Liège Expo

2017

wallonia and brusselswabma

ga

zin

e

win

ter

20

12

The exhibition bid that’s lighting up the city

‘Connecting the world, linking people, better living together’

wab

2 - Winter 2012

contents

12 Belgian stage

Belgium has a proud history of staging world events

14 international

How Wallonia-Brussels and Belgium are punching above their weight

Liege 2017

4 the big picture

The bid to bring the world to Liège

6 host city

Why Liège? We look behind the bid and focus on the Ardent City’s strengths

Connecting the world, linking people, better living together

A relevant theme with a universal character

information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become part of our daily lives. It multiplies our exchanges, creates new types of relationships and transforms our views of time and space. Belgium is

convinced that mankind must take advantage of this progress to improve living conditions on all continents.

Liège Expo 2017 will put forward a platform to exchange good practices in the use of ICT worldwide and to assess the progress made with regard to the develop-ments expected during our century.

The expo will be divided into differing areas of our lives: ‘personal’ space, ‘city’ space, ‘world’ space and ‘cyberspace’. In each dimension it will be shown how new technology can benefit the individual and society: health and well-being, education and research, culture, sustain-able development, the environment, mobility and the economy.

The aim is to show how ICT can foster peace, human development, stronger solidarity and good governance in an innovative way. Liège Expo 2017 will contribute to ‘better living together’ for everyone in the world.

Winter 2012 - 3

Editor-in-chiefSarah Crew

Deputy editorSally Tipper

ReportersJennifer Baker, Leo Cendrowicz, Bernard Demonty, Julian Hale, Anna Jenkinson, Emma Portier Davis, Tania Rabesandratana, Jacqueline Remits, Emily von Sydow, Eric Wiertz

Art directorPatricia Brossel

General managerJoske Plas

A quarterly magazine focusing on Wallonia and Brussels

Editorial committee:

AWEX/WBI and The Bulletin/ Ackroyd Publications

Publisher: Philippe Suinen – AWEX/WBI

For more information on Wab magazine contact: Marie-Catherine Duchêne AWEX, Place Sainctelette 2 1080 Brussels, Belgium Tel: 00.32(0)2.421.85.76 Fax: 00.32(0)2.421.83.93 email: mc.duchene@awex.be

wallonia and brusselswabma

ga

zin

e

w

inte

r 2

01

2

Cover: An architect’s impression of Liège expo 2017. image by VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism

Liège Expo

2017

wallonia and brusselswabma

ga

zin

e

win

ter

20

12

The exhibition bid that’s lighting up the city

‘Connecting the world, linking people, better living together’

18 technology

Communication brings the world closer and is at the heart of Liège’s bid

20 natural science

ICT and the future of healthcare

gu

ill

au

ma

gr

an

ge

23 culture

Technology gets creative

25 education

An overview of e-learning

27

transport

Why Liège is in the right place at the right time

29 environment

The Liège Expo bid sets a green example for today and tomorrow

Top: eating, shopping and relaxing in Liège

Left: twilight along the Meuse river; and flying the flag for the expo 2017 bid

wab

4 - Winter 2012

the big picture

The soaring city of Liège

Liege 2017

Winter 2012 - 5

While Calatrava’s stunning Guillem-ins train station accelerated Liège into the 21st century, the city’s ambition to host Expo 2017 would

pin it firmly on the world map.The international event comes around every

five years, staged between two World Expos. Liège is in an exciting race with the Kazakh capital Astana to host the 2017 edition, with the whole of Belgium backing the Wallonia city.

This issue of Wab is dedicated to the exhibition bid. We look at the urban revival that is redefin-ing the city of Liège, the opportunity it creates for the city and regions to market themselves on the international stage, and, most importantly, the theme that would serve as a unifying banner for the fair.

In deciding on ‘Connecting the world, linking people, better living together’, the organising committee is showcasing two of Liège’s strengths: its reinvention as a centre of technology, and the enthusiasm and industriousness of its workforce. The people of Liège have proved over the past 1,000 years that they can be resourceful and open to international ventures. It is no accident that Liège is nicknamed the Ardent City.

In a series of articles, we explain how the theme of connectivity relates to different areas of our lives and how new technology can benefit the individual and society. Just as Liège has con-fronted its economic difficulties, the 2017 Expo turns to future environvental challenges.

The chosen Coronmeuse site on the banks of the River Meuse would leave Liège with an invaluable legacy, while the fair itself would provide the city, region and whole country with a perfect occasion to welcome the world.

Sarah Crew

The soaring city of Liègec

or

bis

6 - Winter 2012

host citywab

Liège owes its nickname, the Ardent City, to the burn-ing furnaces that for hundreds of years fuelled its heavy industries. The title lives on, thanks to a chiv-alrous novel written at the beginning of the 20th

century by Henry Carton de Wiart, which glorifies the eter-nal pride of Liège citizens. It traces the bravery of city folk in the face of enemy occupiers, although even they could not succeed against Charles the Bold, who set fire to the city in 1468. The blaze raged for seven weeks and led to the name Ardent or Fiery City, which also suited the independent spirit of its inhabitants.

More ardent than ever

From historic principality to city of the future,

Liège is forging a new path

Eric Wiertz and Sarah Crew

Liege 2017

Winter 2012 - 7

Off

ice

du

tO

ur

ism

e d

e l

a V

ill

e d

e l

ièg

e

Awarded a collective Legion of Honour for defending city fortresses in 1914, the population further suffered in World War Two with the bombardment of more than a thousand missiles. As coal and steel industries declined in the post-war period, the city has dug deep to reinvent itself for the 21st century by developing a network of new businesses in the fields of science, aeronautics and high technology. Drawing on its practical nature, since the millennium it has also been honouring its heritage and redesigning public spaces by masterminding a tactical programme of urban rebranding.

From Saint Lambert to Saint-Lambert

Centrally positioned in the city, Saint-Lambert square is a unique witness to Liège’s past. Its name recalls the martyr Bishop Lambert, whose canonisation led to the creation of the city. The open columns that ornament the square recall the location of the former cathedral, the tallest in Europe before it was destroyed in the Franco-Liège revolution.

The palace of the Prince Bishops that took its place serves as law courts and the seat of the provincial government. It is a reminder of the glorious history of a principality that remained independent for more than eight centuries. The Archéoforum museum, lying under the square, recalls 9,000 years of local history.

Walking around Liège

The best way to explore the city centre is on foot, starting from Place Saint-Lambert. Nearby is the Place du Marché, with the imposing Violette (Hôtel de Ville), the Perron mon-ument (symbol of Liège’s freedom) and terraces full of cosy restaurants and cafés. A little further are the Féronstrée and Hors Château streets in the historic heart of the city. It houses the magnificent buildings of the Grand Curtius Museum, Liège’s oldest religious building, the Collegiate Church of Saint Barthélemy, and the Museum of Walloon Life. From the latter, little alleyways and passages rise to the slopes of the Citadel, which was recently awarded three stars by the Michelin Vert guide and is one of the unmissable sights of the city.

Cross the River Meuse by Pont des Arches, the favoured bridge of local crime writer Georges Simenon, who was born a whisker away, to discover the Outremeuse. This lively area hosts the traditional mayoral fes-tivities on August 15. Double back to explore the Sunday morning quay-side market La Batte (the biggest and oldest in Europe) and sample the celebrated boulets-frites (meat-balls in Liège sauce with chips).

In the commercial centre of the city is the renowned Carré with its enticing shops by day and stu-dent partying in the evening. Stroll along the Promenade d’Avroy and the Saint-Paul area, where Jupiler lager is now more plentiful than tra-ditional pèkèt, the regional genever drink made from juniper berries. Further along is Mont Saint-Martin and the soaring new Guillemins sta-tion, the Cointe allied war memorial and the new Médiacité shopping complex.

Moving with the times

Liège’s past was the genius of engineers and captains of industry (Zénobe Gramme, Edgard Frankignoul, John Cockerill, Georges Nagelmackers) and the sweat of its miners, workers and gunsmiths. From the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, they made the region one of the economic capitals of the world. In the face of a global

Liège: city, metropole and province

Liège in fact represents a confusing

number of entities. That’s because this

one name can refer to a city of some

200,000 habitants, an agglomeration of

600,000 and a province of 1 million.

Add to this the principality of Liège,

which covers Verviers, Waremme and

Huy as well as Ciney, Couvin, Thuin,

Saint-Trond and Hasselt, and you can

understand the confusion. On top of

that, since the 1990s, the expression

‘Pays de Liège’ (Liège country), has

been equally used.

More ardent than ever

Overlooking the city of Liège

8 - Winter 2012

host city

wab

decline, Liège has developed its transport and logistics sector, playing to its strength – an excellent geographical situation revealed in its four trump cards: water, road, rail and air.

Also known as ‘the daughter of the Meuse river’, Liège is the third largest European river port, with 21 million tonnes of goods handled in 2010. The road network is a reminder that Liège is at the centre of one of the most important motorway networks on the continent. In eight hours, a lorry can reach 60 percent of the European consumer market. Here also, infrastructure is in constant evolution, symbol-ised by the Cointe double motorway tunnel.

Rail has a historic role in Liège, as the first European locomotive was built in the city and the area’s industrial activities aided its development. Inaugurated two years ago, the futuristic TGV station designed by Spanish archi-tect Santiago Calatrava also places Liège at the centre of the European high-speed network, with a planned freight ver-sion linking up with Liège airport. In 20 years, Liège airport has grown to be Europe’s seventh biggest cargo airport, in addition to being at the centre of an ambitious development project that should, in the next five years, double the exist-ing number of direct and indirect jobs. But the real feat has been in reducing the competition between the four modes of transport to make them complementary in a multimodal, dense logistics chain that benefits the whole sector.

