Articles
Theme
TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH AND THE CLIMATE!
We’re campaigning for clean, healthy and liveable cities.
Getting polluting cars off our streets and transforming the way we move around is urgently needed if we want to solve the air pollution health emergency and halt the climate crisis.
The Clean Cities Campaign is a new European movement aiming to encourage cities to transition to zero-emission transport by 2030. Together we will push European cities to become champions of active, shared and electric mobility for a more liveable and sustainable urban future.
Join citizens from across Europe and ask Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to end the sales of new diesel, petrol or gas cars and vans.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS DEMAND, PLEASE READ THE PETITION TEXT.
The inhabitants of Brussels are enthusiastic about mapping out air quality themselves. When the registration period for CurieuzenAir BXL ended on Sunday 13 June, the counter stood at 5.578. The candidate measuring points nicely cover all 19 municipalities of the Brussels region. From these, 3.000 participants were selected, who will measure the air quality in their street for a month in September. This air quality monitoring network is the largest ever to be deployed in a European city.
CurieuzenAir BXL in a short summary
- Large scale citizen science project about air quality
- Large response: 5.578 subscriptions across the whole of Brussels
- Scientific selection of 3.000 measurement locations
- Measurement of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from 25 September to 23 October 2021
The organizers are very impressed with the number of registrations. “You can sense that the air quality theme is resonating among the inhabitants of Brussels. Families and schools want to know what the situation is in their street, and many companies want to have insight into the air quality in which their employees commute daily.” says Filip Meysman, professor at the University of Antwerp and CurieuzenAir project coordinator. “This overwhelming amount of candidate measurement locations is also a great scientific asset. From all the registrations, we were able to select a dense network of 3.000 measuring locations. These will give us a very detailed picture of the air quality in the Brussels region and will allow us to test how good our computer models really are.”
Among the 5.578 candidate subscriptions are (see map above):
- 102 schools
- 327 companies and organisations
- 5.149 families and private persons
The 5.578 candidate measurement points show an excellent geographical spread across the Brussels capital region. “Citizen science projects often struggle with finding participants in neighborhoods with immigrants and high cultural diversity,” says Meysman. “We are therefore very pleased that we have many candidate measuring points in high-diversity areas like Molenbeek, Anderlecht and Schaerbeek.”
The CurieuzenAir project wants to be a project for and by Brussels residents from all walks of life. "Four out of ten residents in Brussels are socio-economically vulnerable. We believe it is critical to also involve them in this research project as they are proportionally more affected by air pollution," adds Florence Lepoudre of the urban movement BRAL “By working together with medical centers, community centers and anti-poverty associations, we have been able to set up more than 200 measuring points for and with this target group".
During the campaign, social media ads also specifically called for participants in less populated regions of Brussels, like Haren and Neerpede. “This has worked well” says Meysman. “For example, we are very happy that we can install a measuring device at the training ground of premier league football club RSC Anderlecht in Neerpede, because this fills a critical blind spot on our map”. The areas around Brussels Congress and the European Quarter are also difficult to target regions due to the large number of offices and the absence of local residents. “Nevertheless, we received a number of very interesting measuring points in these areas. For example, the resident of Wetstraat 16 has registered as a candidate measuring point. We are very happy to see that the Prime Minister is eager to become a citizen scientist and help us out with mapping the air quality in Brussels.”
A wide network of 3.000 measurement locations
From all registrations, a computer algorithm made a selection of the 3.000 “most optimal” measuring locations in order to obtain a detailed air quality map of Brussels. In doing so, it targeted a good geographical spread over the whole of Brussels, suitable variation in street types and traffic intensity. In order to standardize the measurements, priority was given to measuring points with a window facing the street on the first floor.
The selected participants have already received the good news by e-mail and are invited to confirm their participation. The other candidates are on a waiting list and can be still called if a measurement location drops out. Participants pay themselves a small fee, but the research project wants to be accessible to everyone. Therefore the 'Pay as you like' principle is applied: selected participants pay a contribution according to his or her capacity with a minimum of 5 euros and a guideline contribution of 15 euros (the actual cost of a measurement is 150 Euro).
From September 25, 2021 onwards, all 3.000 participants will place a measurement device at the window of their house or office (a real estate panel with two sampling tubes that measure NO2 in the outside air, an indicator of traffic-related pollution). This measurement set-up remains in place for one month. The data from all measuring points will be used to create a detailed map of NO2 across the Brussels region, thus enabling to improve existing computer models for air quality. In this way, health impacts can be better quantified at the regional level, and so policymakers have more accurate information for the implementation and adaptation of policy measures.
