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BRAL, Cosmopolis and a large academic and civic network organise the first Etats Généraux de l’Air of Brussels. A moment to combine research, open data and citizenship for all those in favour of a clean and therefore healthy Brussels air.

This first Etats Généraux takes place from Thursday the 25th till Saturday the 27th of April at the Pianofabriek. Because #BXLDemandsCleanAir. The program is almost finalized, here is an appetizer of what you can expect.

Friday 26 April

  • 08:00-09:00: Action of FilterCaféFiltré at the Parvis of Saint-Gilles ao.
  • 13:00-18:00: PRACTITIONERS MEET SCIENTISTS
    • Public lecture by scientists Gordon Walker (Lancaster University) and Gary Fuller (King’s College London) on the socio-political aspects of pollution, on how to raise the political ambition to make changes to our urban lives, and on the arguments to defend the right to breathe for all people..
    • World Café for scientists and practitioners together with Brussels Academy and Brussels Study Institute
    •  Register here for both.
  • 18:00-20:00 Kiddical Mass, departure at the Porte de Namur, arrival at the Pianofabriek.

Saturday 27 April: #BXLDemandsCleanAir

MEET AND LEARN

During a continuous interactive expo, you can chat with the actors of the air movement, understand how they went to work and get busy yourself for a better air quality in Brussels.

  • In Snøw, a kløter (toddler) show about the climate crisis, K.A.K. rebels against all the Adults who don't want to listen. From 3 years old, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, 3 euro access.
  • Bruxsel'Air brings an AIRcinéma : great videos of the actions of the AIRtivists.
  • Luchtpijp organises a repair café for your fine dust meter and a children's workshop. You can also buy an Luchtpijp package with meter for 40 euros.
  • Journalist Stefano Valentino organizes a debate on diesel gate.
  • Together with other partners, Bye Bye Bye Kleine Ring presents their vision on a different mobility in Brussels.
  • With the Air for Schools workshop, Architecture Workroom Brussels and Filter Café Filtré want to improve the air quality on the way to school.
  • IEB gives an interactive lecture on the history of 50 years of hegemony of the car in Brussels and its social effects. What would eco-social measures really entail?
  • ProVelo will take care of two things: a fun cycling activity on the closed Fortstraat. So kids, take your bike with you! And the coaches from Bike Experience will present their programme for adult cyclists who are not yet daring, but who do want to improve the Brussels air quality.
  • Greenpeace brings their Serious Game.  Redraw your street according to your desire for a healthier city.
  • EUCG, the European cycling group, shares their experience in measuring air quality and their conclusions.
  • GRACQ, les Cyclistes Quotidiens, receives their local groups to introduce them to the air movement. And they show how people get more resilience thanks to and on the bicycle.

Would you or your group like to show what you did on this topic at the citizen’s day? Please contact christiaan@bral.brussels.

  • Myst’Air à Bruxelles:

    BRAL introduces her new publication on the AIR movement in Brussels and invites you to consider possible policy measures to improve the air quality.  
  • 14:30-16:30: #Airckathon: the answers
  • 18:00-20:00: Political debate “What policy measures for a better Brussels air quality?”
    • And what do politicians have to say to all this? The debate will look ahead, to the government that will be elected in May. But there will also be room to evaluate the current government and the answers they had to the challenge of air pollution. This way, citizens can make an informed choice in the voting booth on May 25th.
    • Confirmed politicians (more to follow): Pascal Smet (sp.a); Céline Fremault (cdH); Viviane Teitelbaum (MR) ; Elke Van den Brandt (Groen); Alain Maron (Ecolo); Martin Casier (PS); Jan Busselen (PVDA-PTB); Joris Pochet (cd&v); Marc Loewenstein (Défi); Sven Gatz (open VLD)

More info:

Contact:

  • Tim Cassiers, BRAL, tim[at]bral.brussels
  • Liévin Chemin, BRAL, lievin[at]bral.brussels
  • Christiaan Vansteenkiste, BRAL, christiaan[at]bral.brussels
  • Nicola da Schio, VUB, ndaschio[at]vub.be

BRAL, Cosmopolis and a large academic and civic network organise the first Etats Généraux de l’Air of Brussels. A moment to combine research, open data and citizenship for all those in favour of a clean and therefore healthy Brussels air.  This first Etats Généraux takes place from Thursday the 25th till Saturday the 27th of April at the Pianofabriek. Because #BXLDemandsCleanAir.

