What do we know about animal extinction in Brussels? The inventories commissioned by Bruxelles Environnement identify species which are present, abundant or rare, as well as those which have become extinct. But what actually happened to these vanished species? What individual histories lie behind these labels? This article seeks to reconstruct the extinctions, recorded during the 19th and 20th centuries, of five amphibian species which disappeared from the city. It interweaves field-based naturalist observations with a diverse body of knowledge in order to revisit the places where toads, frogs and newts once lived but have since vanished, while coming as close as possible to these concrete extinctions and to the experiences of those who were concerned about them. These five stories are tied to the contemporary issue of urban wetlands. They offer new perspectives which allow us to reflect on our capacity to coexist with other living beings in urban environments. They also show that the amphibians identified and cared for in these habitats today are not simply those which are present, but those which remain. They persist within a landscape marked by extensive losses which have accumulated over time and whose underlying processes have yet to be halted. More broadly, this study of local extinctions highlights the need within political ecology to recover forgotten histories, despite the limited documentary evidence available.
What do we know about animal extinction in Brussels? The inventories commissioned by Bruxelles Environnement identify species which are present, abundant or rare, as well as those which have become extinct. But what actually happened to these vanished species? What individual histories lie behind these labels? This article seeks to reconstruct the extinctions, recorded during the 19th and 20th centuries, of five amphibian species which disappeared from the city. It interweaves field-based naturalist observations with a diverse body of knowledge in order to revisit the places where toads, frogs and newts once lived but have since vanished, while coming as close as possible to these concrete extinctions and to the experiences of those who were concerned about them. These five stories are tied to the contemporary issue of urban wetlands. They offer new perspectives which allow us to reflect on our capacity to coexist with other living beings in urban environments. They also show that the amphibians identified and cared for in these habitats today are not simply those which are present, but those which remain. They persist within a landscape marked by extensive losses which have accumulated over time and whose underlying processes have yet to be halted. More broadly, this study of local extinctions highlights the need within political ecology to recover forgotten histories, despite the limited documentary evidence available.
What do we know about animal extinction in Brussels? The inventories commissioned by Bruxelles Environnement identify species which are present, abundant or rare, as well as those which have become extinct. But what actually happened to these vanished species? What individual histories lie behind these labels? This article seeks to reconstruct the extinctions, recorded during the 19th and 20th centuries, of five amphibian species which disappeared from the city. It interweaves field-based naturalist observations with a diverse body of knowledge in order to revisit the places where toads, frogs and newts once lived but have since vanished, while coming as close as possible to these concrete extinctions and to the experiences of those who were concerned about them. These five stories are tied to the contemporary issue of urban wetlands. They offer new perspectives which allow us to reflect on our capacity to coexist with other living beings in urban environments. They also show that the amphibians identified and cared for in these habitats today are not simply those which are present, but those which remain. They persist within a landscape marked by extensive losses which have accumulated over time and whose underlying processes have yet to be halted. More broadly, this study of local extinctions highlights the need within political ecology to recover forgotten histories, despite the limited documentary evidence available.
The caring neighbourhood is an emerging model for an integrated, neighbourhood-based approach to care and welfare policy in Brussels and Flanders. In practice, initiatives classified as “caring neighbourhoods” are diverse and usually aimed at connecting neighbours with each other or professional care services in a neighbourhood. The three-year MaN’Aige-project (Innoviris Co-Create 2019-2022) aimed to develop a caring neighbourhood in two Brussels neighbourhoods, investigating how connections with neighbourhood users in a neighbourhood – e.g. businesses, schools, theatres, commuters – contribute to it. The results propose three building blocks for caring neighbourhoods: 1) a broad vision of care as a caring attitude, 2) the shared, public space as a lever for connection and care, 3) attention to power relationships at project and neighbourhood level. The discussion explores the strengths and pitfalls of caring neighbourhoods. Caring neighbourhoods offer a broader vision of care as connection and advocate a relational and spatial approach that counteracts social exclusion and injustice.
