MAPPING Economic Activities

Made by:

Federico Giaretta - Erasmus Plus programme exchange studentgiaretta.federico@gmail.com

Jan Zaman, Spatial Development Department Flanders (rev 1)

May / August, 2016revision 1, October 2016

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INTRODUCTION

During the internship at Ruimte Vlaanderen, my work was based on the will to get a better and new kind of knowledge about the economic activities dislocation and differentiation in Brussels metropolitan northern area. The new data and information’s presented in this work can be considered as a useful base for the next steps of T.OP Noordrand project. The work, conceived as a pilot project, which could be extended and repeat-ed in other areas, is based on an empirical research, done by a visual check of what is identifiable as economic or designed for an economic use directly on the site, aimed to identify, locate and classify all the different types of existing economic activities in the selected areas. Nowadays, Brussels city is growing and requires more and more space, using often the periphery as expansion area. This constantly growing process tend to push and move out of the city the industrial and medium / large economic activities, which are perceived to be unsightly for an urban environment. Economic sector play an important role within cities and their suburbs areas, for that reason an analysis that identifies the different types of activities and their location is funda-mental in the early phase of a project like the T.OP Noordrand one, to give at all the stakeholders a better and more complete area view.

The document, after this small introduction is structured as follow:

1) Case study areas overview

2) Field work explanation

3) Economic activities categorization

4) GIS data processing and digitalization

5) Findings

6) Conclusions

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1 - CASE STUDY AREAS

The project has identified two different case study areas, located on the border between the Brussels Capital and Flanders regions in the north and north/east city area , and also part of T.OP Noordrand project.

The first case study area follow the track of Leuvensesteenweg road, between Meiser in Brussels and the village of Nossegem, a portion of Zaventem municipality in the Flanders territory for a total of 8.5 Km. Muni-cipalities contained in this area are four, three of them are part of Brussels Capital Region ( Evere, Schaerbeek and Sint-Lambrecht-Woluwe) whereas the last one, Zaventem, is part of Flanders Region. This area, marked on the south by the A3/E40 highway and on the north side by the Brussels Cemetery for the first part, and by both agricultural fields and Brussels / Louvain railway was develop during the years under different economic and political forces, without a strategic overview for the whole area. This has led to the creation of areas with different uses, that are nowadays next to each other with obvious differences in needs for services, number and type of connections with the City and internal dynamics.

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Pic 1.1 - Case study areas overview

Pic 1.2 - Leuvensesteenweg area

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The second case study area is part of three different municipalities, and as the first one is located on the border between Brussels capital and Flanders regions. The three municipalities in which the area is included are: City of Brussels, Vilvoorde and Machelen. The zone is marked by the Vilvoorde city center on the north, Machelen and R22 street on east side, the Brussels / Antwerp railway on the south and the Willebroekse ca-nal for most of the west side. In the last decades the area has been used mainly by industrial activities, like car and other types of manufacturing. Thanks to the industrial decline some of these activities have been closed or have moved elsewhere, bequeathing spaces that today are empty or used by other activities. Today those spaces represent an opportunity, not only for the area itself but also for the nearby municipalities, and for that reason it has been analyzed in this project. The zone is also characterized by a remarkable infrastructure presence, like the RO. highway viaduct and the two railways lines, whom affect dynamics and movements.

Pic 1.3 - Machelen / Vilvoorde area

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2 - FIELD WORK

This project was based on a first phase of field work. That has led to the creation of a map / list of all eco-nomic activities in the area, based on what was recognizable and identifiable during the survey. This stage has required 8 days to cover the 17.2 sq. Km extension of case study areas, the means of transportation used was a bike. For this kind of activities a bike is preferred , thanks to his versatility it’s possible to cover an huge amount of area in a short time and, moreover, all kind of tracks (road, off road and street) are easily accessi-ble.

Identification process has been carried out using a base map, on which all the visible economic activities have been marked. The base map used is based on the Topovector map, that show all the infrastructures (rails and roads), green areas, waterways and buildings. Whereas the available version was not the most recent and updated one, and observed the lack of the single parcels borders, the cadastral map has been added on the Topovector map. Thanks to this a more detailed and complete map was created, in which all buildings and their relative parcels were easily recognizable.