The results of the measurements will be announced in February 2022 via an interactive “dotted map”, which will be released on the websites of media partners De Standaard, Le Soir and BRUZZ. At the same time, participants will receive a personal report with the detailed results of their own measurement.
More information about the research can be found on the website curieuzenair.brussels
CurieuzenAir is an initiative of the University of Antwerp, urban movement BRAL and Université Libre de Bruxelles, in close collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brussels Environment, De Standaard, Le Soir, BRUZZ and DPD.
Press contact :
Florence Lepoudre – BRAL (FR, NL, EN)
+32 472 780 772
There are currently more than 37,000 species on the planet at risk of extinction.But it’s been shown before that with the right protection efforts, we can bring them back from the brink.
Client Earth has picked seven incredible species, some with populations that are increasing, some still in decline, and one now extinct.
Picture: Stadsbiografie, Bert Boogaerts
Oh dear, something went wrong! The page you were looking for, could not be found. Please try again with a different search term. Or go back to the homepage.
For the project "Commoning Europe", BRAL made an English version of the video "Plan B Josaphat". A network of citizens, neighbourhood comittees and urban movements wants to protect the brownfield Josaphat, North of Brussels. In this video, they reach out to the regional government of Brussels to make a new plan together to save this gem of Brussels' biodiversity. Their main principle is simple: save nature where it is and expand the city where it is grey.
Commoning Europe wants to propell the rediscovery the public good as the foundation of Europe. Working together to preserve land and nature and to keep it in public hands is one of the examples, cristalized in the effort to save Josaphat. https://commoning.eu/ The English translation of the video was cofunded by the Erasmus programme of the European Union.
Plan B Josaphat is a collaboration between ARAU, BRAL, Bruxelles Nature, collectif Bas Les PAD, Comité Leopold III, Comité Mediapark, Josaph’aire, Natagora, Natuurpunt Brussel, Sauvons La Friche Josaphat, Sauvons le parc Avenue des Jardins, and author David Van Reybrouck. The video was made by the Brussels collective Dérive.
Since May 2017, the bicycle logistics cooperative Molenbike has been offering its delivery services to companies and administrations in Brussels.
By the end of March (before 31/03/2022 to be precise), we will have to leave our HQ in the former postal center (Tri Postal project of Communa ASBL).
We are therefore urgently looking for a new (even temporary) place to store our bikes and equipment.
We are looking for a space :
- that can be locked
- of at least 20 to 30sqm
- accessible to cargo bikes (ground floor or slope)
- with electricity (some bikes are electric and our smartphone needs charging)
- in the historic city center or adjacent municipalities
- minimal costs (rent and/or charges)
- adjoining coworking space is a plus
You know a space fitting our needs? Send us an e-mail: info@molenbike.be!
Gear Up Brussels!
Antoine Struelens & Team Molenbike
In October 2021, 3,000 Brussels residents participated in the largest ever citizen survey on air quality in Brussels. Individuals, families, schools, businesses and organisations measured the NO2 at their windows for a month. They wanted to find out how healthy is the air they breathe every day in their street. The fact that the World Health Organisation has lowered its healthy limits based on new scientific evidence arouses curiosity all the more.
On Friday 18 March, six months after the start of the campaign, the moment of truth will come. That's when you will find out the results of the citizen survey.
BRAL is happy to invite you to an information session about CurieuzenAir in your neighbourhood. At this event, you can find out about the air quality in your district or street. Your most pressing questions will be answered. And you will be able to debate which measures could improve air quality.
Dates and venues:
CurieuzenAir reveals a striking disparity in air pollution levels across Brussels
|
An interactive dot map with the results of all measurement points can be found on the websites of De Standaard, Le Soir and BRUZZ starting at 5 pm on Friday 18 March. The full scientific report can be found here |
- For one month, 3,000 Brussels residents mapped the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in their street, a key indicator of air pollution caused by traffic.
- CurieuzenAir's unique dataset shows in detail the impact of traffic, with socio-economically vulnerable neighbourhoods more likely to suffer from poor air quality.
- The dataset shows air quality in Brussels has improved, but there is still a major health impact.
-The CurieuzenAir findings not only provide detailed insights for Brussels, but also shows patterns and trends relevant for other European cities.