 

The program is almost finalized, here is an appetizer of what you can expect.

Friday 26 April

  • 08:00-09:00: Action of FilterCaféFiltré at the Parvis of Saint-Gilles ao.
  • 13:00-18:00: PRACTITIONERS MEET SCIENTISTS
    • Public lecture by scientists Gordon Walker (Lancaster University) and Gary Fuller (King’s College London) on the socio-political aspects of pollution, on how to raise the political ambition to make changes to our urban lives, and on the arguments to defend the right to breathe for all people..
    • World Café for scientists and practitioners together with Brussels Academy and Brussels Study Institute
    •  Register here for both.
  • 18:00-20:00 Kiddical Mass, departure at the Porte de Namur, arrival at the Pianofabriek.

Saturday 27 April: #BXLDemandsCleanAir

  • During a continuous interactive Meet & Learn, you can chat with the actors of the air movement, understand how they went to work and get busy yourself for a better air quality in Brussels.
    • Would you or your group like to show what you did on this topic at the citizen’s day? Please contact christiaan@bral.brussels.
    • Myst’Air à Bruxelles:

      BRAL introduces her new publication on the AIR movement in Brussels and invites you to consider possible policy measures to improve the air quality.  
  • 14:30-16:30: #Airckathon: the answers
  • 18:00-20:00: Political debate “What policy measures for a better Brussels air quality?”
    • And what do politicians have to say to all this? The debate will look ahead, to the government that will be elected in May. But there will also be room to evaluate the current government and the answers they had to the challenge of air pollution. This way, citizens can make an informed choice in the voting booth on May 25th.
    • Confirmed politicians (more to follow): Pascal Smet (sp.a); Céline Fremault (cdH); Viviane Teitelbaum (MR) ; Elke Van den Brandt (Groen); Alain Maron (Ecolo); Martin Casier (PS); Joris Pochet ( CD&V); Jan Busselen (PVDA)

More info:

Contact:

  • Tim Cassiers, BRAL, tim[at]bral.brussels
  • Liévin Chemin, BRAL, lievin[at]bral.brussels
  • Christiaan Vansteenkiste, BRAL, christiaan[at]bral.brussels
  • Nicola da Schio, VUB, ndaschio[at]vub.be

In the last two years, BRAL, Cosmopolis and many citizens groups have learned to measure how polluted the air is that we breathe every day, and to problematize the question to defend all Bruxellois. In this multilingual handbook, we present the experiences of researchers and practitioners with citizen science, in the AirCasting Brussels project and in other non-environmental examples. We also engage in a collective reflection on the methodology of these projects, both from a perspective of civic education and of political mobilisation.

Through the curiosity and the exchange between academics, citizens, and public officials, we become aware of a techno-scientific barrier to a democratic governance of the city. We can cross this barrier if we believe in the intelligence of all actors and in their potential to act collectively to better govern the city.

We hope that this publication can inspire you – whether you’re an innovative social worker or a coordinator of a complex Living Lab. Cosmopolis and BRAL encourage you to collaborate to do research on urban complexities. Let your passion and curiosity be your guides in this endeavor. Because the city deserves it.

  • Do you want to read the publication? Find your copy in our office, Zaterdagplein 13, 1000 Brussels. Or order one through info@bral.brussels.
  • If you are convinced of the work of BRAL, then become a member! You will receive this publication and all the others we will produce this year.
  • Are you interested in a workshop on citizen science to understand how it can help your organisation? BRAL would like to speak at your organization about the merit of citizen science! Contact us for a transversal workshop tailored to adults via info@bral.brussels.
  • In June 2019 at a central location in Brussels, we will organise a general workshop on citizen science with Cosmopolis VUB. Keep an eye on the BRAL website, www.bral.brussels, for more information!

