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Het Punt vzw - Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk Brussel presents 'Vollenbak Volontaire'
The 5th of December, International Volunteer Day, is dedicated to the numerous initiatives of the inhabitants of Brussels this year. All events, projects and collectives that bring people together and create a sustainable Brussels where we love to live!
Promote your initiative now on this website and on December 5th in Muntpunt.
Obtain free support and assistance for your initiative for one year!
Imagine…
What would you propose for our vibrant community at the Josaphat site (not the park)?
We, as enthusiasts citizens, already created a social community garden, a sustainable kitchen and are building a collective structure to host our activities and workshops. Together we are temporarily using a part of the Josaphat site.
Which great ideas can you offer us to add to these activities?
We would like to open up to more interventions that respect Josaphat as:
- a natural environment,
- a common and integrated place,
- a laboratory, a workshop space,
- a circular and transitory use, and
- a serene and cosy atmosphere.
These ideas can show the richness of our collective creativity. We hope to get inspired. We hope to explore what is possible on this place.
In Brussels, Sint-Lucas (Faculty of Architecture KUL) collaborates with BRAL to test the potential of the Incubators platform.
We hope this tool can support citizen participation in the creation of public spaces.
Imagine…
What would you propose for our vibrant community at the Josaphat site (not the park)?
We, as enthusiasts citizens, already created a social community garden, a sustainable kitchen and are building a collective structure to host our activities and workshops. Together we are temporarily using a part of the Josaphat site.
Which great ideas can you offer us to add to these activities?
We would like to open up to more interventions that respect Josaphat as:
- a natural environment,
- a common and integrated place,
- a laboratory, a workshop space,
- a circular and transitory use, and
- a serene and cosy atmosphere.
These ideas can show the richness of our collective creativity. We hope to get inspired. We hope to explore what is possible on this place.
In Brussels, Sint-Lucas (Faculty of Architecture KUL) collaborates with BRAL to test the potential of the Incubators platform.
We hope this tool can support citizen participation in the creation of public spaces.
At the feet of the Brussels European Parliament, on the other side of rue Vautier, the Wiertz Museum accommodates not only the work of Antoine Wiertz precursor of Belgian surrealism, but also houses the memory of Henry Conscience. The workshop, the house, the stairs, the porter’s house, the patio and the garden: all are intact witnesses of the cultural eclecticism at the time Europe’s nations were developing. Per request of the local residents, confronted with the overwhelming construction site of the Parliament, the whole has been classified on October 23, 1997.
After the European Administration privatized – against their prior promises – the classified swimming pool and theatre of the Résidence Palace nearby the Schuman;
- when the laborious installation of the House of European History in the old Eastman Institute on the classified site of Parc Léopold made us witness the triumphant return of “façadisme’ in Brussels;
- at a time we learn about a possible demolition/reconstruction of the parliament’s hemicycle – which is partly situated in the protected zone of the classified site of the Wiertz Museum;
- at the moment a general reformation of the environmental planning of the region is weakening the protection of patrimony; and that a citizen movement stands up against it;
- right when security issues are again weighing on the districts we still live in
the Associative Coordination devoting itself to the preservation of Parc Léopold has been informed that the Belgian Federal Public Service of Internal Affairs is preparing to cede the house of the artist and the garden to the European Parliament, at the price of a symbolical Euro. It also learned that one of the studied options plans on emptying the building ‘coté cour’ and raising a “provisional” large reception hall ‘coté jardin’. What pottering awaits us ahead of this?
However, the European Parliament has decided that the year 2018 would be dedicated to the Union’s cultural patrimony, since it’s an effective way to promote European citizenship. Is it reasonable then, to take on attitudes and projects that risk not only to affect the Brussels, Flemish, Belgian and European patrimony, but also to create a new discord with the citizens, starting with those who live closest to the Union’s institutions?
For this reason we ask the European Parliament and the Belgian Federal Government to accept to meet us. Together, we want to develop a project intending to create a better future for the Wiertz Museum, Parc Leopold and their direct surroundings, because the Wiertz Museum and Europe belong to us… as well!