Economic capital of Wallonia

Liège University (ULg) plays an important teaching role (almost 20,000 students, of which a quarter are from out-side Belgium and number 100 nationalities). It is also an enormous research centre, specialised in natural sciences, as proved by the GIGA project, an immense research and development centre housed in the university hospital.

Over more than 20 years, some 75 companies have set up spin-offs of ULg and the neighbouring Liège Science Park. They include Eurogentec (biotechnology), Lasea (lasers for the industrial sector), Occhio (optic control), IP Trade (internet protocol telephone solutions), Star Apic (geographic information systems), Physiol (intra-ocular implants), KitoZyme (natural sciences) and Mithra (gynae-cological medication); all are leaders in their fields.

Excellence is also exemplified by EVS Broadcast Equip-ment (the inventor of slow-motion film technology in modern sports broad-casting) and Maggoteaux (a world-leader in cement pellets). Besides Liège’s traditional industrial skills, the sectors of precision engineering and micromechanics are spearheading activities supported by Technifutur centre of competence and numerous research centres. The aeronautic and spatial sector, in particular, benefits from Techspace Aero, which encour-ages numerous subcontractors.

Around the Liège Spatial Centre, a ‘spatiopole’ is prospering: spin-offs set up in the 1980s such as Samtech (vir-tual analysis), Amos (opto-mechanic) and Spacebel (spatial technology) have been joined by 20 ‘young shoots’ from the Wallonia Space Logistics Incubator. They all have impres-sive international portfolios.

With these credentials, among others, Liège has earned its

title as economic capital of Wallonia. Its operators include the development agency SPI, Invest Meusinvest, economic redeployment group GRE Liège, economic stimulation agency ASE and technological agency AST, the economic and social advisor of the Walloon Region CESRW, the Inter-face Enterprise-University and its accompanying organisa-tion Cide-Socran, plus Sofico, which finances major build-ing sites in Wallonia. Progress is further ensured with its inclusion in the crossborder Euregio Meuse-Rhin project.

Culture and tourism

Liège is also a city of culture and folk-lore and home to a variety of names in many domains, including André-Modeste Grétry, Henri Pousseur, Sta-nislas-André Steeman, Alexis Curvers and Eugène Ysaÿe. Leading cultural organisations are based here: the Royal Opera of Wallonia, Liège Phil-harmonic Orchestra and Théâtre de la Place, as well as smaller and alterna-tive theatres.

The city’s heritage, museums and legendary conviviality are on display

in its Christmas market, its music festivals and in its local gastronomy, ranging from boukètes (buckwheat pancakes) to fricassée (bacon omelette). It also boasts the new and sumptuous Crowne Plaza Les Comtes de Méan, the only five-star hotel in Wallonia outside the Brussels periphery.

Liège plays to its strength – an excellent geographical situation

Liege 2017

Winter 2012 - 9

‘Connecting the world, linking people, better living together’ is the unifying theme of Liège Expo 2017. When the Ardent City’s candida-ture for the organisation of the International

Exhibition 2017 was submitted in June 2010, it promised an exciting chance to improve local infrastructure for the benefit of everyone.

Over the past 10 years, Liège has undergone a massive transformation. In 2009, three major infrastructures were inaugurated: the Grand Curtius museum, the Médiacité shopping centre designed by Ron Arad, and the Calatrava-designed Guillemins TGV station. This policy of grandiose projects by public authorities, supported by businesses and higher education establishments, is undoubtedly driving forward the renewal of the Liège region.

Other projects are under way: the Théâtre de la Place is to become the European Centre for Theatrical Creation and Choreography in the renovated Emulation theatre build-ing; the museum of modern art is to be given a new lease of life as a centre of international art, and a tram system is

returning to the city for the opening of the exhibition. “We need to maximise potential by having a unifying objective and a shared project,” explains Robert Tollet, president of the Liège Expo 2017 administrative committee.

Why Liège?The arguments in favour of Liège’s candidature are consid-erable. Each year the city attracts new inhabitants and it has become Wallonia’s number one tourist destination. Liège’s geographical situation has led to it becoming a leading transport hub, and it is home to internationally recognised companies. “The majority of these have generated competi-tive clusters in which the Liège region excels: aeronautic, mechanic, spatial, biotechnology, IT and communication and the farm produce industry,” adds Tollet.

Liège wants to build on this momentum by staging a world-class event. “It would be the pinnacle of our economic and urban renewal strategy,” says Tollet. “For more than ten years, public and private investment has been made in Liège,

What’s behind the city’s bid to stage

a world-class event?

Jacqueline Remits and Sarah Crew

Welcoming the world

Architect’s view of a future theatre on Monsin island

Ve

nh

Oe

Ve

nc

s a

rc

hit

ect

ur

e +

ur

ba

nis

m

wab

10 - Winter 2012

host city

creating a platform on which future prosperity can be devel-oped. Organising an international exposition is a superb occasion to showcase Belgian strengths and success stories in economy, culture and science. The event would posi-tively position the country, its regions and communities on an international level, symbolising the urban and economic transformation of the Liège region.”

Since the unanimous decision by Liège’s city council to bid for the Expo, the city and its partners have been work-ing around the clock. “Since May 16, 2011, all the country’s governments (federal, Wallonia, French-speaking Com-munity, Brussels Region, Flemish- and German-speaking) have backed this fabulous unifying project,” says Tollet.

“On June 10, the prime minister officially submitted Liège’s candidature at the International Bureau of Exposi-tions (BIE). It just remains to convince the 160 countries to choose Liège.” The BIE is scheduled to visit Liège in March 2012, to study the bid in detail. In September, an interna-tional forum will be held in Liège, providing the delegates with an opportunity to explore the city. On November 22 2012, it’s crunch time as the BIE picks the organising city. Each of the 160 member states has one vote. Will Liège win the tender, or will it be the remaining candidate city, Astana in Kazakhstan? Liège has already received the support of numerous players in the worlds of science, academia, socio-economics, sport and culture.

Connecting for greater solidarityConnectivity was chosen as the Expo’s theme, for its power to link people around the world. Liège Expo 2017 will be posing questions such as ‘How can connectivity around the planet help solidarity and resolve enormous problems such as extreme poverty?’ “In the history of humanity, it is only recently that the means of communicating have intensified and diversified thanks to networks such as the internet and mobile tele-phones,” says Tollet. “This development is present in the daily lives of each one of us. This new reality imposes a rethinking of the link or connection that man has with his environment (family, professional, cultural), on an indi-vidual and community level and a local and international scale. The development of communication technologies and the multiplication of digital methods are only of value if they aid fulfilment of the individual and the community.”

New technologies offer a real opportunity to find solu-tions for meeting UN millennium objectives, according to

Tollet. “They help us confront numerous challenges affect-ing health and wellness, education and research, culture, sustainable development and the environment, mobility and the economy. The Expo can add its voice to pledges such as the development of telemedicine in isolated communi-ties, digital campuses, distance learning, identity conser-vation and cultural heritage, supporting creativity, preven-tion and management of major natural catastrophes, green mobility in cities and reducing the isolation of rural com-munities via information technology and communication.”

Green and open eco districtIf Liège is selected, in the first quarter of 2013 the private partner for the development of the Coronmeuse quarter of the city will be selected. This area was chosen because it is in immediate proximity to the planned tram that will con-nect it with the city centre, Tollet says. “Motorway access is nearby and there are many green spaces on the banks of the Meuse. Coronmeuse was the site of the water-themed expo-sition organised by Liège in 1939, interrupted by the start of World War Two. The Grand Palais, a reminder of this expo, is to be preserved and restored.”

Following an international tender, the Liège Expo 2017 com-mittee decided to collaborate with Dutch urban architecture

Why an international expo?Universal and international expos represent a unique occasion for a country to

invite countries from all over the world and show them what they do best in terms of

development. A Universal expo takes place every five years for a period of six months.

each participating country constructs its own pavilion, which is unlimited in surface area,

and the theme is of general and topical interest for everyone.

An international expo comes round every two years and lasts two months. The

pavilions are built by the organiser and the interior is personalised by participating

countries. The surface area of the site is no more than 25 hectares, and the theme is of

general interest but with a specified goal.

Liege 2017

Winter 2012 - 11

company VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism, which spe-cialises in the organisation of eco districts. “The local author-ities would like to modernise this area by making it green and open; a model of sustainable development,” explains Tollet. “Cars will be banned. Some 15 new buildings will replace the current Halles des Foires and house the participating coun-tries’ pavilions. After the Expo, they would be converted into housing and offices. The eco quarter would conform to the highest standards in terms of energy performance, urban mix, green transport and green spaces with water from the Meuse used for urban heating,” he says. “The principal allo-cation, post Expo, is destined for housing, offices and serv-ices such as schools, libraries, shops and restaurants. The enhancement of this housing development guarantees the self-sufficient character of the operation. Half of the 25-hec-tare Coronmeuse site would remain untouched, to maintain the area’s green character.”

The tip of Monsin Island is considered ideal for hosting cultural activities and animating the Expo over a three-month period. To accommodate the millions of visitors, a space integrating the different means of transport is planned at Droixhe: a park-and-ride system and renova-tion of the Bressoux station and the arrival point of the tram via the Atlas Bridge. These developments benefit the city beyond the life of the Expo. A cycle and footbridge crossing

the River Meuse would link the area with the Coronmeuse and would be part of the Expo legacy in the style of the Frag-née Bridge after the 1905 World Expo hosted by the city.

