'Ugly' Tourism in Belgium

An entrepreneur in a declining industrial city takes visitors on an 'Urban Safari.'

1 minute read

December 17, 2010, 6:00 AM PST

Charleroi, a city of 200,000 with an unemployment rate of over 25%, typically doesn't get many tourists, writes Frances Robinson, but native son Nicolas Buissart hopes to change that with his unconventional tours of former industrial sites. Stops include abandoned metro stations, a converted river barge, and former steel works.

While Buissart describes ticket sales as "robust," city officials have yet to embrace the concept, writes Robinson:

"City authorities haven't taken kindly to the tour. They say the city has turned a corner.

"'The cultural life of Charleroi is very rich,' insists [Antoine Tanzilli, the councilor responsible for promoting tourism at City Hall.] "Although it's not a tourist town in the conventional sense, we get visitors due to the airport, and there are some architectural jewels.'

"New transport and business projects, he reckons, will reinvigorate the city center."

FULL STORY: Tour Embraces a Town's Ugly Truth: It's a Dump

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 in The Wall Street Journal

Community / Economic Development Europe Tourism Belgium Post-Industrial Cities

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.