing community
Approximately 25% of the total site area is dedicated to an agricultural park, hosting a citizens’ garden, a pedagogical farm, and orchards for seasonal harvesting. These productive landscapes connect food, place, and community while preserving panoramic views, anchoring the neighbourhood in its regional terroir and forming part of a broader ecological network across the plateau of Erpent.
The urban edges between built form and open land support a dynamic relationship between housing, public realm, and agricultural activity. The park acts more than a backdrop; it is a spatial and programmatic driver that reinforces both the site’s environmental ambitions and its socio-spatial coherence.
A soft spine and a fine-grained mobility network
A central pedestrian and cycling route—derived from an existing path of local significance—structures the site’s soft mobility network. Running parallel to the Chaussée de Marche, this “soft spine” connects key public spaces such as the rain garden, a central plaza, and a flexible civic plateau. Vehicular traffic is restructured into a low-impact loop system, minimizing interference with soft mobility flows.
Secondary connections weave through the neighbourhood, linking to nearby forests, schools, and transit routes. The result is a fine-grained mobility network that enhances internal connectivity—enhancing daily life while reducing car dependency.
Inclusive living through typological diversity
A neighbourhood is defined by more than its individual components. In Jane Jacobs’ words, it should have “the practical power of inducing a natural, continuing flow of life and use.” This is where typological diversity becomes essential.
To respond to the growing demand for flexible and inclusive living arrangements, the design introduces a mix of scales and configurations that accommodate individual households, shared living models, and intergenerational clusters. Transitions between public and private space are nuanced, with gradations from private back gardens to communal front yards and shared courtyards.
But how can long-term accessibility be combined without compromising design quality? The proposal explored mechanisms such as a specific rent-to-own model, which could open access to energy-efficient new construction for a broader population segment, including first-time buyers and younger households.
Open space system
By adopting a modern bocage approach, the proposal structures the site through hedges, planted boundaries, and layered vegetation that create visual and physical connections while supporting biodiversity corridors and rainwater management. These green areas vary in scale, character, and privacy—ranging from private back gardens and semi-private courtyards to public plazas and recreational zones. Gradations of intimacy and accessibility ensure that residents and visitors of all ages feel welcome.
The public realm is attentive to materiality, maintenance, and ecological performance. Permeable surfaces, integrated water management, and locally adapted vegetation foster a climate-resilient environment. Urban furniture, lighting, and fencing are subtly integrated into the landscape, enhancing legibility and spatial coherence.
