This article engages in genealogical inquiry into Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), to gain deeper insight into the multiple semantic layers of this cultural icon. I argue that the 'roetpiet' (soot Pete) or chimney sweep is rooted in at least as solid an iconological tradition as that of the Moorish child slave. I infer some suggestions for non-offensive Sinterklaas celebrations from this historical excursion. While Zwarte Piet in his Moorish guise is indeed a flawed and racist trace of colonial slavery, his chimney sweep connotations may actually be of value to the cultural remembrance of the by now largely forgotten history of child labour that was so crucial to the early industrialization in Europe, and often still is to economies in the Global South.
Virtuous situations from the industrial past and some ideas for the ?climatic metropolis? to come (cases of Brussels and Paris)' compiles examples and projections that question the shape given to the city and territory at a moment of paradigm shift.00The rapid evolution of climate change is leading to a clear state of emergency that is going to redefine the values and forms of our society and its territories. Several signs of a gradual paradigm shift have appeared and citizen voices are being raised against a social model that is at odds with the environment. Looking towards the past, a fascinated reading of a city?s ability to transform itself radically when necessary, is proposed.00The change, generated by the race towards industrialization and social emancipation, forced metropolises such as Brussels and Paris to develop new urban functions and logics. This evolution took shape in territories that were not yet highly urbanized, but also within the city itself, in negotiation with the existing context. A series of 23 situations from the industrial age draws a panorama of virtuous examples, illustrating an assumed cohabitation between the urban fabric and the infrastructural, productive and energy needs at a precise moment of radical change in Paris and Brussels.00The development of the ?climatic metropolis? must imperatively be based on design values and principles capable of generating a common vision. In this perspective, we propose some ideas for reflection formalized by projects tied to the built stories from the past, outlining potential situations of a new state to come for the European city.0
