Brussels-Capital Region to focus on major urban projects

The government of the Brussels-Capital Region will focus on major urban projects, said minister-president Rudi Vervoort in a speech yesterday setting out his government’s ambitious policy plans for the coming four-year term. “The big challenge is to implement, implement and implement,” said the socialist leader.

The government aims to push ahead with several ambitious projects, including the redevelopment of the Reyers site, the Josaphat quarter, the Tour & Taxis site and the neighbourhoods along the Brussels canal. “These are the areas where we want to create the Brussels of 2025,” said Vervoort (pictured).

He went on to explain that these districts were intended to incorporate a mix of housing, public space, economic activities and leisure. He added that his administration planned to construct 6,500 additional housing units, as well as setting aside a €300 million budget to renovate social housing.

Vervoort also pledged measures to tackle the high level of unemployment in the capital by creating jobs for the residents. “The aim is to turn Brussels into the European capital of enterprise and innovation,” he said. He also said his administration was committed to making Brussels “more business friendly”.

But Vervoort also wants to create a more liveable city for residents by implementing mobility measures that favour cycling and walking. “We are not against the car,” he cautioned, “but cycling and walking have to be given more space.”

The minister-president said that his government would make the main boulevards in the city centre car-free as well as making it safer to cycle on the inner ring road. He also stated that planners would now focus on creating separate cycle lanes.

Vervoort promised that the government would press ahead with plans to build a new metro link to Schaarbeek and to upgrade the premetro tram line in the city centre into a full metro link. Commuters coming into the city from the suburbs would have a much better train service, with trains every 15 minutes connecting to 30 local Brussels stations.

photo by Dieter Telemans/De Standard