The caring neighbourhood is an emerging model for an integrated, neighbourhood-based approach to care and welfare policy in Brussels and Flanders. In practice, initiatives classified as “caring neighbourhoods” are diverse and usually aimed at connecting neighbours with each other or professional care services in a neighbourhood. The three-year MaN’Aige-project (Innoviris Co-Create 2019-2022) aimed to develop a caring neighbourhood in two Brussels neighbourhoods, investigating how connections with neighbourhood users in a neighbourhood – e.g. businesses, schools, theatres, commuters – contribute to it. The results propose three building blocks for caring neighbourhoods: 1) a broad vision of care as a caring attitude, 2) the shared, public space as a lever for connection and care, 3) attention to power relationships at project and neighbourhood level. The discussion explores the strengths and pitfalls of caring neighbourhoods. Caring neighbourhoods offer a broader vision of care as connection and advocate a relational and spatial approach that counteracts social exclusion and injustice.
La nuit du 6 au 7 novembre 2024, 9 777 personnes sans-chez-soi ont été recensées en Région de Bruxelles Capitale. À méthodologie égale, ce chiffre représente une hausse de 25 % par rapport au dénombrement de 2022. Cette évolution s’explique à la fois par la dégradation persistante de l’accès au logement, en particulier pour les publics les plus précarisés, et par l’augmentation des situations les plus extrêmes, telles que la vie à la rue, en logements non conventionnels ou par le recours de plus en plus fréquent aux structures d’urgence, étroitement lié à l'augmentation des capacités d'accueil. Ces résultats mettent également en lumière une orientation des politiques publiques largement centrée sur la réponse immédiate. Alors que les dispositifs d’hébergement d’urgence connaissent une croissance marquée, les maisons d’accueil, mieux adaptées à un accompagnement à moyen terme, n’ont progressé que de manière marginale. Cette dynamique traduit un déséquilibre persistant, où la mise à l’abri prévaut sur la stabilisation des parcours et la construction de sorties durables du sans-chez-soirisme.
The caring neighbourhood is an emerging model for an integrated, neighbourhood-based approach to care and welfare policy in Brussels and Flanders. In practice, initiatives classified as "caring neighbourhoods" are diverse and usually aimed at connecting neighbours with each other or professional care services in a neighbourhood. The three-year MaN'Aige-project (Innoviris Co-Create 2019-2022) aimed to develop a caring neighbourhood in two Brussels neighbourhoods, investigating how connections with neighbourhood users in a neighbourhood-e.g. businesses, schools, theatres, commuters-contribute to it. The results propose three building blocks for caring neighbourhoods: 1) a broad vision of care as a caring attitude, 2) the shared, public space as a lever for connection and care, 3) attention to power relationships at project and neighbourhood level. The discussion explores the strengths and pitfalls of caring neighbourhoods. Caring neighbourhoods offer a broader vision of care as connection and advocate a relational and spatial approach that counteracts social exclusion and injustice.
This article compares four scenarios for reorganising the Brussels public transport network-the reference network, the full Metro 3 (Albert-North-Bordet), a truncated Metro 3 (Albert-North) and the Premetro+- in order to estimate their respective effects on neighbourhood accessibility in terms of scheduled travel time, perceived travel time and number of transfers. The results show that although a full Metro 3 reduces scheduled journey times for certain trips, this comes at the cost of an increase in the average number of transfers, leading to a loss of accessibility for journeys to and from Neder-Over-Heembeek and Uccle. In other words, under the Metro 3 scenarios, gains in perceived time are offset-or even outweighed, in the truncated version-by perceived time losses. By contrast, the Premetro+ scenario achieves reductions both in journey times and in the average number of transfers. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating perceived time and transfers into the evaluation of public transport network reconfiguration projects and point to the need to give greater consideration to alternative options such as the Premetro+.