In addition of the base map, a table has been used to take all the required information about every single eco-nomic activity. Useful information detected were: Activity name, Activity description (if available), and a first attempt of classification referred to the economic activities classes defined and showed in the next chapter.

Pic 2.1 - Field work material

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As shown and explained previously, the survey was based on a new and clear map without any kind of infor-mation about existing economic activities in the area, to pursue the will of considering and measuring only what is really visible. Nevertheless, a survey attempt starting from an existing inventory has been done, to compare the achievable results and to understand which of the two methods appears to be more quick and exhaustive. The existing inventory used is the one referred to Buda, an industrial area part of the second case study area mentioned before. This inventory, made by Elena Borghese and Çiğdem Hacıoğlu and showed in “Life in Buda” book localize and describe the area buildings use, based on a field work and combined with a desktop research to obtain more information about every single activity. The procedure was performed as follows, starting from the “Life in Buda” map an activities list, a field work focus on economic activities dou-ble-checking and updating (if required) was done.

Obtained results and impressions allow to say that double-checking and updating an existing database requi-re more time on the field, especially if different information are included in the original database, rather than creating a new one.

Pic 2.2 - Buda activities list doublecheking

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3- ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES CLASSIFICATIONS

In this chapter an explanation about the final economic activities classifications that is used in this work is given. The aim was to define some classes able to contain all the different types of activities, gathering them according to the activity type or the operating field.

The categorization is based on the one presented by the CASS University of London students. Thanks to the 24 defined classes, this give a more detailed view, especially for the aforementioned categories for which the content was not clear and subject of misunderstanding. The previous two retails categories are now split in five different ones (Retail and Wholesale in the new classification). The same holds true for Tertiary and Ad-vanced Tertiary Sector and for the old Manufacturing category, now presented into three sub-categories. It’s important to point out that some categories, like for instance “Restaurants, Cafés & Takeaways” , “Hotels and B&B” , “Construction”, “Unknown” and “Vacant” remained unchanged both in the definition and contents.

Manufacture: Agriculture (MAG): Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Here are considered only the farms buildings and their relative areas.

Manufacture: Metals & Machinery (MMM) : This category include all the activities aimed to assemble, con-struct, create every kind of tools and machinery or parts of it. Activities related to the treatment and process of metals materials and their surfaces are included.

Manufacture: Food, Beverages & Catering (MFC) : Companies involved in food and beverage goods produc-tion are considered. Part of this category are also all the activities responsible for the production of hot meals for hospitals, kindergartens and schools. In addition of this, catering companies are included.

Manufacture: Other (MO) : This category include all others types of manufacturing activities that are in the area. Some examples are manufactures of chemical products, coating, textiles, rubber products, paints, pack-aging, glues.

Printing & Publishing (MPP) : Activities involved in producing printed material by means of inked type and a printing press or by similar means, plus business of producing books, newspapers, etc., by impression from movable types, plates, etc and all photocopying shops defines this category.

Utilities (U) : Organizations and companies that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). The set of services provided by these organizations consumed by the public is: electricity, natural gas, water, sewage and garbage.

Vehicle Sale & Repair (V) : As mentioned in the previous classification, vehicle sale e repair include all the activities related to vehicle local distribution and businesses that sells new or used vehicles at all levels. Re-pairing activities like garages, bodywork and tire repairers are considered.

Construction (CO) : The construction category includes all the activities that provide materials, equipment and machines for the construction sector (buildings, infrastructures and more). Construction companies are included.

Wholesale: Food & Beverage (WF) : Resale (sale without transformation) trade or distribution of food and beverage goods to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional or professional users, or to other whole-salers, or companies. Food and beverage import and export companies are included

Wholesale: Other (WO) : Resale (sale without transformation), trade or provide of goods to retailers, to in-dustrial, commercial, institutional or professional users, or to other wholesalers, or companies. Examples of goods considered are: house furniture, beauty products, electronic parts and materials, toys, audio and video components etc. .