Unprecedented economic impactAccording to the predictions of the consultant McKinsey, more than eight million visitors are expected during the three-month opening period, with about 90,000 people a day. Some 100 countries would take part, resulting in exceptional acclaim for Liège and Wallonia. The economic impact is without precedent: €550 million investment and 2,000 jobs to develop the site.

“This represents a considerable step for many businesses,” adds Tollet. “VAT returns generated by an event of this scale will obviously be quite considerable and benefit the whole country. That’s without taking into account the know-how of businesses benefiting from the Expo thanks to its theme.

“Packages will enable visitors to discover tourism in Wal-lonia, Brussels and Flanders. As hotel capacity in Liège is insufficient to accommodate all the visitors expected, they will be accommodated in other places in Belgium. The res-taurant business will also benefit from the Expo. Receiving Expo 2017 in Liège is therefore a fabulous opportunity to benefit everyone in the country.”

Architect’s drawing of the planned expo

Ve

nh

Oe

Ve

nc

s a

rc

hit

ect

ur

e +

ur

ba

nis

m

wab

12 - Winter 2012

Belgian stage

Umatched in event managementBelgium has a remarkable gift for welcoming the world. Here we look at the country’s tradition for

holding major events down the years Leo Cendrowicz

co

rb

is

The Atomium was built for the 1958 Brussels World Expo

LiEgE 2017

Umatched in event management

Winter 2012 - 13

There are few, if any, countries that can rise to the chal-lenge of organising globally important events like Belgium can. Whether it’s a sports tournament, an arts fair, a political convention or a business forum,

Belgium has consistently shown an adeptness for the logis-tics, management and accomodation needed to welcome the world.

It is a talent that has been invaluable in tough times, as Bel-gians showed in 1920: just two years after the end of World War One, when the strongest and fastest men and women of their generation gathered in Antwerp for an unprecedented festival of sport and culture.

One of the most remarkable episodes in Belgian history, the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games aimed to draw a line under the war that had so devastated the country, but were also extraor-dinary because they were thrown together in an unheard-of speed. Just 12 months after being confirmed as host city, Ant-werp was greeting the first athletes for the five-month Olym-piad that combined both winter and summer events.

A more recent major sporting contest was Euro 2000, foot-ball’s European Championships that Belgium co-hosted with the Netherlands just over a decade ago. For three weeks, football fans descended on the country for a competition that has become the world’s third largest sporting event, after the World Cup and the Olympics. The tournament involved unprecedented security and policing, as well as massive tick-eting, catering and transport challenges, and resulted in a hugely memorable occasion.

Regular highlights of the Belgian sporting calender include major cycling races such as the Liège-Bastogne-Liège circuit, the Flèche Wallonne, the Tour of Flanders and even the Tour de France on occasion, as is the case this year when the race will start from Parc d’Avroy in the heart of Liège. Other annual events are athletics meetings such as the Ivo Van Damme Memorial in Brussels, and the contest for tennis’s most bling trophy: the diamond-studded gold tennis racket on offer to the woman who wins the Proximus Diamond Games.

Not forgetting, of course, the ever-popular Grand Prix, which has arguably the most famous corner in racing. The Eau Rouge high-speed turn on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, named after the tiny stream that the course crosses, has near-legendary status among the world’s top racing drivers. The race itself attracts crowds of more than 50,000 each year.

Brussels Expo

Away from sport, Belgium hosted the World Expo in Brussels in 1958. Like the Olympics, it was the first to be held after a global conflict; in this case, World War Two. Belgian authori-ties were lauded for their organisational zeal and their readi-ness to overhaul local infrastructure for the occasions. For example, some 45km of new road surfaces were laid, 7.5km of tunnels dug, construction of the metro began, and Zaventem airport was built.

To this day, the Heysel plateau, the site of the exhibition, is still the venue for major trade fairs throughout the year:

Brussels Expo is home to more than 115,000 square metres of space in 12 impressive halls, and hosts 60 exhibitions and 90 events every year.

In the cultural sphere, Belgium can boast a number of major music events that bring in top names from around the world. Rock Werchter, held near Leuven, is one of Europe’s five big-gest annual rock music festivals in Europe, and is a regular recipient of the Arthur award for best festival in the world. It can host 80,000 fans, with most spending all four days at the event.

The other major festivals are the four-day alterna-tive music bonanza Dour Festival, which offers six stages and 200 bands and DJs, and Pukkelpop, held near Hasselt, which gathers a variety of rock, dance, hip-hop, and heavy metal performances over its three days.

More specialist events include the Francofolies de Spa, an annual music festival in Spa aimed at promoting French music, which draws around 200,000 visitors; and Ars Musica, an international contemporary music festival in Brus-sels. Les Ardentes in Liège brings a programme of rock and electronica to crowds of almost 70,000 in the lush green set-ting of Parc Astrid in the Coronmeuse.

International film festivals

Belgium boasts many film festivals. Mons’ International Love Film Festival was launched 28 years ago by current prime min-ister Elio Di Rupo, and is dedicated to love in all its forms; while Liège-born crime writer Georges Simenon is the inspiration for the city’s international crime film festival, which incorporates numerous events throughout the town. The neighbouring Walloon city of Namur has been staging the important Inter-national Francophone Film Festival for 26 years.

The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, held each April, is a showcase for horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies; while the two-week Flanders International Film Fes-tival in Ghent, in October, culminates in the World Soundtrack Awards.

All this adds up to an impressive organisational tally, recog-nised back in 1920 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, after the Antwerp Games. “Belgium has now succeeded in setting a record of intelligent and rapid organisation or – if I am allowed to speak in less aca-demic but more expressive terms – a new record for its skill in improvisation,” he said.

Belgian authorities were lauded for their organisational zeal and their readiness to overhaul local infrastructure for the occasions

14 - Winter 2012

international

Global arenaLiège’s bid for Expo 2017 is a timely challenge for the

city to show the world its international credentials

and those of Wallonia-Brussels and the entire country

wab

Bernard Demonty and Sarah Crew

Belgium, despite its diminutive size, punches above its weight in international affairs. With its 30,528km2 and 11.07 million population at the last count, it has a significant standing in the world economy. Accord-

ing to the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund, the country is the 20th most powerful economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of €330 billion.

This is largely due to Belgium’s tradition of openness to other countries and continents. In 2010, exports rose to €212 billion, which is impressive when compared to France, a country 20 times larger, which reported €392 billion in exports last year.

Belgium can also thank its extensive communications net-work for the performance. The country benefits from a highly developed motorway system, consisting of 1,763km of motor-ways, the densest in Europe after the Netherlands. It also boasts an integrated freight rail network and high-speed pas-senger service.

On the air traffic side, Belgium has three major airports (Brussels, Liège and Charleroi). It can also rely on its port infrastructure: Antwerp is the second biggest maritime port in

Europe and the 14th worldwide, despite port development in emerging countries. The port of Liège is also worth mention-ing as it is Europe’s third most important inland port.

Furthermore, Belgium extends its openness on a political level via its capital, Brussels, the seat of the European institu-tions. The city houses the European Union, Parliament, Com-mission and Council, plus the Committee of the Regions and European Economic and Social Committee. This ensures, among other things, an extraordinary media representation.

But this is not confined to the international institutions and federal authorities, as Wallonia-Brussels also plays a key role. Following a number of reforms, Belgium is no longer a single state and has adopted an increasingly decentralised federal model. The Wallonia Region, Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia-Brussels Federation have gradually received increased responsibilities. In the regions, these are linked to economy, transport, environment, property and land develop-ment, agriculture and employment. The federation’s respon-sibilities are connected to the individual: the health system, family allowance and education.

All these federal responsibilities have been strengthened by the reform of 2010 and will be activated in the coming months. They also include important international aspects, which enable Wallonia and Brussels to have a presence and influence around the world.

In practice, the federal bodies can draw on representation spread over five continents. First, they have recourse to Belgian embassies and consuls. But federalism provides additional aid to the regions, and communities such as Wallonia and Brussels also have their own presence in strategic countries and cities.

Wallonia can also count on about 100 economic and com-mercial advisors around the world. They showcase Wallonia abroad, but are also involved in other activities, providing an important source of information about economies and mar-kets. The Brussels-Capital Region similarly has a network of some 80 representatives with the same mission.

In addition to economic attachés, Wallonia-Brussels has delegates with diplomatic status in most strategic countries. There is one to the EU and 16 others in important cities such as Paris and Berlin in Europe, Quebec and Santiago in North and

LieGe 2017

Winter 2012 - 15

South America, Kinshasa and Dakar in Africa and Hanoi and Beijing in Asia.

To ensure its international influence, Wallonia-Brussels possesses considerable legal clout. The regions and the Wal-lonia-Brussels Federation have the authority to sign coopera-tion agreements and projects arising from these agreements. A recent example of it exercising this power is the accord last June between the federation and Turkey relating to culture, education and training, and also involving visual arts and theatre, heritage, sport and the media. Another accord with Croatia in 2010 helped Walloon and francophone artists in Croatia and increased the profile of businesses in Wallonia-Brussels and Croatia.

As well as these bilateral agreements, Wallonia and Brus-sels are also involved in policy-making within the European institutions. Represented at the Committee of the Regions, regional and community ministers are consulted on matters concerning their competence. When questions about agriculture arise, for example, the Wallonia Minister is called upon to represent his region.

