The municipality of Etterbeek (Belgium) is a local public authority located in the Brussels urban area. Etterbeek offers to its 48500 citizens a large range of services.
Etterbeek is a democratic public body. The municipality regularly sets and publishes its policy priorities.
Our municipality works closely with the Brussels Region, a supra-local level of power that encompasses the entire Brussels urban area.
Etterbeek has a fast-growing population with more than 150 nationalities, representing almost 50% of the population. This high proportion of foreign citizens is for a great part due to the proximity with the European district where important EU institutions are located. But there are also other profiles: international students, economic migrants, family reunification, etc.
The municipality of Etterbeek is characterized by diverse socioeconomic profiles, mixing households of the upper, middle and popular classes, including homeless and people in very precarious situation. We have almost 10% social housing or similar. Young adults between the ages of 25 and 40 are largely represented in the commune, but our many schools attract children and young people from all around.
In terms of social cohesion, this diversity is both a great opportunity and a challenge (language barriers, cultural and socio-economic gaps). And this is why Etterbeek wants to encourage the involvement of everyone in local affairs.
Our municipality is densely urbanized (almost 15000 inhabitants per km2) and we face several urban economic, social and environmental challenges, such as energy transition and efficiency (including renovation of old housing), demographic change, social inclusion, citizen participation and local democracy, circular economy, waste management, mobility or adaptation to climate change (heat waves), culture and cultural heritage, digital transition, employment, etc.
We want to move forward by promoting sustainable urban development, the circular economy and smart city concepts, while ensuring the inclusion and participation of all.
Among our more specific project ideas and challenges, we wish to develop and benefit from innovative solutions to better address the Brussels ‘housing crisis’:
- Brussels (and Etterbeek) is currently going through a strong demographic growth, which is accompanied by a 'housing crisis' (limited offer, high rents, dilapidated housing), particularly for less privileged people and households
- At the same time, there are many unoccupied offices, mainly due to changes in working practices (teleworking) and other factors such as traffic density or mobility costs
- We are therefore looking for solutions to improve the conversion of offices into housing and public facilities such as schools and others, using a circular economy approach
- In commercial areas, the floors above the shops are often unoccupied, although there could be housing there. This is a specific problem caused by the shop window that takes up the whole width of the building and thus blocks access to the upper floors
- For this project, we could build a local partnership with the Brussels Region and other actors such as real estate operators or owners, etc.