This article compares four scenarios for reorganising the Brussels public transport network – the reference network, the full Metro 3 (Albert-North-Bordet), a truncated Metro 3 (Albert-North) and the Premetro+ – in order to estimate their respective effects on neighbourhood accessibility in terms of scheduled travel time, perceived travel time and number of transfers. The results show that although a full Metro 3 reduces scheduled journey times for certain trips, this comes at the cost of an increase in the average number of transfers, leading to a loss of accessibility for journeys to and from Neder-Over-Heembeek and Uccle. In other words, under the Metro 3 scenarios, gains in perceived time are offset – or even outweighed, in the truncated version – by perceived time losses. By contrast, the Premetro+ scenario achieves reductions both in journey times and in the average number of transfers. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating perceived time and transfers into the evaluation of public transport network reconfiguration projects and point to the need to give greater consideration to alternative options such as the Premetro+.
This article compares four scenarios for reorganising the Brussels public transport network – the reference network, the full Metro 3 (Albert-North-Bordet), a truncated Metro 3 (Albert-North) and the Premetro+ – in order to estimate their respective effects on neighbourhood accessibility in terms of scheduled travel time, perceived travel time and number of transfers. The results show that although a full Metro 3 reduces scheduled journey times for certain trips, this comes at the cost of an increase in the average number of transfers, leading to a loss of accessibility for journeys to and from Neder-Over-Heembeek and Uccle. In other words, under the Metro 3 scenarios, gains in perceived time are offset – or even outweighed, in the truncated version – by perceived time losses. By contrast, the Premetro+ scenario achieves reductions both in journey times and in the average number of transfers. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating perceived time and transfers into the evaluation of public transport network reconfiguration projects and point to the need to give greater consideration to alternative options such as the Premetro+.
This study assesses the current economic positioning of Brussels within Belgium based on the geography of housing prices. The analyses focus on two complementary segments of the property market: rental and purchase. They are conducted at both regional level and at the level of urban residential complexes in order to reflect the specific features of the Belgian urban structure. The results highlight the importance of this urban configuration in shaping housing prices, as well as the central role played by Brussels in both the rental and purchase markets. In recent years, rents have increased more within the Region than in its surrounding area, while in Flanders the sale prices of houses and flats have risen the most.
The Brussels-Capital Region faces a series of structural challenges, with economic issues occupying a central position. In this context, defining a coherent vision of regional economic development constitutes a significant area of debate. This text contributes to the discussion by providing an empirical analysis of the main representations and priorities shaping discourse on the Brussels economy. Using a well-established methodology – the Q methodology – we analyse the consensus and disagreement between the various visions expressed by a series of economic, social and institutional stakeholders in the Brussels-Capital Region, highlighting the main structuring lines of the debate regarding current and future issues of regional economic development. Conducted within an institutional context marked by the prolonged post-electoral period following the regional elections of 9 June 2024, this study aims to provide an analytical contribution to the debate on the future of the Brussels economy by documenting the visions which coexist within the regional field.
The Brussels-Capital Region faces a series of structural challenges, with economic issues occupying a central position. In this context, defining a coherent vision of regional economic development constitutes a significant area of debate. This text contributes to the discussion by providing an empirical analysis of the main representations and priorities shaping discourse on the Brussels economy. Using a well-established methodology – the Q methodology – we analyse the consensus and disagreement between the various visions expressed by a series of economic, social and institutional stakeholders in the Brussels-Capital Region, highlighting the main structuring lines of the debate regarding current and future issues of regional economic development. Conducted within an institutional context marked by the prolonged post-electoral period following the regional elections of 9 June 2024, this study aims to provide an analytical contribution to the debate on the future of the Brussels economy by documenting the visions which coexist within the regional field.
This article examines the role of spatial arrangements in care relations within a day centre for women experiencing severe precarity and/or homelessness in the Brussels-Capital Region. Drawing on the lived experiences and testimonies of social workers and women attending the centre, the study characterises both practices and relationships to space within the facility. It analyses the spatial arrangements which enable the centre to foster the development of care relations among the women who use it. Three configurations of space as a support for care are explored: a refuge space; a space for caring for one’s appearance; and a second “home”. This article contributes to the literature on the consubstantial relationship between care and space. It also highlights the transformative scope of care, which enables us to rethink the reception arrangements for people experiencing severe precarity in the Brussels-Capital Region.