Wallonia-Brussels is also present at the heart of the international francophone organisation, active in defending the values of a multicultural francophone community which respects human rights and minority expression. It also has a voice, at a consulting level, in organisa-tions as prestigious as Unesco.

To guarantee its influence and that of the French language, Wallonia-Brussels takes part in an important programme that reinforces the presence of the language of Molière in European institutions. This programme has enabled the training of some 10,000 civil servants and diplomats and has boosted the teaching of French in institutions that train future European civil servants, such

as the European College in Bruges and the Diplomatic Acad-emy in Vienna.

But influence is not only a matter of treaties, conventions and organisations; it is about individual men and women. In response to this, Wallonia-Brussels has supported entrepre-neurs and talented professionals in ambitious projects, in var-ying domains, including economic and cultural cooperation.

These initiatives are well known, such as the achievements in the design sector, traditionally a Wallonia speciality. With the support of Wallonie-Bruxelles Design/Mode, 12 designers have received recognition for their talents in an international competition at the prestigious Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany. Their works, supported by private business partnerships, range in scope from the interior of the Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica, conceived with the Walloon office Nedda, to designer Danny Venlet’s creation of futuristic glass that is transparent during the day yet adopts the colour of artificial light at night.

The performance of Brunehaut Brewery over the past few years shows how regional agencies can assist companies in the economic domain. Bearing the colours of Wallonia and Belgium in a market dear to the national heart, this producer

of artisan beers has quadrupled its turno-ver abroad in four years, with the help of the regional export agency. The brewery, based in the province of Hainaut, pro-duces and exports three abbey and three organic beers, and won the export prize in the Belgian national competition The Showcase of the Artisan last year.

In the health sector, the work of Didier Giet, professor of general medicine at Liège University, is worth highlighting. With the backing of Wallonia-Brussels, he has frequently travelled abroad to learn about the needs of the population of

Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, principally in the area of vacci-nation. This has resulted in missions to set up medical outposts providing an individual service for patients who would other-wise have to attend impersonal and overpopulated hospitals. Groups of Vietnamese doctors have travelled to Belgium for

Wallonia and

Brussels are also

involved in policy-

making within the

european institutions

From left: Liège airport; Cécile de France; Sang Hoon Degeimbre of l’Air du Temps; a creation by Ariane Lespire; Brussels’ Grand’Place

co

rb

isA

le

xA

nd

re

bib

Au

t

co

rb

is

wab

16 - Winter 2012

international

Where in the world but Brussels would a theatre group perform Hamlet in French, German, Spanish and Swedish, surtitled in english? This is typical of

Brussels’ vibrant cultural scene, where local and expatriate communities can enjoy performances that reflect the city’s position as a cultural crossroads in the heart of europe.

Brussels is a capital city on a human scale, with 1.1 million inhabitants in 19 communes. it has been described as “the less attractive little sister of Paris, but with a bigger heart”; a description that rings a bell with many inhabitants. it is also

training in groups of five, to help equip them for the general medicine needs in their own country.

Wallonia-Brussels is able to export its know-how and values in the increasingly important area of environment protec-tion. A project set up in Mauritania last year is beginning to bear fruit, involving the plantation of a ‘green belt’ around the capital, Nouakchott. Wallonia financed 800 hectares of refor-estation between 2000 and 2007, imparting its knowledge through a Wallonia forest expert, who specialises in the battle against silting. In 2010, almost 200,000 shrubs were replanted in an area covering 726 hectares.

Finally, Wallonia-Brussels can count on informal ambassa-dors in all domains of daily life. In the sporting field, the Wallo-nia cycling champion Philippe Gilbert has continued to add to his trophies. The winner of the Lombardy Tour in 2009 came first this year in the Flèche Wallonne and his home race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, as well as winning stages and wearing the emblematic yellow shirt in the 2011 Tour de France. In total, he notched up 16 victories last year and is one of the sport’s most bankable stars. Belgium also boasts a fine field of international

tennis stars, and former world number one Justine Henin has set up a tennis academy in Brabant Walloon. The Liège-born athlete won seven Grand Slams during her singles career and was considered one of the greatest players of her generation. She maintains an international profile through her charity work and has also opened tennis schools in Florida and China.

In the cinema world, there are numerous actors and directors who attract international attention. Actor Benoît Poelvoorde (C’est arrivé près de chez vous, Podium, Mon pire cauchemar) continues a brilliant career, as do Cécile de France (Talk Show, Le Gamin au vélo, Mauvaise foi), also from Namur, and Liège-born Marie Gillain (Coco avant Chanel, Magique, Les Femmes de l’ombre). There is no shortage of directors in Brussels and Wallonia, either. Currently courting extensive media cover-age is Bouli Lanners (Eldorado, Les Géants) and the Dardenne brothers, winners at Cannes of the Palme d’Or in 1999 for Rosetta and in 2005 for l’Enfant, and in 2011 they won the

LieGe 2017

The expat view

Brussels:a cultural melting potEmily von Sydow

probably one of the factors behind the city’s honourable 15th place in the ranking of quality of life for expats compared to other cities housing a large international community.

it proudly boasts a higher score than Amsterdam, New York and Berlin in the City RepTrak rankings, based on interviews with 35,000 citizens from all over the world responding to questions about the reputation of a city and a country in which to do business. The green neighbourhoods that surround the city centre combine with the comfort and convenience of a central location, and property is affordable compared to in other major cities.

The city’s image as a haven only for bureaucrats is chang-ing, says Ans Persoons, of the Brussels-europe Liaison Office. Brussels is right in the middle of the megalopolis known as the ‘blue banana’, a concept created by a French geographer in 1989, which draws a banana-shaped corridor of urban conglomerates from Leeds in the north east to Milan in the south west. Brussels is thus within reach of a huge amount of europe’s population.

According to eU statistics, some 30,000 people work in the institutions in Brussels. Three quarters of them are non-Bel-gians and a majority live in the Brussels region. And it’s not only the european institutions that have made Brussels their

Winter 2012 - 17

home: hundreds of global companies have set up their euro-pean headquarters in Brussels, such as Pfizer, Toyota, General electric, Monsanto and Levi Strauss.

The total number of lobbyists working in the city is difficult to define, but 15,000 is probably the minimum. if lobbyists are defined as regional offices, trade union representatives and so on, the number rises to 100,000. The number of staff in regional offices is the category that has grown the most in recent years.

The european institutions and their ‘followers’, as the lobbies and organisa-tions are known, occupy 30 percent of the 10 million m2 office space available in the city. The diplomatic corps is the world’s biggest, as 6,400 diplomats work for bilateral embassies to Bel-gium and representations to the eU institutions and Nato.

The international press corps is also massive, with almost 1,300 accredited journalists and technicians covering the political machinery of Brussels. The media corps shrunk for a while when editors found online correspondents far more economical than those in situ, but this trend has slowly been reversed.

in order to meet the needs of this multilingual community, several international schools, including the european institu-tions’ own schools, have been established, and international universities offer a wide range of educational possibilities in addition to the Belgian system.

As the capital of europe, Brussels has developed strong transport links with the rest of the world. ‘Welcome to europe’ signs greet passengers arriving at Brus-sels’ international airport, which reported 17 million passengers in 2010. The airport is among the largest in europe, and the rail infrastructure means Brussels is con-nected with continental europe and the UK via high-speed trains.

The Thalys takes you to central Paris in 90 minutes and to Charles de Gaulle airport in 80, while London is a two-hour journey from Brussels with the eurostar. Northbound trains connect the city to Amsterdam and Schiphol airport, while Cologne and Frankfurt in Germany are equally convenient.

All this ensures that the city thrives, partly thanks to its influx of international citizens who enjoy working and living in such a multicultural and colourful capital.

The city’s image

as only a haven

for bureaucrats is

changing

Grand Prize for Le Gamin au vélo. Other distinguished names are Benoît Mariage (L’Autre, Convoyeurs attendent, Cowboy) and Lucas Belvaux (La Raison plus faible, Trilogie), brother of the late actor-director Rémy Belvaux (Man Bites Dog).

Liège has also built on its applied arts tradition in forging a new reputation for fashion and design. While many original stylists and designers developed their careers abroad, the current vogue are establishing an international reputation from within the country’s borders. Join-ing the recognised fashion names Jean-Paul Lespagnard, Véronique Leroy, Elvis Pompilio and Ariane Lespire are among a clutch of emerging and head-turning stars, including Monsieur Bul, Céline Pinckers, Giovanni Biasiola and Filles à Papa. On the design front, two stellar creators are the Brussels-based Xavier Lust, whose lighting and furniture is gracing the world’s finest stores and museums, and Laurence Humier, who divides her time between Belgium and Milan. Her foldable creation Meeting Chairs has garnered worldwide recognition and is exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

For many locals and visitors, the allure of Wallonia-Brussels lies in its excellent homegrown regional produce and profu-sion of world-class restaurants. Both the artisan and agricul-tural food industry are booming, making the region a flourish-ing market garden for neighbouring countries. Michelin-star red restaurants and top-flight chefs include the two-star gas-tronomic l’Air du Temps, whose chef, Sang Hoon Degeimbre, leads the country in pioneering fusion and molecular cuisine.