Transport & Storage (WTS) : This category include all logistics companies and services, define as the man-agement of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet requirements of customers or corporations. Warehouse, storage and self-storage activities are included.

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Servicies: Education (SE) : Preschools or kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and any other kind of Educational service are considered in this category.

Servicies: Healt Care (SHC) : As explained before health care services category include all the activities based on the prevention or treatment of illness, delivered by health professionals (providers or practitioners). Medi-cal clinics and labs providing analysis are also part of this category. Animals health care activities are included.

Servicies: Public (SPU) : Public offices of every level of government, from the municipal to the state one. Eu-ropean Union (EU) offices, buildings and spaces used for public and social activities or meetings are included. Are also considered Police and Fire fighters stations.

Servicies: Professional (SPR) : This category, similar to the Advanced Tertiary one, include companies pro-viding information services, such as computing, ICT, consultancy (offering advice to businesses, real estate agencies, insurances and financial companies), R&D (research, particularly in scientific fields), banks. Admin-istrative offices of companies, professional, scientific and technical activities are included

Servicies: Other (SO) : Companies that provides technical maintenance services, personals beauty services as hairdressers or barbers and beauty centers, or other activities like Laundries, cleaning companies, gas sta-tions, driving schools, car wash or parking etc. are considered.

Retail: Food (RF) : Food retail is referred at all the activities involved in food selling at every level, starting from Supermarkets up until groceries, bakeries, convenience stores and butcheries.

Retail: Construction (RC) : This category take in activities related to finishing up, restoration, maintenance and renew of houses carried out by people and sometimes by companies. Some example are: Brico, furniture and bathroom furniture, flooring retail, windows and doors or stairs dealers, etc. .

Retail: Other (RO) : All others kinds of retail not included in the two previous categories are part of this one. Shops selling goods like clothes and shoes, phones, laptop and electronic devices, hair and beauty products, jeweler, glasses, toys, bikes etc. are considered.

Restaurants, Cafés & Takeaways (RB) : All food eating relate activities are considered, such as: Bars, Restau-rants, Pizzerias, Snack bars, Fast-foods and Ethnic restaurants‎.

Hotels, B&B (RH) : All the activities that provides lodging and usually meals, entertainment, and various per-sonal services for paying guests.

Arts, Culture, Leisure and Sports (ACS) : Sports centers, swimming pools, event halls, casinos, gyms and mu-seums are parts of this category.

Faith (F) : This category include worship places that are not traditional churches, like Protestantism, Jehovah sites and Mosques located into buildings able to be used by companies or economic activities.

Unknown (U) : Buildings or parts of them for whom the current or former use is not recognizable from an outside view.

Vacant (E) : Vacant buildings, unused or abandoned.

Pic 3.1 - classification sample and legend

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4 - GIS DATA PROCESSING AND DIGITALIZATION

The choice of a GIS software (Arcmap 10) use, came from the aimof creating a map relate to a database able to contain all the information collected during the field work phase and not just a colored map made while using illustrator. In addition of this, a GIS database allow to modify and update data and the way in which those are presented every time the user request it. It is therefore a more versatile and adaptable methodol-ogy.In the next pages, from a technical point of view, the process that led to create the database and final maps about economic activities localization and classification in the study areas is presented and explained.

Area definition

First of all the working area was define and represented. Starting from the orthophoto view , and starting an Editing session (Editor > Start editing) , using a red line as template, the border was digitalize and afterwards exported and added as a new shapefile in the working space.

Pic 4.1 & 4.2 - Area drawing phases

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The same was done for the white mask that cover the area not considered by this work. Starting an editing session (Editor > Start editing) on the Area shapefile just created, and using the function “Autocomplete poly-gon” a polygon that contain the previous area was created. Once selected and exported as a new shapefile (called Mask), the new polygon has been removed from the original area shape file to keep it clear. Adding “Mask” shapefile below “Area” one allow to represent the case study area as shown in the pic 4.4.

