The transitional occupation of the Usquare.brussels site was initiated in 2018 by the Urban Development Corporation (SAU). Opened in 2019 and managed by pali pali, See U was Belgium’s largest temporary occupation programme for four years. Its considerable success with the general public and the media led to it being honoured at the Visit.brussels Awards 2020, among other forms of recognition.
In mid-2022, the SAU launched a public procurement process in order to appoint a service-provider to steer the transition from See U to Usquare.brussels. The contract was won by pali pali, which is responsible for organising the hosting of a smaller number of transitional creative, cultural, social and other activities and maintaining the links created since 2019 with local residents in the area around the old barracks and more broadly with the inhabitants of Brussels, for example through visits to the construction sites. These activities are taking place in a limited area as the construction work picks up speed.