Traditional local produce includes not only cheese and char-cuterie, but also condiments (Bister mustard), chocolate (Mar-colini, Laurent Gerbaud, Jean-Philippe Darcis and Duval), bis-

cuits (Delacre, Destrée and Spécul’house), syrups by Aubel and Delvaux, pekèt liqueurs, numerous beers (Bush, Moinette, Cuvée des Trolls and Chimay) and newer products such as Belgian Owl whisky and award-winning wines (Ruffus, Château Bon Baron, Chenoy and Roisin). Among the locals who have created an interna-tional brand is Alain Coumont, with his bakery and café chain Le Pain Quotidien.

This catalogue of individuals, institu-tions and diverse projects contributes to the positive image of Belgium and Wallonia-Brussels around the world. It is to be hoped that Liège in 2017 will be another shining exam-ple of the region and country’s ability to welcome visitors from abroad to sample its talent, rich culture and love of the good life.

The current vogue

are establishing an

international reputation

from within the

country’s borders

From left: the Princess elisabeth polar station; designer hats by elvis Pompilio; the film-directing Dardenne brothers; a manon praline by Marcolini

co

rb

is

18 - Winter 2012

technologywab

Jennifer Baker

sh

ut

te

rs

toc

k

We live in an increasingly connected world. The internet has connected the vast majority of people to the rest of the world in a way we could never have imagined, bringing with it

a wealth of opportunity and information. Liège’s bid for the Expo in 2017 will highlight the power

and importance of connectivity, under the banner ‘Con-necting the world, linking people, better living together’.

Already, in places such as Japan, 12 percent of citizens, consumers and companies have access to ultra-fast inter-net via fibre networks. In Korea, the figure is 15 percent. Europe is currently not so far advanced in this regard – most of us are connected to the internet at home via old-fashioned copper wires – but that is about to change.

It is the aim of the European Commission to get ‘every European digital’ by 2020. By this, they mean they want coverage for every European to fast broadband of more than 30 megabits per second; and to get 50 percent of households subscribing to ultra-fast speeds of more than 100 megabits per second.

Get connectedLiège’s Expo 2017 bid focuses on the

technological revolution that is bringing

the world ever closer together

LieGe 2017

Winter 2012 - 19

Broadband fundingIn order to do that, the European Commission is making a substantial investment. It has proposed to spend almost €9.2 billion from 2014 to 2020 on pan-European projects to give EU citizens and businesses access to high-speed broadband networks and the services that run on them.

The funding, part of the proposed Connecting Europe Facility, would take the form of equity and debt instru-ments and grants. It would complement private investment and public money at local, regional and national level and EU structural or cohesion funds. And, most importantly, at least €7 billion would be available for investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure.

Belgium is already ahead of the game in connectivity. Fixed broadband access is widely available and broadband take-up stands at 31 percent, while household take-up is at 73 per cent. As for speeds, Belgium in general is better than the EU average. Voo – the main internet provider in Wallonia – offers download speeds of up to 50 megabits per second (and upload speeds up to 2.5 megabits per second).

This is currently less than in the Brussels region and Flanders, but in practice, more than 70 percent of the Bel-gian population can potentially download files at a rate of 20 megabits per second.

Spectrum issuesAlthough the European Commission wants to see increased investment in fibre networks, it is also push-ing for more wireless broadband. To facilitate this, they want more wireless spectrum opened up for broadband internet use. The so-called ‘digital dividend’ – the wireless spectrum freed up by television moving to digital formats – could be a great help here. In particular, the Commission wants all EU countries to allow access to the 800MHz band by 2013.

In Belgium, mobile broadband take-up on notebook com-puters is only at 2.7 percent of the population, compared to the EU average of 7.2 percent. However, smartphones are a different matter: Belgium’s 3G network already boasts 90 percent coverage and the upgrade to a 4G network will soon be made.

The e-economyBelgium’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector is also hugely important to the economy. According to BusinessBelgium, it currently contributes more than 4 percent of Belgium’s gross domestic product, and between 1997 and 2007 it accounted for a sixth of the country’s growth in GDP. The latest IT Industry Competi-tiveness Index ranked Belgium in 22nd place worldwide.

Buying online content and ordering goods or service online are similar to the EU average, while cross-border e-commerce stands well above the EU norm (19.7 percent relative to the EU average of 8.8 percent).

In Wallonia, the Walloon Telecommunications Agency (AWT) promotes universal access to information technol-ogy and communication and encourages their widespread use. According to AWT, there are more than 850 compa-nies active in this sector in the Walloon Region. In particu-lar, Google and Microsoft both have operations at a high-tech business park in Mons.

The region has stressed the role of these technologies in the lives of citizens and government activities. Indeed, the policies initiated by the Walloon Region are designed to prevent a digital divide between those with access to new information technologies and those without.

To further promote this, centres of competence with modern facilities train people and companies to make better use of the internet. These are:

• Technifutur (Liège region)• Technocité (Mons region)• Technofutur3 (Charleroi region)• Techno.bel (Luxembourg and Namur regions)

Liège’s Technifutur is a centre of competence composed of 14 areas of activity, including aeronautics, image and multimedia, energy and environment, and computer science. Its missions include training, educa-tion, advice, support for research and development, e-learning and e-busi-ness, for workers, job seekers, teach-ers and students.

The revolution in communications is a relatively recent one, and it is having a significant impact on every-day life, encouraging more frequent exchanges, offering new ways of working and prompting a shift in our relation-ship with our heritage and the world around us.

Belgium is geographically located at the heart of Europe and the Liège Expo aims to demonstrate its desire to reach out to the rest of the world. The goal is to provide a univer-sal platform for exchanging know-how about the commu-nication technologies of the future.

Online habitsBelgium ranks among the top

countries in terms of both regular

and frequent internet use. Some

75 percent of Belgians use the

internet at least once a week, and

60 percent access the internet

almost every day. Belgians are

above-average users of the most

common internet services, such

as reading online newspapers

or magazines, downloading,

listening to or watching music

and making significant use of

social networking sites such as

Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

Technology in action at Technobel

wab

20 - Winter 2012

natural science

21st-century healthEvolving technologies have the potential to

revolutionise the way we manage our health

and that of our families

Tania Rabesandratana

Liege 2017

Winter 2012 - 21

Connectivity can touch our lives in very personal ways: our body, mind and health, our home and family. Information and communication tech-nology (ICT) has the power to make our lives

not just easier but also healthier, and e-health – the use of ICT to treat patients, carry out research or monitor public health – is likely to transform our daily lives in the next decade. Liège Expo will put the spotlight on a wealth of opportunities for well-connected well-being.

“We try to project ourselves into what will be possi-ble in 2017,” says Simon Alexandre, manager of Wal-loon research centre CETIC (see box, right) and scientific adviser for Liège Expo 2017. “What are researchers work-ing on today that will be available in seven or fifteen years?”

In its Master Plan: Creative Wallonia released in June, the region envisioned how ICT would transform a day in the life of a Walloon family in 2025. For example, the fam-ily’s grandmother, Claire, is 77 years old and lives alone. Like many people of her age, Claire suffers from chronic diseases including high blood pressure, and must watch her blood sugar levels.

The scenario says that she has a blood pressure meter and a glycaemia control kit, connected wirelessly to a mobile monitoring device. The measurements are sent automati-cally to her doctor, who collates them into her secured per-sonal health record. If the doctor decides that Claire needs extra tests based on these results, he can make an appoint-ment directly with the hospital and inform Claire and her family automatically through a secure email service.

This is not just science fiction: scientists in Belgium and beyond are already working on making this seamless approach to e-health a reality. This starts with a series of sensors that measure parameters in our body – such as our weight, heart rate or blood pressure. These sensors will be integrated in a portable device like Claire’s, or they will be implanted directly in our body – for example, in our joints, our brain or in a prosthesis. This will be particularly important to help patients with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular conditions or diabetes.

The data captured by these sensors will then be sent wirelessly and stored in our personal health record. While today our medical history is stored and managed by doctors and hospitals, this personal health record will be managed by patients. Alex-andre says: “The idea is simple but there are a lot of technologi-cal requirements behind it: building sensors, operating systems and sharing data that are compatible.”

CeTiCBased in Charleroi, CeTiC is

the Belgian centre for applied

iCT research, dedicated to

supporting industry. Founded

in 2001 by three universities in

Namur, Louvain-la-Neuve and

Mons, it provides expertise in

software engineering, innovative

services technologies, cloud

computing and embedded

systems. For example, CeTiC’s

experts can help businesses

build up their research activities,

develop iCT projects or design

prototypes.

www.cetic.be

NeuroTeChNeurotech specialises in

medical devices that can

be implanted in the human

brain to stimulate the nerves

directly, to treat conditions

such as epilepsy. For example,

Neurotech has taken part in the

development of an electronic

implant linked to a tiny camera

that can help blind patients

recover some vision. Based in

Louvain-la-Neuve and founded

in 1996, the company is at the

forefront of research in its field.

www.neurotech.be

PCSoLFounded in 1988, PCSoL is

a Belgian iCT company that

specialises in developing

solutions for the management

of health records by general

practitioners. PCSoL has a

keen interest to extend this

management to other healthcare

professionals or to the patients

themselves. With headquarters

in Liège as well as offices in

Brussels and Tunisia, PCSoL

focuses on the development of

open source software.

www.pcsol.be

PoLyMediSPolymedis is a university spin-

off created in 2003 to develop

a range of solutions to manage

electronic patient records.

its products already help to

manage medical data related

to about 11,000 hospital beds

and 700,000 emergency cases

per year in Belgium, France and

Luxembourg. Based in Mons,

Polymedis aims to become the

country’s leader in the field.

www.polymedis.com

ViTaLTroNiCSVitaltronics is a telemedicine

company based in Louvain-

la-Neuve since 2008. its star

products include the glucom,

a device that can send blood

sugar level values from a

glucose monitor directly to a

mobile phone. its ‘iPod of

health’ will be available

within five years – a

portable health

monitor that will

alert patients and

doctors when

necessary.

www.vitaltronics.

be

Walloon players

22 - Winter 2012

wab natural science

The end of the lab mouse?