Pic 4.3 - Auto complete polygon

Pic 4.4 - Area covered with mask

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Cadastral maps

Once the area was defined, the next step has involved the cadastral maps. Plural is used because there are four different cadastral shape files, two for Brussels capital region area and two for Flanders area. For each one of those two area both the buildings and parcels shapesfile were used. Starting from the whole regions cadastral maps a clip was made, in order to obtain only the parcels and buildings contained in areas. The clip features used, as picture shows, is the “Area” shapefile created previously. The shapefiles obtained from the clip procedure were use as base for the following digitalizing phases.

Pic 4.5 - Cadastral clip process

Pic 4.6 - Cadastral clip result

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Digitalizing phase

This project phase allowed to input the data about economic activities obtained during the field work phase into GIS, following the purpose of mapping and classify them. At the beginning, two different attempts were made, in order to establish the fastest and better way to do that.

The first one were done only for the Brussels area while exporting the cadastral shapefile attribute tables into Microsoft Excel, in order to add all the required new fields and typing the informations directly using this software. Once opened in Excel, the table was cleaned of some field that were not required. The ID field was used as reference for the next Join (used to import the modify table from Excel to GIS), and other 5 new fields were added. As shown in the pic 4.7, SurveyID, Name, Type, Category and Date field were added to describe and classify all the activities.

This phase required some time to get done, due to the amount of activities and the lack of practicality. To know the ID of each building, a selection of it in GIS using “Identify” function were required before writing all the attributes in Excel on the correct line.

Pic 4.7 - Modified Excel table

Pic 4.8 - Identifing building features

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Moreover, some building in the cadastral map were not drawn or split so for that reason an editing session were required to modify and update the cadastral maps. Thanks to this was possible to assign an ID also to the new buildings.

Once the table was complete, using Join function, an import to GIS were made. The table to import has to be saved as a .dbf file, that is possible to obtain while using Openoffice. The used matching fields were: FID for the cadastral map attribute table, and ID for the Excel files. Those two field represent the same buildings or parcels. Thanks to this a shapefile called “Cadastre_Bru_Buildings” containing the economic activities fields and information was created.

This methodology showed some weakness point that make it not efficient at all, such as:

• Working at the same time on two different software increase the possibility to made errors or mis-takes,

• Switching from one software to the other required more time than working just on one,

• Every time that the cadastral map has to be modified in GIS ( while adding new building or modifying existing ones) also the Excel attribute table need to be update. This step, related to the previous point can be avoid while working directly in GIS on an Editing session.

Representing data after the Join was fingered out in a few steps. Starting from “Cadastre_Bru_Buildings” shapefile properties , while selecting > “Symbology” window > Show: categories > Value field: Cass_cat (or Cat, depending by the classification required) > Add All Values and clicking “Ok” all the defined categories were shown. Afterwards an editing in every single category “Symbol” and “Label” fields was done to obtain the required color scale and legend. “All other values” has been unchecked from the list, due to obtain a map able to show only buildings and parcels with an economic use.

Pic 4.9 - Join Excel table in GIS

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The second attempt, that has been used for the entire project, was made using only GIS. Starting from Cadas-tral shapefile (Buildings and Parcels) the new fields: Name, Activity Type, Categories, Cass Categories (Second classification) and Date were added while using “Add Field” function in the attribute tables.

With the modified attribute table ready an “Editing sessions” has been started. That allow to type the data about economic activities, obtained during the field work, directly in GIS while selecting the buildings and related parcels.

Pic 4.10 - Values Classification

Pic 4.11 - Attribute table editing

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Thanks to this drawing or modifying buildings and parcels was also possible, with an immediate update of attribute tables. Drawing new building or parcels has been done using the “Construction Tools” as showed in pic 4.13.

Pic 4.12 - Data input

Pic 4.13 - New building area before drawing

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Modifying existing buildings or parcels has been made using “Cut Polygons Tools” and “Edit Verticies” as showed in 4.15. This process, repeated for every single building and parcel allowed to avoid the Excel phase while working directly on GIS.