 

Liévin Chemin, Nicola Da Schio, Tim Cassiers

Urban movement BRAL and urban research center Cosmopolis - VUB

With the support of INNOVIRIS

Ever heard of a living lab? A living lab is not just using the city as a laboratory to do experiments. And citizens are not just guinea pigs.

In a living lab, the users of the city steer the research.

They put scientific theory into practice and experiment for and through the city. The goal is social innovation, an improvement in the lives of all.

Sounds like something for BRAL? That's right!

Many living labs fail to work in an inclusive way and only attract one particular audience. Or their living labs can only be applied to a very specific place. Too bad, isn't it?

Cosmopolis of VUB set up an international consortium to bypass these pitfalls with a 'smart' living lab. BRAL joined in. We set to work with a living lab that involved certain groups from the outset and focused on the urban level.

A Brussels lab on air quality

For the last three years, BRAL has been working on a living lab to measure air quality in Brussels, AirCasting Brussels. We did this together with Cosmopolis of VUB and with the support of Innoviris. BRAL's priority was to sustainably mobilise citizens for healthy air in Brussels. A scientific lab with citizens on air pollution was essential for BRAL to achieve this goal.

An important step was to attract people who wanted to participate in our research to measure the air quality in Brussels. We already noticed in the ExpAIR project that the attraction for a participant can be immaterial: the pleasure of discovering, learning and thinking together on a specific issue.

BRAL's role was therefore not that of an expert. We came to the citizen with the message: "We want you to become an expert".

With a mobile measuring device and an app on the smartphone, the civil scientists could quickly get down to work. Volunteers registered more than 500 hours of concentrations of PM2.5, and collected more than a million data in ten months' time.

These data were collected on an interactive map showing the daily experience of the inhabitants of Brussels. That's how we met the need for scalability of our project. Wherever you are, you could see what your exposure was. Because you also step outside of your own home. And then you are also exposed to air pollution.

We started with three groups of action researchers: residents living in the heart of Brussels, expats working for the EU and bicycle militants. Each time we adapted our lab to the lives of the volunteers, their pace, their lifestyle, their availability. We grew from three groups to about ten. BRAL learned that as a facilitator we could be very flexible according to the expectations and needs of the groups.

Gathering, measuring and combining knowledge was the key to success.

Gathering, measuring and combining knowledge was the key to success. It greatly accelerated the collective knowledge, the sense of responsibility towards the group and the empowerment and desire of the action researchers to mobilise.

For the scientists and for us, too, the process of experimental learning, the exchange of knowledge, proved to be crucial in order to improve our project.

An international consortium Smarterlabs

We weren’t the only ones organizing a living lab. For the European project SmarterLabs, three other cities (Maastricht, Graz and Bellinzona (Switzerland)) created their own living labs.

But what does a living lab mean? And how do you start one yourself? You can find our lessons learned in the guidelines (short and long version) and a video. We hope it will help anyone who wants to set up a living lab in the future: citizens, researchers of practitioners!

SmarterLabs was supported by the Urban Europe Joint Programming Initiative of the European Union. You can find more information on the project here. https://smarterlabs.uni-graz.at/en/publications-results/

If you want to cite this document, you can use the following reference: Dijk, M., da Schio, N., Diethart, M., Höflehner, T., Wlasak, P., Castri, R., Cellina, F., Boussauw, K., Cassiers, T., Chemin, L., Cörvers, R., de Kraker, J., Kemp, R., van Heur, B. (2019). How to anticipate constraints on upscaling inclusive Living Lab experiments, SmarterLabs project 2016-2019, JPI Urban Europe.