Bioinformatics researchers are also busy building up a vir-tual human being: a comprehensive computer-based model that will replicate a body’s intricate functions and reactions. Alexandre explains: “You could reconstruct the organs and their functions, and how they interact with other organs.” This ‘virtual patient’ will be used to test new drugs instead of in vitro or on humans in clinical trials. This means drugs will be tried out at a much earlier stage in the research chain, so unpromising avenues will be abandoned sooner and the drug development process speeded up.

In addition, this human model will make drug devel-opment much more precise and predictable. Scientists will be able to test drug candidates not only in a healthy virtual patient, but also in a model tailored to reflect, for example, a common disease or a person’s genetic profile. Researchers will obtain a detailed view of how a molecule is absorbed, distributed in the body and excreted. They will be able to determine what dosage might work best, or check if a potential drug has side-effects and under what exact circumstances they occur.

In short, such a virtual patient will transform the way drugs are made – but the revolution is still many years off. This field of research is still young and “developing such a model will require a monumental global effort,” according to the study Pharma 2020: Virtual R&D, published in 2008 by international consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoop-ers. Liège Expo 2017 will provide inspiration to shape this vision.

Smart home

Beyond our own body, the objects around us will also be connected and work as our invisible guardian angels. Our most familiar domestic objects, from our kettle to our bedroom door, will also be equipped with sensors. These objects will monitor our movements or our use of gas and water, for example, and communicate wirelessly with the rest of the world in the case of problems.

“Imagine, for instance, a patient suffering from Alzhe-imer’s disease,” Alexandre says. “If we know that she gets up between 8.00 and 9.00 every day, an object connected to the internet will be able to send an alert if it doesn’t happen.”

All these research avenues depend on the robustness of the underlying internet infrastructure. “You will have a very powerful internet network wherever you go, whether through a wire or wireless. It would be broadband, very secure and reliable,” Alexandre says. “And of course there are important technical, ethical and legal issues surround-ing privacy. We must make sure that patients can protect their data in a secure system, and that, for instance, insur-ance companies wouldn’t have uncontrolled access to this data for commercial purposes. At all stages of research and deployment, you mustn’t forget to ensure security and trust.”

Not getting any youngerageing is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges ahead for

developed countries.

• In 2010, the proportion of elderly people living in Wallonia was about

23 percent, and this figure is expected to rise to 32 percent in 2060,

putting a strain on pensions and healthcare spending.

• In the same period, the average life expectancy of Belgian people at

birth would rise from about 83 to 89 years for women and from about

78 to 86 years for men.

• The challenge for e-health is to make our senior years not only

longer but also healthier, more active and better connected.

Source: Statbel www.statbel.fgov.be

The year of active ageing active ageing is the focus of several projects in the eu in 2012. The

european authorities have in effect declared that the year will be

devoted to this theme, and to solidarity between generations. This ini-

tiative aims to provide answers to the ageing population in europe. By

2060, the continent will have only two people of working age (15 to 64

years) for every citizen aged over 65. Today, the ratio is four to one.

2012 will see the launch of various projects to enhance the skills and

participation of older workers, who are too often seen as a burden.

a global shiftThe benefits of e-health are not limited to the richer parts of the globe. The World health

organisation has long acknowledged the potential of iCT to change healthcare globally.

For example, telemedicine uses iCT to overcome geographical barriers – this can help

rural communities in developing countries that have little access to healthcare. in 2005,

the united Nations’ agency urged its member states to draw up long-term plans to

develop e-health infrastructure and services. Who also set up the global observatory

for e-health to review progress in different countries, and provide guidance on the best

policies and standards to boost e-health across the world.

Liege 2017

co

rb

is

Winter 2012 - 23

Archiving the future The future of culture is digital, as the Liège

Expo plans to demonstrateAnna Jenkinson

The ways in which information and communication technology (ICT) tools influence culture largely fall into two camps: on the one hand, there is technol-ogy that allows the preserva-

tion and further understanding of our cultural heritage; and on the other, technology as a creative force. In selecting culture as one of its themes, Liège Expo 2017 plans to embrace both aspects.

The cultural offerings at the Expo are also set to cut across the personal space, the city space and the global space. As such, the exposition is likely to include technological advances that affect the artistic creator at home, the visitor to the city museum and global bodies concerned with cultural mat-ters such as Unesco.

Augmented reality is one technological development with the potential to have a big impact in the future, says Simon Alexandre, director of CETIC, an applied research centre in Wallonia that works with companies in the field of ICT and

is helping the Liège Expo organisers. Augmented reality is a broad-ranging term, but essentially it refers to the ability to look at a real-life scene and then, with the help of technology, receive extra information or data to improve, or augment, your understanding of reality.

Alexandre illustrates his point with the example of a trip to a museum. “You could take your smartphone to the museum, point it at an artwork and it would recognise the image, con-

nect to an online database and provide information and context about that particular artwork,” he says. “By using cross-referencing tools, links could also be made to other related works or artis-tic movements.”

Digital archivesThe digitalisation of cultural herit-age is an area that several companies, organisations and government depart-ments have been exploring for years in Belgium. In the audiovisual field, for example, the Brussels-based archiving

services company Memnon is involved in the digitalisation of more than 700,000 hours of sound and video archives for cul-tural institutions and audiovisual organisations throughout Europe, including the European Parliament and the British Library.

culture

Liege 2017

The cultural

offerings at the expo

will cut across the

personal space, the

city space and the

global space

Memnon provides archiving services for numerous cultural institutions

wab

24 - Winter 2012

culture

As the company says, “we are capable of offering digi-talisation services for practically any sound and video medium.” Closer to home, one of its projects is with Sonuma, the company set up in January 2009 to preserve, digitalise and promote the archives of Belgium’s French-language radio and television company, RTBF.

Belgium’s French-speaking Com-munity is encouraging such archiv-ing initiatives, not just at audiovisual institutions, but also in museums, libraries and archive centres. In Octo-ber 2007, the French-speaking Com-munity government launched a plan aimed at protecting cultural heritage by preserving collections in a digital format and ensuring they are interop-erable, so they can be accessed by the services and institutions of the French-speaking Community, educational networks, researchers and the public at large. Financing is provided to help cultural institutions and organisations digitalise their works.

Online heritage researchThe Community is also developing a common portal from which all the online databases and websites will be accessible. A prototype for this portal will be up and running early in 2012, with plans to go live a year later, says Evelyne Lentzen from the Commu-nity’s General Delegation for the digi-talisation of cultural heritage. She summed up the importance of the cul-tural digitalisation plan by saying, “It’s archiving the future.”

These issues are also on the agenda at an EU level, most visibly through Europeana, an online access point to Europe’s cultural and scientific herit-age. “The objective is to put online the collections held by Europe’s libraries, archives, museums and audiovisual archives – vast numbers of books and periodicals (there are some 2.5 bil-lion items in Europe’s libraries alone), and millions of hours of film and video covering the whole of Europe’s diverse history and culture,” according to the European Commission’s website.

In a November 18 speech, Androulla Vassiliou, the Commissioner respon-sible for culture, told delegates at a culture summit in Avignon that a number of obstacles needed to be over-come before digitalisation could achieve its full potential for growth and jobs. Intellectual property rights, market frag-mentation, internet piracy and counterfeiting are all issues that must be addressed in order to build a “thriving creative economy”, Vassiliou said.

As for technology acting as a trigger for artistic creations, many innovations have been seen in recent years, from

Liege 2017

video installations to digital art and from the incorporation of ICT tools in music to the use of technology in theatre and dance. Creativity and technological innovation are at the heart of what the Numediart Institute for New Media Art Technology does.

Founded in 2007 by the University of Mons, the institute organises scien-tific training and research activities in the area of new media art technol-ogy. Numediart covers a wide range of topics, including audio, image, video, gesture and bio-signal processing for applications in which man-machine interaction aims to create emotions. Thanks to digital technology research in these areas, new forms of works are being created.

There is no doubt that ICT is affect-ing the world of culture in ways that were unforeseeable just a few years ago. Liège Expo aims to highlight this connection by showcasing the best of culture and technology, both from home and from the rest of the world.

Getting with the cultural

programmeAs part of its bid, Liège is underlining the city’s cultural richness, pointing out that not only does it have cultural connections with names such as cin-ema’s Dardenne brothers, Georges Simenon, the creator of the fictional Inspector Maigret, and the violin-ist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe, but the city is also home to a royal opera, philharmonic orchestra and national theatre.

Liège’s cultural modernisation plans are also presented as an asset. The Royal Opera, for example, is undergo-ing renovation work, while the Théâtre de la Place is moving to a prestigious neoclassical building; both of these projects should be completed by 2015. The city is also planning to open a new International Centre for Art and Cul-ture on the bank of the river Meuse in time for the Expo.

