Latin radicandum, neuter of radicandus, gerundive of radicari – the radicant. Meaning taking root on, or above, the ground; rooting from the stem, like the trumpet creeper and the ivy. Can we use this description not only for plants, but also for people? Are people moving to other countries and across the seas a problem of the 21st century, or has it always been here? And is it a problem at all?
Throughout the course of the semester, we tried to find the answers to these questions and learn more about migration and how human mobility affects the places we are living in. We focused on two neighbourhoods in Brussels known for their diversity – Matongé and European quarter and tried to find how people appropriate the place in different times during the day, what are the agencies of actors in the public space?
This helped us find the strengths and weaknesses of both neighbourhoods and hink about the opportunities hidden between the streets. We especially concentrated on social connections, or the lack of them and on fostering communities. We also tried to find more about tactical urbanism as sometimes these short term and low-cost interventions can have a huge impact and can catalyze long term changes.