This article examines the role of spatial arrangements in care relations within a day centre for women experiencing severe precarity and/or homelessness in the Brussels-Capital Region. Drawing on the lived experiences and testimonies of social workers and women attending the centre, the study characterises both practices and relationships to space within the facility. It analyses the spatial arrangements which enable the centre to foster the development of care relations among the women who use it. Three configurations of space as a support for care are explored: a refuge space; a space for caring for one’s appearance; and a second “home”. This article contributes to the literature on the consubstantial relationship between care and space. It also highlights the transformative scope of care, which enables us to rethink the reception arrangements for people experiencing severe precarity in the Brussels-Capital Region.
This article examines the role of spatial arrangements in care relations within a day centre for women experiencing severe precarity and/or homelessness in the Brussels-Capital Region. Drawing on the lived experiences and testimonies of social workers and women attending the centre, the study characterises both practices and relationships to space within the facility. It analyses the spatial arrangements which enable the centre to foster the development of care relations among the women who use it. Three configurations of space as a support for care are explored: a refuge space; a space for caring for one’s appearance; and a second “home”. This article contributes to the literature on the consubstantial relationship between care and space. It also highlights the transformative scope of care, which enables us to rethink the reception arrangements for people experiencing severe precarity in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Brussels-Capital Region faces a series of structural challenges, with economic issues occupying a central position. In this context, defining a coherent vision of regional economic development constitutes a significant area of debate. This text contributes to the discussion by providing an empirical analysis of the main representations and priorities shaping discourse on the Brussels economy. Using a well-established methodology-the Q methodology-we analyse the consensus and disagreement between the various visions expressed by a series of economic, social and institutional stakeholders in the Brussels-Capital Region, highlighting the main structuring lines of the debate regarding current and future issues of regional economic development. Conducted within an institutional context marked by the prolonged post-electoral period following the regional elections of 9June 2024, this study aims to provide an analytical contribution to the debate on the future of the Brussels economy by documenting the visions which coexist within the regional field.
The Brussels-Capital Region faces a series of structural challenges, with economic issues occupying a central position. In this context, defining a coherent vision of regional economic development constitutes a significant area of debate. This text contributes to the discussion by providing an empirical analysis of the main representations and priorities shaping discourse on the Brussels economy. Using a well-established methodology - the Q methodology - we analyse the consensus and disagreement between the various visions expressed by a series of economic, social and institutional stakeholders in the Brussels-Capital Region, highlighting the main structuring lines of the debate regarding current and future issues of regional economic development. Conducted within an institutional context marked by the prolonged post-electoral period following the regional elections of 9June 2024, this study aims to provide an analytical contribution to the debate on the future of the Brussels economy by documenting the visions which coexist within the regional field.
On the night of 6-7 November 2024, 9,777 homeless people were counted in the Brussels-Capital Region. Using an identical methodology, this figure represents a 25 % increase compared with the 2022 count. This trend can be explained both by the continued deterioration in access to housing-particularly for the most disadvantaged groups-and by the rise in the most extreme situations, such as living on the streets or in non-conventional housing, as well as by the increasingly frequent use of emergency accommodation, closely linked to the expansion of reception capacity. These findings also highlight a public policy orientation largely focused on immediate responses. While emergency accommodation provision has expanded significantly, the number of reception centres-which are better suited to medium-term support-has increased only marginally. These dynamics reflect a persistent imbalance, in which the provision of shelter takes precedence over the stabilisation of pathways and the development of sustainable exits from homelessness.
On the night of 6-7 November 2024, 9,777 homeless people were counted in the Brussels-Capital Region. Using an identical methodology, this figure represents a 25 % increase compared with the 2022 count. This trend can be explained both by the continued deterioration in access to housing-particularly for the most disadvantaged groups-and by the rise in the most extreme situations, such as living on the streets or in non-conventional housing, as well as by the increasingly frequent use of emergency accommodation, closely linked to the expansion of reception capacity. These findings also highlight a public policy orientation largely focused on immediate responses. While emergency accommodation provision has expanded significantly, the number of reception centres-which are better suited to medium-term support-has increased only marginally. These dynamics reflect a persistent imbalance, in which the provision of shelter takes precedence over the stabilisation of pathways and the development of sustainable exits from homelessness.