A petition gathering over 4,000 signatures has been put online to make sure we are no longer ignored by the people forgetting that in our district, like in the whole of Europe, the citizens-residents-voters do not accept to be pushed out. We will hand it over to the European Parliament and the Belgian Government at the time of the meeting we’re looking forward to ‘mit brennender Sorge’ (with ardent concern).
Contact FR, IT, DE & EN : Marco Schmitt 0497 122 770 - NL & EN Toha De Brant 02 217 56 33
Farewell urban motorway, so long traffic jams, bye-bye pollution! Let's give back the boulevards of the Petite Ceinture to the people of Brussels again. To all the people of Brussels.
Supported by actors from the Brussels academic world and urban activist groups, Rien van de Wall and Wim Menten, the city planners of BYE BYE Petite Ceinture, bring the debate on the future of the boulevards to the front. Our kick-off event is in the Kaaitheater on 22 September, during the Week of Mobility. We will show what is possible on the Petite Ceinture and will ask prominent Brussels politicians about their view of the boulevards.
Because the new cycle paths on the Petite Ceinture can only be a start. Let's prepare the next step, one in which the boulevards bring neighbourhoods together, get Brussels moving again and raise the quality of living and working in the city centre. A giant leap forward for the capital of Europe!
BYE BYE Petite Ceinture is an initiative of Wim Menten and Rien van de Wall (city planners and authors of PetiteCeinture.be), in cooperation with BRAL, ARAU, Brussels Studies Institute, Brussels Academy, IRIB (Institut de recherches interdisciplinaires sur Bruxelles) and Architecture Workroom Brussels.
Meer info : byebye.kleinering.be & byebye.petiteceinture.be
Facebookevent :: https://www.facebook.com/events/115453022495271/
Farewell urban motorway, so long traffic jams, bye-bye pollution! Let's give back the boulevards of the Petite Ceinture to the people of Brussels again. To all the people of Brussels.
Supported by actors from the Brussels academic world and urban activist groups, Rien van de Wall and Wim Menten, the city planners of BYE BYE Petite Ceinture, bring the debate on the future of the boulevards to the front. Our kick-off event is in the Kaaitheater on 22 September, during the Week of Mobility. We will show what is possible on the Petite Ceinture and will ask prominent Brussels politicians about their view of the boulevards.
Because the new cycle paths on the Petite Ceinture can only be a start. Let's prepare the next step, one in which the boulevards bring neighbourhoods together, get Brussels moving again and raise the quality of living and working in the city centre. A giant leap forward for the capital of Europe!
BYE BYE Petite Ceinture is an initiative of Wim Menten and Rien van de Wall (city planners and authors of PetiteCeinture.be), in cooperation with BRAL, ARAU, Brussels Studies Institute, Brussels Academy, IRIB (Institut de recherches interdisciplinaires sur Bruxelles) and Architecture Workroom Brussels.
Meer info : byebye.kleinering.be & byebye.petiteceinture.be
Facebookevent :: https://www.facebook.com/events/115453022495271/
En - Thursday sees the last trial session of several persons suing Brussels Government for insufficient action to guarantee cleaner air following the European directives.
It’s then time for action. Thursday evening at 18.00, let’s illuminate the political views on air quality, we want better air through better mobility, we want a city accessible to all and not to the few best polluters. Bring candles, bike lights, flashlights -- any tools that may enlighten our politicians to engage in our fight.
Share:
City inhabitants are exposed to a number of pollutants in their day-to-day lives, which can pose significant threats to health and well-being. Levels of pollution vary across the city and citizens may be unaware that they live in, work in, or frequently pass through heavily polluted places. Consider, for instance, two residents living in the residential outskirts of Brussels. One takes the tram to work in the city center while the other bikes along busy roads to reach the same destination. After a particularly muggy day, where the air feels heavy and thick, the two discuss their concerns regarding exposure to pollution and a few questions arise. When and where are they most exposed? How does pollution at home compare to pollution in the workplace? How do the bike and tram compare? To better understand their exposure, they decide to take part in the AirCasting Brussels project. This air quality measurement campaign uses the AirCasting Airbeam, an air quality monitor that measures a fine particle pollutant known as PM 2.5.