Pic 4.14 - New building after drawing

Pic 4.15 - Editing functions

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Representing data after the “Editing session” has been done in few steps, similar as the ones mentioned be-fore. Starting from “Cadastre_Bru_Buildings” (or any other Cadastral shapefile) shapefile properties , while selecting > “Symbology” window > Show: categories > Value field: Cass_cat (or Cat, depending by the clas-sification required) > Add All Values and clicking “Ok” all the defined categories were shown. Afterwards an editing in every single category “Symbol” and “Label” fields was done to obtain the required color scale and legend. “All other values” has been unchecked from the list, in order to obtain a map able to show just build-ings and parcels with an economic use.

The economic activities (buildings and parcels ) shapefiles were exported as layer files in order to keep the symbology and all related features also while opening this file into another ArcMap job. A layer file (.lyr) is a file that stores the path to a source dataset and other layer properties, including symbology.

Pic 4.16 - Values new classification

Pic 4.17 - Layer export

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The procedure explained so far in this chapter represent the making process of a basic database needed to give an overview about the economic activities presence and classification in a case study area. This database can be used as a base onto add other information, in order to obtain a more detailed one. One of the main purpose can be to include updates in order to keep into the database a sort of history about the site.

As opposed to the procedure previously presented, when the majority of the work has been done while working directly in GIS, at this point an attribute table exported to Excel allow to work and add different in-formation using directly this software. Hyperlinks related to building pictures, interviews, websites, or new fields about companies or activities changes, addresses, telephone numbers and so on can be easily added to starting database. For instance Buda attribute table, showed in pic. 2.2, represent an example of the diferent-data that can be added. After the Excel phase, while using the ArcMap “Relate” function is possible to input the modified table into GIS in order to update the shapefiles and related attribute tables.

Layout

The final step has involved the creation of a printable layout to represent the maps previously created. The selected sheets formats were: an A0 for the second case study area and a modified A0 (84.1 cm x 225 cm) for Leuvensesteenweg area due to his bigger exstension. The selected scale was 1:4000 for both the areas. As showed in pic 4.17 a North arrow, a Scale bar and a Legend were added.

In addition of this a new data frame, called “Inquadramento” , visible into the blue circle, has been added to the map (Insert > New data frame). That has been done to give an overview about the areas location respect Brussels Capital and Flanders Regions. This data frame contain Brussels (area and border) shapefile plus the first chain of Municipalities (around Brussels) areas and borders in another shape.

Pic 4.18 - Final layout

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5 - FINDINGS

The presented work allowed to denote some interesting discussion points that emerged from the process and results analysis. Final results give a complete overview about the economic activities classification and local-isation into the case study areas, both at great and small scale. The term “Economic activity”, as explained in the previous characters, referred to all spaces and buildings used or planned for an economic use. The clas-sification made has considered visible companies and their related activities. In addition of this, is important to point out that companies and activities were considered and classified starting from how physically they represent themselves. Some example of the mentioned classification process are:

• “Makro” in Machelen, a famous wholesale activity present himself as a retail activity, similar to “Gam-ma” (classified as a construction retail activity) located just on the other side of the same street. For that reason it has been classified as retail.

• Sport field and leisure activities were considered as economic only if they present themselves as an activity able to make an income while renting their spaces or providing a customer Restaurant / Bar service. Municipal football fields (like non-league or Sunday league ones) were not marked as eco-nomic.

• Buildings ground floors, designed to host economic activities that are nowadays used for residential uses, and so not anymore suitable for an economic use were not considered during the process.

In some cases due to close facades or low accessibility, was difficult obtain visual information about activity location and typologies. Understanding deptht has been possible only using software like Google maps, street view or earth but even using those ins truments, in very a few cases (like in Paduwa or in Buda), same un-certainty remained. To avoid that uncertain, some interviews or surveys into those buildings are going to be required in the future.

This work cannot be considered as an arrival point, on the contrary, it may be considered as a starting point for a future data development and integration. Data contained in the GIS database and showed by maps rep-resent a solid base that can be extended with different information, providing a more complete state of the economic activities in a specific area. Following some examples of data update and integration are explained, in order to understand some potential uses of this database. It is important to note that future uses and in-tegrations reported below are just some of the possible ones, considered useful with the purpose of giving a better view to the T.OP Noordrand stakeholders about their project area.