Liège is keen to stress its links with other Belgian towns as well as cross-border partnerships, for example with Mons, which is to be European Capital of Culture for 2015, and Maastricht, just over the Dutch border, which is bidding for the same title in 2018 on

behalf of the entire Meuse-Rhine Euroregion.For the Expo, an area of 27,500m2 is to be dedicated to cul-

ture and celebrations, ranging from an amphitheatre on the edge of the river Meuse to a ‘carnival boulevard’ and a semi-covered open-air theatre. If it were to win, Liège Expo says it would offer visitors a “magical and unforgettable” cultural programme.

Useful linkswww.numeriques.be

www.memnon.be

www.numediart.org

www.europeana.eu

Winter 2012 - 25

The information and communication technology (ICT) revolution of the past decade is transform-ing the world of education and training. Advances in technology have created

richer and more motivating ways of teaching and learning in the class-room, they have made distance learn-ing more accessible and interactive, and they have allowed learning to be personalised.

As part of its bid to host the Expo in 2017, Liège wants to showcase and share the digital solutions avail-able around the world for people at every stage of their life, from primary school through to adult education.

For the education theme as for the other themes of Liège’s bid, the tricky part is coming up with concrete ideas of what will be included when the world of technology changes so quickly. “ICT evolves very quickly. In this field, five years is an eter-nity,” says Simon Alexandre, director of CETIC, an applied

research centre in Wallonia that works with companies in the field of ICT and is helping the Liège Expo organis-ers. “Ideas that are at the research and development stage today will be reality in 2017,” he says.

So what kind of advances may be made? One change that is like to happen is a wider use of e-learning applica-tions. Tablets such as the iPad are still relatively new on the market and not yet within the budget of most pupils, Alex-andre points out. The prices will come down though, and

as tablets become available to a much wider public there will be a rapid devel-opment in e-learning applications, he says.

E-learning programmesOne Liège resident who has a lot of experience in the use of ICT tools in education is Marianne Poumay, a pro-fessor at the University of Liège and director of the e-learning initiative LabSET. Having been developing and evaluating e-learning programmes for the last decade, she has a good idea of

the difference they can make. “ICT is like a pen or pencil you need to learn and teach. Why do without it, when you can do better with it?” she says.

Liège University has a virtual campus, created by

education

Liege 2017

Digital learning for lifeTechnology is at the heart of the changing

face of education, as Liège plans to showcase

Anna Jenkinson

One change

that is likely to

happen is a wider

use of e-learning

applications

Technology in the classroom

co

rb

is

wab

26 - Winter 2012

educationLiege 2017

LabSET about a decade ago, which provides online support for stu-dents. Some activities that used to be done in the classroom are now done online; others have been created to complement class learning, such as case-based learning activities where students explore and analyse spe-cific situations, sometimes in virtual groups that bring together different faculties.

Back-to-basics teaching

LabSET has developed, and continues to develop, various online projects, some by itself, others with partners. Take for example CIUF, the French-speaking Community’s interuniversity council, which aims to help a greater percentage of first-year university stu-dents succeed.

Online videos, problem-solving activities and ‘back-to-basics’ tutori-als aim to help students master the skills they need to pass their first year. While the finances and resources are not available to provide individual support in the physical world, it is possible in the virtual world. The CIUF tool also enables students to monitor their progress and ensure they’re on track. The aim is for stu-dents to be able to manage their skills individually.

Online education

ICT technology has not just brought advantages to students; teachers are benefiting too. Liège University is trying to share its expe-riences; for example, it has an online degree course to improve teaching skills that is also available to teachers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We want other people to be able to use what we have

here,” says Poumay. The online course, which is recognised under the Bologna Process and thereby assures quality and standards, can be tailored to their specific teaching needs so the skills learned help improve their teaching, she explains.

Digital schooling

Integrating ICT into education is an aim of the Walloon regional govern-ment, as spelled out in ICT Master Plan:

Creative Wallonia, published in June 2011. The regional government wants to move from the system that exists today to “a truly digital school”. In order to achieve this, the document contains many ideas including the following: deploying a broadband school network so that all school buildings will have high-speed internet access by 2016; organising calls for tender to involve the private sector in creating new digital approaches to teaching and learning, for example with cloud computing or serious games (the use of games in education and training); and reassessing the school curriculum in order to integrate ICT skills.

Such a rethink about education is also going on at a European Union level. Following a public consultation on the future European programme in education and training, a report summarising the results had many ICT-related points. Recommendations included the need to put more emphasis on digital skills and new innovative cur-ricula and pedagogical approaches such as serious games, encouraging virtual mobility, and placing more emphasis on funding activities linked to ICT.

By including education as one of its themes, Liège Expo 2017 aims to show how ICT and education are crucial for the future, using initiatives in Liège, Wallonia and Bel-gium as a springboard for sharing ideas with the world.

Ardent Liègeexpo 2017 isn’t the only international event that Liège is bidding for in the coming years.

The town is also preparing a bid to host the 2016 Congress of the international Federa-

tion of French Teachers (La Fédération internationale des Professeurs de Français, or

FiPF).

The FiFP represents 80,000 French teachers, through associations and federations,

from 140 countries around the globe. The international congress, held every four years,

attracts about 1,500 delegates who come to learn about the latest global developments

in teaching French. As the bid organisers say in a statement, holding the Congress in

Liège would be “a happy prelude” to the international expo in 2017 were the city to win.

in its bid for the 2016 teachers’ congress, Liège’s slogan is ‘French, an ardent lan-

guage’ (‘Le français, langue ardente’), conjuring up notions of burning enthusiasm and

passion as well as being a play on words as Liège’s nickname is the Ardent City.

www.fipf-Liege-2016.be

integrating iCT into education is an aim of the Walloon regional government

Liège University professor Marianne Poumay

© in

st

itu

t D

es

tr

ée

/ t

he

De

st

re

e in

st

itu

te

Winter 2012 - 27

Most people know Belgium is at the heart of Europe when it comes to the decision-making machinations of the European Union, but they may not be aware of what expertise Wallonia

offers. With the Liège Expo 2017 bid flying the banner ‘Con-necting the world, linking people, better living together’, transport and communications technology are piv-otal themes.

Freedom of movement of people and goods is an integral part of the EU and a key driver of European economies. Goods need to be transported intact, safely and quickly, so sound logistics management is paramount. Informa-tion and communication technology (ICT) plays a major role by tracking goods and optimising routes.

Wallonia has two major organisa-tions providing support for companies to develop expertise in the area of transport and ICT: the Belgian centre for applied research for companies in the ICT sector (CETIC) and the Logistics in Wallonia innovation network.

Well connected Belgium and Wallonia are well served in terms of road, air, water and rail links for individual travellers and the distribu-tion and logistics industry. For a start, there are two major airports in Wallonia. Liège is Belgium’s largest cargo airport

and the seventh largest cargo airport in Europe. In 2010, a total of 640,000 tonnes of goods passed through Liège airport, which is also developing its passenger activities (300,000 passengers in 2010). In less than 15 years, 10,000 jobs have been created at the airport and a further 6,800 indirectly.

The amount of cargo traffic passing through Liège is still growing, despite the economic and financial crisis sweep-ing the world. In November, Liège airport announced

that, from January to October 2011, the volume of goods handled there rose by 5.84 percent compared to the same period in 2010. Business is set to boom even further, especially after its main runway was extended in Sep-tember 2010. The airport specialises i n t ra nspor t i ng freight, including fresh food, flowers and animals (espe-

cially horses). It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Another major airport in Wallonia is Charleroi airport, which specialises in low-cost carriers.

Also of note is the Autonomous Port of Liège, a string of more than two dozen individual ports from which freight can be transported far into the heart of Europe – into Germany to south-east Europe or via France to the south-west. Much of its traffic comes from the sea port

transpor t

The right locationWallonia leads the way in logistics

innovations Julian Hale

TrilogiportThe new port comprises three

distinct zones, spread over 100

hectares between the Meuse

and the Albert canal:

1. A container port to handle

285,000 containers per year

2. A traditional port zone

3. A logistics zone dedicated to

European distribution centres.

Work begins in January 2012 and

will take a year and a half. The

total investment is €158 million

and it will create 2,000 jobs.

31

2

2

LiEgE 2017

Freedom of movement of people and goods is an integral part of the EU

transpor t

wab

28 - Winter 2012

of Antwerp before travelling inland to Liège. As the third largest inland port in Europe (with 21 million tonnes of merchandise in 2010), Liège is increasingly considered a maritime holding port due to the lack of storage areas in Antwerp and Rotterdam. It has therefore started building a tri-modal rail-road-waterway platform called Trilog-iport, one of Liège’s most important redeployment projects.

Overall traffic (water, rail and road) through the port grew by 15 per-cent in 2010 compared to 2009, and traffic trans-ported by water grew by 17 percent. In addi-tion, the Albert canal connects Wallonia to Germany, the rest of the Benelux area and south-

ern Europe, as well as the UK via the English Channel. The Walloon Min-istry of Equipment and Transport’s Directorate for the Promotion of Inland Waterways and Inter-modality points out that, unlike other means of transport such as road and rail, which are close to saturation point, transport on Wallonia’s waterways has not reached its full potential.

In October, the European Commission adopted a €31.6 mil-lion proposal to connect Europe’s road, rail and transport net-works. The Autonomous Port of Liège is a priority European network and the modernisation of the Albert canal is a project under consideration in this context.