Smarterlabs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smarterlabs/

AirCasting Brussels + curious citizens + instruments for citizen science = measurements of exposure to air pollution + citizen science that leads to action

Citizens are daily exposed to air pollution. But how strongly exactly, depends on when and where you are located. You’re often not aware that where you live, work or frequently pass by is actually heavily polluted. This is why BRAL and Cosmopolis VUB, together with many citizens, undertook the project AirCasting Brussels.

Citizens measured their exposure with mobile devices. Thus they became experts on their environment. And once they had this knowledge, citizens became actors. They undertook action to improve their environment.

BRAL and Cosmopolis took great pleasure in firing on these sprouting citizens’ initiatives to demand the right for clean air. Because we all deserve a better, livable and healthier air.

We made six videos together with the wonderful people of ZinTV. We as BRAL and Cosmopolis present our project. We give the mic to five AirCasters who threw themselves in the project and the demand for clean air in Brussels: Patricia, Rajaa, Katia, Olivier K en Oliver D.

We thank them profoundly for their participation and testimony!

Cosmopolis VUB: http://www.cosmopolis.be/research/aircastingbxl

BRAL: www.bral.brussels/cleanair

Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055752

 

How important is urban green in Brussels for you? Which green spaces do you use and why? What do you do in these spaces?

VUB, ULB & Innoviris are looking for participants for our online survey on the use of green spaces in Brussels. With this research, we hope to gain insight into the role green spaces play in the lives of Brussels residents, how Brussels residents use parks and small green spaces in the city, how they feel about these spaces, and which green space characteristics they find important.

Click the link below to take the survey!

https://www.co-nature.org/survey

It is urgent to stop the double process of deregulation of the legal framework and weakening of the public debate which brings us back to t he years of the first "Brusseliz ation" of 50 years ago

The Bas les PAD collective brings together many residents, neighbourhood committees, associations and federations active in the fields of the environment, spatial planning, sustainable development and housing in the Brussels Region.

After having mobilised separately, we took the decision to coordinate our actions independently of the political parties represented in the Parliament of the Brussels Capital Region.

Bas les PAD is alarmed by the recent proliferation of unsuitable and disproportionate urban projects.

During the last revision of Brussels Code for Spatial Planning (CoBAT/ the Region created a new legal tool, called the Territorial Development Plan ( better known in French as PAD (Plan d’Aménagement Directeur) or in Flemish as R PA (Richtplan van Aanleg). In an area determined by the government, a TDP will supersede any contradicting regulation and plan.

The analysis of the eight TDPs in progress, who already passed the public consultation, leads us to the following three main obs ervations

  1.  the TDP causes the breakdown of the regulatory framework as a whole: By making it possible to derogate from all the other town planning rules, the TDPs are a double-edged sword too powerful today and who contribute to the deregulation implemented by the government (at all levels of the Brussels regulatory hierarchy). The final adoption of the TDPs would endorse a myriad of unmeasured and unsuitable projects, most of which have already been conceived before, but were often hindered so far for various reasons (notably legal). This new regulatory tool therefore appears to be legalising what was not possible before. It is the expression of an outdated vision on urban planning.
  2. the TDP contributes to the weakening of the public debate: The too rare information sessions instead of public consultations, the insufficient duration of public inquiries and the biased nature of the environmental impact reports that accompany them or the absence of a meeting of the consultation committee, are all si gns of a worrying decline in citizen participation around issues related to the city and the living environment of its inhabitants and users, a decline taking place in parallel with the deregulation process.
  3. the TDP is the expression of an outdated vision on urban planning: Despite the good intentions regarding the need for accessible housing and public facilities or the objectives of carbon neutrality and preservation of biodiversity, the solutions proposed are far from being a match for the social and e cological crisis (climate and loss of biodiversity) that the Region must face. The intended developments are too often a brutal disruption of the existing urban fabric. On the other hand, they claim to be the only response to the demographic growth, which has been revised downwards and does not correspond to the proposed projects. The concept of the TDPs is not being evaluated nor are its effects monitored. Neither does it show any trace of adaptability required for a public instrument anticipating several decades.

