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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.

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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? 

Babelmet

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.

In general

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Did you know that BRAL has a useful #BralBib? We are happy to introduce the library to you by putting a book or a file from our archive in the spotlight. This time we're talking about "Sharing cities. Activating the Urban Commons", a practical guide to common solutions to urban problems.

Sharing cities

We start with "Sharing cities. Activating the Urban Commons", presented by Adrien Labaye of Shareable. Adrien is co-author of the book, and he also maps alternative economies for the collective TransforMap.

The book offers an alternative story for sharing in cities based on the urban commons. It contains more than 100 case studies and policy measures on shared use from more than 80 cities in 35 countries. City councils and activists can use this practical guide to devise community-based solutions to urban challenges. Adrien can explain it better. We'll let him speak in the video below (in French with Dutch subtitles).

You can not only download the book for free. You can also find it in our #BralBib.

#BralBib?

In our #BralBib, we have books on the environment, mobility, housing, urban planning and much more. In addition, we also have an archive of urban files since 1973.

Did you know that you can use our library? Yes!

The library is open during office hours and closed on public holidays. Welcome!

BRAL, les Casseuses de Crise, PaletActif, Buurtpensioen 1000 Brussel, Corvia & Centre Vidéo de Bruxelles invite you to the public premiere of 4 participative short films: Selfcity, citizens' initiatives create well-being.

Everywhere in Brussels, people come together to make life in the city more pleasant and sustainable. They help each other, create or repair objects, create services or manage goods or places that are accessible to the public. In this way, they offer an alternative to an economy where over-consumption and the collection of property are the norm. At the initiative of BRAL, 4 urban collectives (Corvia, Les Casseuses de Crise, PaletActif, Buurtpensioen 1000 BXL)  have filmed their parcours. The screening of the 4 short films is followed by a conversation.

The 4 films have been recorded in French, without subtitles.

Corvia

  • Participatory film directed by Joachin Guzman and Aurélia Pfend - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL - CVB
  • An open fridge 24/7.
  • An open wardrobe 2 times a week.
  • Not monetary transactions, but care and participation.

Buurtpensioen 1000 BXL -  Pens(i)ons quartier - community pension

  • Participatory film directed by Aurélia Pfend - 5 minutes - 2018 - BRAL - CVB
  • S such as Senior, but above all as 'Service et Solidarité'.
  • Entraided with a heart for the neighbors.

PaletActif

  • Participatory film directed by Manuel Hanot - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL - CVB
  • Commitment, solidarity, reup & sharing, horizontality, realistic dreams ... Actors of change!
  • A free furniture workshop, open to everyone, founded by sans-papiers.

Les Casseuses de Crise

  • Participatory film directed by Aurélia Pfend - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL - CVB
  • An alternative to a patriarchal, racist and capitalist system. A place for freedom and solidarity for women.

Dialogues and humanities/meetings in the park / EXCHANGES TO CHANGE THE WORLD

  • SATURDAY 30 JUNE
  • At 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. 
  • At Josaphat Park in Brussels
  • Location: La Laiterie

 

BRAL is an urban movement striving to make Brussels sustainable. Along with our members and partners we want to build an environmentally friendly, affordable and solidary city. BRAL organises actions, lobbies, supports citizens' initiatives and provides advice to the authorities. We work in the Brussels metropolitan region, in all its social and cultural diversity.

One of our priorities is better air quality for Brussels. The dissemination of accurate knowledge about this is crucial for our organisation. We take citizen science literally: not only do we train citizens to measure air quality scientifically. We also want to disseminate scientific knowledge to all citizens. This is the task for our new volunteer.

JOB DESCRIPTION

As a volunteer web editor NL/FR/EN, you publish the references to scientific publications on the Wikipedia page, starting with those from our publication.

REQUESTED QUALITIES

  • You have experience with publishing articles on Wikipedia
  • You have an eye for detail and can work accurately
  • You can easily handle a computer and type quickly
  • You are in touch with scientific documentation
  • You speak and read Dutch, English and French fluently
  • You are not afraid of repetitive work
  • You can make yourself available once a week in the months of July and/or August
  • You are in touch with the mission and vision of BRAL

WE OFFER

  • A volunteer fee of 30 euros for each day worked.
  • Flexible working hours
  • A job that will teach you a lot about air quality in Brussels
  • An enthusiastic and committed BRAL team
  • A cozy and bright office in the heart of Brussels

Working hours: We agree this together on the basis of your and our availability during office hours in July and August.

Location: Zaterdagplein 13, 1000 Brussels.

DOES THIS VOLUNTEER WORK APPEAL TO YOU?

Send us your CV and a short motivation by e-mail Tim Cassiers, tim@bral.brussels before Wednesday, July 4.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

Contact Tim Cassiers at tim@bral.brussels or 02 217 56 33.

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BRAL, les Casseuses de Crise, PaletActif, Buurtpensioen 1000 Brussel, Corvia & Centre Vidéo de Bruxelles present 4 participative short films: Selfcity, citizens' initiatives create well-being. The short movies are fully online on the Selfcity website.

Everywhere in Brussels, people come together to make life in the city more pleasant and sustainable. They help each other, create or repair objects, create services or manage goods or places that are accessible to the public. In this way, they offer an alternative to an economy where over-consumption and the collection of property are the norm. At the initiative of BRAL, 4 urban collectives (Corvia, Les Casseuses de Crise, PaletActif, Buurtpensioen 1000 BXL)  have filmed their parcours. Watch the short movies on the Selfcity website (http://www.selfcity.be/selfcity.html).

The 4 films have been recorded in French, without subtitles.

Corvia

  • Participatory film directed by Joachin Guzman and Aurélia Pfend - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL – CVB;
  • An open fridge 24/7;
  • An open wardrobe 2 times a week;
  • Not monetary transactions, but care and participation.

Buurtpensioen 1000 BXL -  Pens(i)ons quartier - community pension

  • Participatory film directed by Aurélia Pfend - 5 minutes - 2018 - BRAL – CVB;
  • S such as Senior, but above all as 'Service et Solidarité';
  • Entraided with a heart for the neighbors.

PaletActif

  • Participatory film directed by Manuel Hanot - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL – CVB;
  • Commitment, solidarity, reup & sharing, horizontality, realistic dreams ... Actors of change!
  • A free furniture workshop, open to everyone, founded by sans-papiers.

Les Casseuses de Crise

  • Participatory film directed by Aurélia Pfend - 6 minutes - 2018 - BRAL – CVB;
  • An alternative to a patriarchal, racist and capitalist system. A place for freedom and solidarity for women.