In terms of rail links, Wallonia is served by the three prin-cipal northern European high-speed train networks: Thalys and TGV to France and the Netherlands, Eurostar to the UK and ICE to Germany. These are, of course, passenger serv-ices, but the infrastructures put in place will also soon be used as the basis for the EuroCarex network, which will, in 2015, connect Liège to London, Amsterdam, Paris and Lyon,

transporting merchandise rapidly by rail. As far as logistics are concerned, Belgium came first out of 25 countries in a ranking of the best countries in Europe to locate a distribu-tion or logistics centre, according to a report by research group Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker in 2008. It said: “Belgium has remained in first position as a result of low property and building costs.”

Boosting the region’s transport and logistics

expertise

Wallonia is making the most of its excellent transport links and its prime location for logistics centres by working on a large number of projects. The establishment of competitive-ness clusters is a major part of Wallonia’s 2005 Marshall Plan for economic recovery. One of these clusters, Logistics in Wallonia: Transport & Logistics, sets up innovation pilot projects (funded by the Walloon Region), acts as a network-ing conduit and seeks to attract foreign direct investment in Wallonia.

Logistics in Wallonia prepares calls for tender for research funds for consortia that must include one large company (more than 250 employees), one small company (fewer than 250 employees) and two research centres such as universi-ties. CETIC, the Belgian centre for applied research for com-panies in the ITC sector, is then responsible for managing the projects. The idea behind one project, called eCMR, or Transport, Embedded and Communications Systems, is to move from paper-based data collection for goods vehicles to an electronic system.

“In the domain of transport and logis-tics, three players are to be found,” explains Charles-André Verschueren, innovation manager of Logistics in Wallonia:

• those placing the orders, who have merchandise to be transported

• transport-logistics companies that provide solutions to the former

• technological and scientific services providers, who can supply innovative solutions to those on the ground.

“Our role is to promote research that may lead to technological solutions for which we can obtain a patent, solutions

that add value to the whole of the sector,” says Verschueren.One project that has received the Logistics in Wallonia

label is a four-year (2007-10), €16.4 million one involving 27 partners, called Translogistics. The lead company was French business Alstom, which specialises in the rail industry with an operating site close to Charleroi.

As Stéphane De Ketelaere, of Wallonia research centre Mul-titel, one of the partners in the project, explains: “Its objective was to enable part of the information and communications technologies to play a role in the development of a total com-bined transport system, integrating road, rail and waterways in Wallonia.”

The results included an innovative tracking and tracing system enabling merchandise to be located at the level of a maritime container and its contents, irrespective of its mode of transport.

The main reasons for Liège’s

top ranking are:

• excellent access to the main

European markets

• a central geographic

location

• top transport infrastructure

and volume, close to main

ports or with good multimodal

links to these ports

• low costs for land,

warehouses and labour

• a labour force that is

available, highly productive,

skilled for supply chain jobs

and has good language

knowledge

Unlike other means of transport, which are close to saturation point, transport on Wallonia’s waterways has not reached its full potential

LiEgE 2017

Liège is a major transport hub

400 km

300 km

200 km

100 km

Winter 2012 - 29

Once renowned for its coal and steel works, the city of Liège has been undergoing a metamor-phosis and shedding its industrial grime. Where once slagheaps featured on the horizon, over-

shadowing the few monumental sights that survived the World Wars, the city is now home to stunning architectural feats such as its futuristic Liège-Guillemins railway sta-tion, designed by world-famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

And its story of reinvention is not over yet, as the city looks to further clean up and green up its act. As part of its bid to host the 2017 World Expo, Liège’s planned revamp will not only smarten up the city but also showcase its green creden-tials. Pavilions that will house the Expo and planned devel-opments for the Meuse waterfront will be built with their future use in mind – as an eco district on the Coronmeuse peninsula between the city and the municipality of Herstal, giving Liège green public spaces, accessible by environmen-tally friendly transport such as bikes and a tram.

At the heart of Europe and at a crossroads between major international cities such as Brussels and Maastricht, Liège’s eco-district would demonstrate to the rest of the world how such developments can go hand in hand with environ-mental goals as we face an increasing threat of irreversible damage from climate change. It would also address human

health needs as we become increasingly aware of our con-nection with the environment.

“Liège should become an example of how a city uses the river, and of a family-friendly, sustainable mixed neigh-bourhood,” explains Katharina Hagg, architect at Dutch firm VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism, which was commissioned by consultants McKinsey to submit a tender for the Expo project for an eco district. “The Expo will show the relevance of this topic in all of our spheres of life.”

Connectivity and environmentThe connectivity theme underpinning the Expo is explained by those responsible for Liège’s bid to host the Expo as “the technological phenomenon that is making it increasingly easy and fast to create links between an astounding number of women and men worldwide”. The link to environment is the value that technology brings in terms of its “contribu-tion to the personal development of individuals and to the solidarity between them”.

According to Hagg, the theme of connectivity and the environment can work on many levels, from the buildings to the district to the region. “A building should work as a city and a city should work as a building,” she says, adding that the public buildings and spaces should be places for people

Liège sets a green example The Expo 2017 plans to show the world how to live sustainably

Emma Portier-Davis

environment

Green credentials for Liège Expo 2017

LiEGE 2017

ve

nh

oe

ve

nc

s a

rc

hit

ect

ur

e +

ur

ba

nis

m

environmentwab

30 - Winter 2012

to meet and see different people and that they should pro-vide enrichment. “And, of course, they should be interesting and beautiful.”

Hagg says key to the theme is that the Expo buildings are not built solely for the event and then left to languish, as has been the case, she says, with sites in Valencia and Han-nover. Rather, they should be built for their future purpose, with their use for the Expo being tangential. “The buildings are designed as the future eco neighbourhood that the area should become after the Expo. Only during the Expo they’re outfitted and used differently.”

Smart thinkingThe theme of Liege’s bid is ‘Connecting the world, linking people, better living together’, with information and com-munication technology at its heart. Smart technology is also being put to good use where the environment is concerned. Energy will be gathered from renewable sources, with solar panels installed on roofs and the sides of buildings. The solar energy they provide will power the pavilions’ air

conditioning, lighting and water filtering systems. In all the buildings and in certain zones of the Expo site, cables and pipes will be conceived with the environment in mind, lim-iting water consumption, reducing emissions and making the most efficient use of energy possible. A smart grid (an intelligent electricity distribution network) will minimise energy loss and will continue to be used post-Expo.

The project anticipates an infrastructure that connects to the utility services and also ensures they remain in good working order. It means that all buildings on the masterp-lan will be equipped with the necessary services which will function with maximum flexibility as regards installation and type.

Hot and cold water will be produced by heat pumps and heat exchangers. It will be stored in public reservoirs, ready to provide refreshment in warm weather and to provide hot water when needed. Rainwater will be collected for water-ing lawns, cleaning toilets, washing floors and other tasks. This way, significant savings of drinking water can be made.

The legacy of LiègeGetting the environmental features right within the build-ings (which, the city has decided, must meet strict environ-mental standards) and the district will pave the way for a broader connectivity with other regions. Part of the project is for a tram system that could be used to link Liège – the economic capital of the Walloon Region – with the munici-pality of Herstal but also with other cities such as Maas-tricht, Hasselt and Aachen.

In Europe, regulators are moving to limit road transport emissions and encourage a switch to more sustainable

Expo numbers

LiEGE 2017

Key to the project

is the development

of buildings for their

future use, rather

than specifically

for the Expo

After• Housing 130,00

• Services 25,000m2

• A hotel 7,500m2

• Office space 35,000m2

• A stock exchange 20,000m2

During• Pavilions 108,000m2

• Services 20,000m2

• Entertainment 15,000m2

During the Expo

Winter 2012 - 31

methods of transport. Bolstering public transport between cities would be a major stepping stone to decarbonising the region’s roads, as Europe approaches its legally binding 2020 deadline to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per-cent from 1990 levels.

Its days as an industrial powerhouse set the tone for much of the city’s development. “The central parts are domi-nated by infrastructure,” says Hagg, noting that the river is “almost invisible”. With the railway station and recent reno-vations of monuments such as its museums, the city has already made some attempt to create a greener space. Hagg says her job, if her project is selected, would be to complete this process.

“With seeing the site [of the Expo] not as an isolated island but as one point in the structure of the city, we were looking into the existing networks, missing links and how to use the Expo to bring the whole city together,” she explains. It’s not a question of out with the old and in with the new, either. She adds that it will be “important to use existing features of the site, not to make a tabula rasa [clean slate] but to work with the history as well as the future”.

Rejuvenating this site in

particular will also join the dots historically, as it was set to play host to a 1939 World Expo that was interrupted by the outbreak of World War Two.

And if expos are remembered for anything, it’s the land-marks they spawn, such as London’s Crystal Palace, built for the inaugural International Exposition in 1851 but later destroyed in a fire, and the Eiffel Tower in 1889. But not all sites have been successfully transformed for other uses after

the event. “Only Lisbon, using a long-term

strategy completely reorganising crucial functions in the city, could use the expo as a catalyst for the making of a new city district,” says Hagg.

In the case of Liège, there are already existing monuments that could be given long-lasting recog-nition through the Expo, includ-ing the railway station (likened in the British Guardian newspaper to landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower), the city’s Grand Palace, its school and its monument to King Albert.

For people looking back on the Expo in 2117, Hagg says: “I hope that they remember a vibrant party in the whole city, the summer of the Expo 2017 and how it gave them back their river and a new green riverfront.”

Architect Katharina Hagg

After the Expo

ve

nh

oe

ve

nc

s a

rc

hit

ect

ur

e +

ur

ba

nis

m

32 - June 2009

the big picture

wab

AP A4 AWEX.indd 2 4/10/07 11:11:01