We first ask for the adoption of a moratorium on the TDPs pending an evaluation of this instrument through a public debate! By taking a common position, Bas les PAD also intends to:

  • Coordinate our actions in order to strengthen, with the support of the federations, the specific positions of the committees and associations which have mobilized against the breakdown of our regulatory framework and in favor of better collective participation in the development of our Region;
  • Revitalize the public debate in decline on issues of urban development in general and on the conception of the TDP in particular, in order to get out of the dire legal and technical situation in which it is currently caught;
  • Interpellate the responsible politicians in Brussels regarding an urban planning tool which opens the door to speculation by the big financial players at the expense of the inhabitants of Brussels;
  • Encourage the Government and the Parliament to modify the Brussels Code for Spatial Planning by integrating more efficient evaluation and participation processes;
  • Demand to preserve public domain, namely to develop the public domain, too scarce in Brussels, in order to be able to respond with greater command to the social, environmental and economic challenges of today and tomorrow.

Supports of Bas les PAD

ARAU (jm.bleus@arau.org), BRAL urban movement for Brussels (steyn@bral.brussels), Inter-Environment Brussels (IEB - claire.scohier@ieb.be), NATAGORA Bruxelles, La Plaine, le comité de l’Hippodrome de Boisfort, Wolu-Inter-Quartiers (WIQ) and the Association of Committees of Ucclois district (ACQU), les amis de la Foret de Soignes

Contacts

For Bas les PAD: info@baslespad.brussels - tél. 0473.667.505

And to contact each TDP respectively:

For a JPI Urban Europe project on Positive Energy Districts, Cosmopolis is looking for a motivated researcher.

The TRANSPED-project establishes a learning network with Positive Energy Districts and neighbourhoods that have ambitious goals in terms of a sustainable energy transition, with cases in Brussels, Stockholm, Lund, Tirol and Graz . The aim is to understand how urban energy strategies can be locally embedded, monitored and upscaled to realise a radical shift towards a more sustainable, democratic and just urban energy system.

As researcher on this project, you will collaborate with local partners in Brussels and with the international project partners. You’ll shape a co-creation process with the stakeholders involved, organise and participate in international workshops and online meetings. You will also perform several research tasks, such as elaborating case studies about the energy projects, writing policy recommendations and/or scientific articles and reports. You’ll be supported by motivated colleagues at Cosmopolis.

Cosmopolis is looking for a candidate with experience or affinity with the topic of sustainable urban development and just energy transition. Familiarity with the Brussels stakeholder context is an advantage. You can work independently, are communicative, and like collaborating with a diverse group of partners.

It is possible to combine this position with a PhD trajectory, but this is not mandatory. The position can be fulltime for a shorter period, or parttime for a period up to 2 years.  The conditions and content of this position will be designed in dialogue with the candidate. The project will be launched in February 2021.

Are you interested in this position and would you like to know more about this vacancy? Please send an email to fabio.vanin@vub.be en griet.juwet@gmail.com  The official vacancy and application procedure will be communicated in due time.

What is Bral?

Bral is a non-profit-organisation which stands for Brusselse Raad voor het Leefmilieu (Brussels Environmental Association). It is an independent network of residents' committees and active residents who took interest in the city environment in every meaning of the word, which means as much to the environment itself as to mobility, urban development as urban renewal.

Moreover, Bral is the Dutch-speaking environmental federation in the Region of Brussels and is in this sense considered by the regional and federal governments to be the official advocate representative for the active residents and residents' groups. This is why Bral is established in various official consultation bodies like the Environmental Council and the Regional Development Committee.

As we are in the bilingual context of Brussels, Bral does of course work with all residents, French and Dutch-speaking.

What does Bral stand for?

  • urban development that promotes secure housing and fights speculation
  • a participative urban renewal policy that is against dualization and promotes inclusion of residents and users
  • comfortable and affordable housing, in the first place for current residents
  • a city that produces less garbage
  • a different model of mobility in the city, focusing on the vulnerable road user and on livable streets and squares

What does Bral do?

