| dc.description.abstract | This master thesis investigates the uses of and the emotions, and experiences attached to a
former coal mining site located in the province of Liège, Wallonia. This site is located in
a semi-urban environment experiencing rapid urban growth in the last few years.
Formerly heavily industrialised, it has now become covered in vegetation and could be
characterised as a wood setting. The site, commonly referred to as the Hasard, is still the
private property of the former Colliery and is therefore officially closed to the public.
However, this does not stop hundreds of people from using it weekly.
This thesis studies the user profile, the activities carried on site, and what the site
represents to its users and the residents living next to it. It also investigates the different
institutional actors and the past history of the place in order to contextualise and frame
user and resident responses. The methods used are of qualitative nature, including semistructured
interviews and exploratory observation. Sixty hours of structured observations
were also carried out on site in order to identify the diversity of uses and users.
Ultimately, the results of the fieldwork show that the Hasard site is a very
dynamic space serving many uses such as cycling, dumping waste, strolling, sledging,
playing, hanging out, and driving motorcycles. It brings in people a wide range of
emotions and experiences, from fear and wonder to blissfulness and there were very few
people wishing for it to disappear. The site serves a very important function in the area. It
is a ‘free’ public space where there is no control and no exclusion. It answers a need for
nature and is linked to a very strong place identity in the neighbourhood. However, the
future of the Hasard is uncertain. Highway plans, as well as abusive users and
institutional miscommunication, threaten its existence. | |