Data update can be considered as one of the main aim to follow in order to maintain the utility provided by this database. Economic sector is frequently characterized by changes in activities and companies types or lo-cations. As reported in the “field work chapter”, a double checking of an existing companies database in Buda area made during the 2015 fall, has revealed some changes about companies that are gone, while others have decided to move into this area. Only a period of 8 months has passed between Buda database creation and double checking, and some correction were already requested in order to maintain the database updat-ed. This point out how a periodic update is needed to have a real view on the economic sector differentiation and a knowledge about the site history. The creation of a chronology about every single company or building can be considered useful in order to understand company changes and movements in a specific area.

From a technical point of view there are some doubts that has to be considered or solved before expanding this kind of work to a whole region and updating it. The base map here used is the cadastral one, but it has been edited and modified in order to fit activities and companies into the right part of a buildings or in new ones that were missing. For that reason has to be find out how a future cadastral map update can be related to the map that has been created and presented here.

An interesting add-on, useful to extend the amount of information contained in the database can be repre-sented by a photographic book of every single activity or company. Adding this kind of information, while relating a pictures database using hyperlinks, allowed a visual check of activities useful to implement the database accuracy. In addition of this, thanks to a photo reference some more information, like for instance building conditions, became available without the need of multiple field surveys. As mentioned before also

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this add-on allows the creation of a chronology about every single company or building , useful to understand the different changes in a specific area.

Data contained in the created database are represented in a 2D way, this means that an hypothetical multiple storeys building whit different uses (like commercial use on the ground floor and professional offices into the other storeys) cannot be represented. To extend this 2D view to a 3D one, that result more precise, a “one to many” GIS database will be required in order to represent different storeys and their uses. Adding a new category called “Mix Use” could be an option to avoid the representation of a building characterized by dif-ferent uses.

This economic activities database is the only one existing for Brussels Capital and Flanders Regions based on a visual field work. Other kinds of database, based on companies adresses, like “Magdageo” (for Flanders area) or other municipalities databases, can be used as reference to overlay results, in order to check if companies included in this address databases really exist or are visible while doing a field survey like the one that has been done. A discussion focused on the comparison between a municipality database and the one that has been created here could be useful thanks to the fact that municipalities are often working on a different , and so smaller, scale. That can provide some more detailed information about active companies.

Last but not least, as already mentioned this mapping procedure can be extended and replicated in different areas using the same methodology. Starting from a visual based field work and while integrate it with a desk-top research is possible to obtain results for every kind of areas, even if they are located in the city or in the country side.

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6 - NEXT STEPS

For the mapping of new areas the following changes should be made to the database:

- allowing easy updates to existing maps, thus linking a database to existing layers (GRB and Urbis)

- only make a separate layer for the new polygons (split or redrawn of parcels) and no longer copying excerpts of the existing GRB and Urbis shapefiles

- construction of a relational database that allows multiple entries linked to one building or parcel, including historic data, photographs and interviews.

- link the RDMS to available data from KBO (kruispuntbank voor ondernemingen) where possible

this work will be carried out by RuimteVlaanderen during october - december 2016

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USED DATA

• Ngi_topovector_LB72: Topo vector base map

• Klotho14: Orthophoto base map

• Urbis2016: Brussels Capital Region cadastral maps (Buildings + Parcels)

• Cadmap2015: Flanders Region cadastral maps (Buildings + Parcels)

• Grenzen pervl: Belgium regions borders

• Grenzen prov: Flanders provinces borders

• Bel_adm: Belgium provinces bordes

• BruGIS: Brussels capital region online GIS service

• MagdaGeo

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REFERENCES

1010 Architecture Urbanism (2015), De Gedeelde Vallei, T. OP Noordrand.

Artgineering (2015), T. OP Noordrand, Deelgebied / Zone A205-E40-Meiser-Nossgem, Rotterdam, the Neth-erlands

Borghese E., Hacıoğlu Ç., (2015), Life in Buda, An interactive Site Survey, Ruimte Vlandeeren, Brussels, Belgi-um

Innocenti A., (2014), On the road of Leuvensesteenweg / Chaussée de Louvain, Universitá IUAV di Venezia, Venice, Italy