Bral serves as an instrument for the active and organized 'Brusselaars' who want to work on the city constructively and in keeping with Bral's mission because Brussels is our shared pet project. Armed with a knowledge of plans, laws, regulations and studies and moreover with a healthy dose of refreshing ideas, Bral supports local groups dedicated to creating a livable city. We are not a neutral mediator. We look for like-minded partners. This means in the first place the neighbourhood committees, residents' associations and local activist groups.

Our operations that offer support to local groups include:

  • gathering information, which frequently concerns complicated plans, technical concepts, complex legislation and policy developments, and making this information accessible, understandable, and manageable
  • helping to determine strategies starting from our own vision and experience, for example, in following up on planning procedures (public hearings, ...)
  • providing publicity, giving shape and recognition to positions on a more livable Brussels

This is all accomplished through residents' meetings, media campaigns, debates, workshops and other educational opportunities, participating in official consultative procedures and on counseling bodies, our newsletter 'Alert', and our website.

Besides this, Bral uses the observations and ideas of its supporters as its starting point for lobbying and it speaks out critical views on policy. Finally, Bral organizes sensitization campaigns aimed at the general public.

Let it be clear, however, that our work is never finished!

What can you expect from Bral?

  • support for local groups (see above)
  • issues concerning urban development, environmental and mobility problems in Brussels
  • issues concerning district committees
  • issues concerning large, current dossiers like Thurn & Taxis and the European quarter
  • publications
  • retrieving information from our activity archives

Where does Bral come from?

The first residents' movements and nature associations originated from the fringes of the democratization movements of May 1968, and they include de Slag om de Marollen (the Battle over the Marollen), the residents' struggle against Manhattan square in the North district and the activist groups in Maalbeek valley. The first neighbourhood committees sprang up in their wake. In 1973, a number of Dutch-speaking Brusselaars decided to keep themselves directly involved in the development of their city.

Bral is one of four Belgian environmental federations and, in its battle for a livable city, it places a heavy accent on the fight against plans that threaten residential function and sometimes the entire residential district: the concentration of businesses around the North (train) Station, the extension of the European Parliament district, the advent of the high speed trains (HST) into the South (train) Station, the city cancers in the inner city…

How did Bral evolve?

Bral celebrates its 30th anniversary in 200(30)! A great deal has changed in the city that was sometimes called 'the city with 100 district committees' in the 1970s. Public discourse has recycled our demands of 30 years ago, even partly achieved them, and the city movement has evolved along with them.

Whereas in the beginning, a great deal of attention was focused on the protection of nature and of the traditional fabric of the city, in recent decades, the emphasis shifted to the quality of city life, with themes like resident participation, reducing garbage and socially-minded urban renewal. Accessibility also became a problem. Through the rising dualism, it becomes increasingly difficult to enjoy what the city has to offer. Issues like secure housing, safe cycling, and stopping through traffic as well as ensuring clean air and water are still very current.

After the Capital Region is established in 1989, Brussels develops an independent administration and legislation. This means maneuvering to catch up; finally, a legal framework is established for an environmental and urban development policy in Brussels. Bral becomes increasingly recognized as a consultation partner on various councils and is given important assignments such as disseminating information on the environment and urban planning, and regional coordination of the Week van Vervoering ('Mobility Week') with Car Free Day. Sister not-for-profit organizations focused on specific themes are also born, like the Brusselse Bond voor het Recht op Wonen (the Brussels Association for the Right to Housing) and the Natuur- en Milieueducatie Link Brussel (the Brussels Nature and Environmental Education Link).

During the 1990s, Bral took greater steps in local matters by cooperating with residents in the longer term on local city development projects in the field. Examples include preparing three district contracts in Sint-Joost-Ten Node and diagnosing vacancy and public space in the Maritiem district in Molenbeek.

Uit een reeks ronde tafels en brainstormings met terreinorganisaties distilleerdeBral de publicatie "Zero waste in Brussel, aanbevelingen van het terrein voor een dynamisch gewestelijk afvalbeleid".