In recent months, Brussels residents have come together with Bral and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel to measure the levels of pollution we are exposed to in our daily lives. The project begins with groups of citizens gathering to discuss what we already know about air pollution and what we would like to tell others. From there, we construct research questions based on our collective interests to help focus our data collection. We consider differences in the places we occupy, the routes we take to travel between these spaces, and our modes of transportation.
As participants in the program, the two aforementioned residents, together with a few other concerned members of their community, decide to measure exposure during their commute to and from work using either the tram or bike. With their research question and protocol constructed, members of their neighborhood set out each morning with their Airbeam sensors recording. The sensor is connected to a mobile application, which allows them to see PM 2.5 levels in real time and to record these levels along the journeys they take. Data is uploaded to an online, open-source server, meaning the data collected and uploaded by all Airbeam users are free to use by the public. Because data are recorded with GPS, they are able to visualize and compare their routes on maps.
While the measurements themselves are import, the key to this project is collective learning and action. Citizens work with associations and academia to take on the role of expert and scientist in order to conduct their own experiments and data collection, and to share stories of their experiences. This model is often referred to as citizen science or participatory learning and has been embraced in recent years as a way to empower citizens to analyze, understand, and ultimately change their environments. With the knowledge gained, participants in this campaign are encouraged to take action to tackle the problems that are made apparent through the air quality measurement campaign. Examples of actions may involve showing findings to local politicians, educating our neighbors and engaging them in the campaign, or staging a public awareness demonstration.
Following their own measurement campaign, the group of residents who have now well-documented their commutes to and from work decide to host a neighborhood gathering. They present their results to their neighbors and encourage them to raise concerns at the municipal meeting the following week.
This air quality measurement project allows us to take air quality measurement into our own hands to drive citizen-led calls for clean air. It is time for us all to take on active roles in our movement for a better, healthier, cleaner city. If you would like to get involved and become a citizen scientist, contact Tim Cassiers (tim[a]bral.brussels) or Liévin Chemin (lievin[a]bral.brussels).
On Thursday, 8th of February, BRAL and MOBI of VUB are launching LOOPER for the Brussels Helmet district.
We’ll come together for drinks and share our daily experiences with urban mobility and planning:
Do you find the sidewalks in your neighborhood too narrow? Is parking a problem? Are cars driving too fast? Do cyclist have enough space on the road?
These are just some of questions we’ll talk about. If you have similar questions or just want to come by and listen, we hope to meet you on Thursday!
If you are part of a district committee or organisation, we can also arrange a meeting and come by your organisation to introduce the LOOPER project!
When?
Thursday, 8th of February, 2018 (7:30 PM – 10:30 PM)
Where?
Richard Vandeveldestraat 40
1030 Schaarbeek
Contact
Florence Lepoudre
florence@bral.brussels
02 217 56 33
Mareile Wiegmann
Mareile.Wiegmann@vub.be
02 629 22 91
Tim Cassiers
tim@bral.brussels
02 217 56 33
The next Brussels Living Lab of Looper will be on Wednesday, May 9 between 19:00 and 21:30 in the Champagnat school! The programme is:
19:00 – 19:15
Reception with aperitif
19:15 – 20:00
Presentation of the projects in the Helmet district by the Schaerbeek municipality
20:00 – 21:30
Discussion and exchange: what to measure to improve traffic safety?
For more information and registration, contact Florence at florence[a]bral.brussels or +32 2 217 56 33!
Also, take a look at the website of the project, https://looperproject.eu/.
The medical house for the people in Molenbeek (MPLP) organised several Aircasting-workshops with BRAL. The participants have measured the air quality in their district. From these workshops, a new group has formed itself : Hawa fi Molem’. Now they are ready to share their results and their collective knowledge with you.
Moreover, two experts in air and public spaces will present why city development focused on health, calm and safety is really worth the effort. We welcome you to listen tot hem and to have an open discussion.
16:30 Dialogue on air and health with the audience
17:00 Presentation on the effects of air pollution on our health by Raja and Wafa (volunteers of la Maison Médicale Médecine pour le Peuple)
17:30 Presentation by two experts: Nic Da Schio (Cosmopolis, air quality) and Bert (architect-urbanism)
18:30 Discussion with the audience with questions prepared by Hawa-fi Molem'
This dialogue is part of Molem ma Belle, a participatory, urban festival in Molenbeek.
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