Waregem: Living in a Belgian city - Infrastructure, architecture and everyday life

Waregem — is a city located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium, which is part of the Kortrijk district. The city is located between two major cities — Kortrijk and Ghent. It is an important center of the textile and furniture industry, and is known for its Gouden Spoor horse races.

Wareham is a relatively small, but rather densely populated city. As of 1 January 2020, its population was around 38,300, showing a gradual increase from previous years. The population density is quite high — of about 820 people per km2, which is a typical indicator for urbanized areas of Belgium.

Waregem's transport infrastructure is a prime example of a well-organised and modern urban environment fully complying with high European standards of sustainable development and security. A key characteristic is its multimodality, which is manifested in the support and integration of various types of movement. Special attention is paid to active modes of transport, detached colour cycle paths are a feature of Belgian cities which actively encourage the use of bicycles as a major mode of transport. For pedestrians, wide sidewalks are provided and pedestrian crossings are marked, often with elevated platforms. Each intersection has special buttons for pedestrians and cyclists.

Public transport bus stops are quite comfortable, the transport itself is well-kept, but often, it may, arrive earlier or later than the time specified in the schedule.

The introduction of «Zones 30» (speed limit up to 30 km/h) in urban areas is typical for Belgium. There are very large fines for traffic violations, which significantly increases road discipline. However, in view of the extremely high popularity of cycling and its integration into the urban flow, there is such a feature that it is more likely to hit you here by a bicycle than by a car.

If we consider the transport infrastructure of Waregem not only from the standpoint of advantages, then even in such a seemingly exemplary Belgian city, there are disadvantages. In contrast to broadband roads with clear markings and bright bike lanes (Photo 1,2, 3), the footage below reveals limited parking space for cars. Cars huddled along the roadway without clear parking pockets not only steal traffic space, but also visually litter the street.

Despite the overall priority of active modes of transport, potential conflict between cars and cyclists arises in certain sections. This is especially noticeable where individual bike lanes disappear or pass into a common lane. It also makes me extremely indignant that cyclists seem to have a higher priority here than pedestrians. They drive unhindered on the sidewalks when there is no separate lane for them on the narrow road. And it's me, a pedestrian, who must be constantly attentive and always huddle against the wall or look around, because otherwise there is a real risk that I may be knocked down. 

Waregem is dominated by a mixed type of medium-rise residential development, which is typical for modern European cities.

The mixed type includes modern apartment buildings (3–7 floors), which are a major component of development, especially noticeable in new or renovated areas. They are characterized by light brick or clinker masonry, large panoramic windows and numerous balconies, mostly with modern glass or metal handrails. The ground floors are often used for commercial purposes, integrating residential space with urban infrastructure.

Also in the photos presented earlier (Photo 4.5), we see traditional row (terrace) houses (2–3 floors), which are built of red or dark brown brick, have pitched roofs and are closely spaced. They make up a large part of the older or historic residential streets of the city.

In some of these areas, among the dense buildings, it is noticeable that the streets are quite narrow and not always abundantly landscaped with large trees, limited only to individual bushes or lawns along the sidewalks. Because of this, the main shadow cover is not created by green spaces, but directly from the shadow of houses. The number of individual private houses and villas is smaller compared to apartment and row houses. These are architecturally distinct structures, mostly surrounded by open green areas without high fences or without them at all.

Waregem adheres to the principles of a compact European city, which involves dense, but at the same time comfortable for life buildings that rationally use the land plot. This constitutes a balanced approach to urbanization that combines the need for population growth with the desire to preserve the quality of life.

In Belgium and Europe as a whole, the customs of trade may come as a surprise to those who are used to 24-hour shops and supermarkets that work without days off, because here shops usually close earlier, and on Sundays the vast majority of establishments do not work at all. Automatic vending machines work 24/7 is common. This is a thoughtful solution that meets the everyday needs of society.