The idealised dream of a suburban villa, wrapped in a saccharine image of chirping birds, fresh air, and picturesque views, is one of the driving forces behind many would-be homeowners. In pursuing that dream, they steadily urbanise the very countryside they claim to cherish. It is a curious contradiction that many continue to cling to with remarkable determination.
The desire for a place of one's own need not be synonymous with a detached house surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn. The choice is not simply between a villa hidden behind towering hedges, complete with a heated swimming pool and an SUV on the driveway, and a cramped one-bedroom flat with a tiny two-square-metre balcony. We tend to distrust what we do not know, yet there are countless alternatives in between that could suit a wide range of people. Carla in her hacienda and Charles in his manor house have nothing to worry about.
Suburbia is a collective term for neighbourhoods of detached homes. In Belgium, these mainly consist of the classic fermette (a faux-rustic farmhouse), Mediterranean-style haciendas, thatched-roof cottages, stately manor houses, or sleek modern cube homes. There is something for everyone.
IA trainer worn through to the sole lies abandoned on a desire path in the Hallerbos. Just a few steps away, a half-rotted sleeping bag is strewn across the ground. Hidden from the view of leisurely hikers, a trail leads towards a motorway service area ringed with menacing coils of razor-sharp NATO wire. A little further on, a ''doorway'' has been cut into the fence, and sturdy branches hold back the razor-edged steel mesh.
This jagged opening leads to the unlit rear of a sanitary block. At this roadside stop, lorry drivers take the mandatory rest break imposed by their tachographs. After sunset, migrants in transit will make their way here in search of a one-way ticket to the United Kingdom.