Between 25 September and 23 October 2021, 3,000 Brussels citizens participated in CurieuzenAir, the largest ever citizen science project on air quality in our capital. For one month, citizen scientists mapped the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) -- a key indicator of air pollution caused by traffic -- in their streets via measuring tubes on the facades of their homes. The project resulted in a unique dataset showing the impact of road traffic on air quality in Brussels in great detail. Results range from ‘excellent’ to ‘extremely poor’ air quality across Brussels, with a stark contrast in air quality between socio-economically vulnerable neighbourhoods and green, well-off ones. CurieuzenAir also brings good news: the data show that air quality in Brussels has improved considerably in recent years.
Significant and striking differences across Brussels
On the interactive dot map, each measuring point was assigned a colour corresponding to the value measured. While looking at the dotted map, it is striking that the air quality differs greatly from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, and even from street to street. From blue dots (0-15 µg m-3; 'very good') to a number of jet-black dots (>50 µg m-3; 'extremely bad'), the CurieuzenAir dataset makes it clear that these differences are explained by emissions from Brussels traffic.
The lowest NO2 concentration of 6.2 µg m-3was measured in the middle of the Sonian Forest, a location spared from traffic emissions. The lowest NO2 concentration in a residential area (8.1 µg m-3) was measured on a façade in the Vogelenzangstraat in Anderlecht. This is a remarkable measurement for an urban environment, where measured values below 10 µg m-3 are usually less frequent. This measurement value indicates that there are also residential areas in Brussels with very good air quality.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are also outliers. The highest value (60.5 µg µg m-3) was recorded along the busy Nieuwpoortlaan, and there are also measuring points along the inner ring road that exceed the limit of 50 µg m-3. These high values are explained by a combination of heavy traffic and little air circulation due to high-rise buildings. Olivier Brasseur, air quality expert at Brussels Environment, explains: "The highest nitrogen dioxide concentrations are reached in places with heavy traffic. These concentrations are amplified by a "canyon effect", the presence of buildings on either side of the street, which causes the pollutants to linger in the street, as it were. Surprisingly, there are different NO2 concentrations within one and the same street. This can be explained by the structure of the street, which gives more or less free rein to the wind in some places. In addition, stop-and-go traffic at intersections and traffic jams during the morning and evening rush hours cause increased emissions and high peaks. This translates into red and purple dots on the CurieuzenAir dot map.
Telecommuting and cleaner car fleet helping to improve air quality
Thanks to the large volume of CurieuzenAir data, Curieuzenair can estimate NO2 exposure for the entire population of Brussels. CurieuzenAir found that 1.4% of Brussels citizens – 17,000 people – are exposed to air quality exceeding the 40 µg/m3 European air quality standards. Additionally, 98.4% of the population - 1,200,000 inhabitants - live or work in areas exposed to pollution above the World Health Organization's new threshold value, above 10 µg m-3, showing the broad impact of air pollution on the community's public health.
"It is definitely not pleasant to hear that you live or work at a red location," says Professor Filip Meysman (UAntwerpen), coordinator of CurieuzenAir. "But that is also the purpose of our research: to make hotspots of air pollution visible and ensure that local policy makers can improve the traffic situation. On the other hand, we are surprised to see that this is a relatively small percentage. Only two years ago, it was estimated to be around 10%, and ten years ago, even half of the Brussels population was above the norm. The official measuring stations of Brussels Environment show the same declining trend. The air quality in Brussels is therefore clearly improving.” The researchers see a number of important explanations for the recent improvement. The corona effect caused telecommuting and thus less traffic during the measurement period. But the increasingly clean car fleet, higher bicycle use and the low-emission zone also play a role, and these are lasting effects. The CurieuzenAir data show that such measures do improve the quality of life in a large city.
Despite the encouraging measurement results, action is needed to improve air quality in the city. In September 2021, the World Health Organisation presented a new threshold value: above 10 µg m-3, the first health effects are noticeable. And that is quite sobering: based on the CurieuzenAir data, 98.4% of the population - or 1,200,000 inhabitants of Brussels - live or work in areas exposed to pollution above this health standard.
Alain Maron, Brussels Minister for Climate Transition, Environment, Social Affairs and Health: “CurieuzenAir is a great example of the importance of citizen science. Thanks to all the citizens that took part in the project, we collected unprecedented results on air pollution in Brussels, which help us to better understand the problem in our city. While we see that the situation is slowly improving, the concentrations measured still remain unacceptable, and call for urgent, in-depth action. We need to make sure that everyone in the city, wherever they live and whatever they earn, get to breathe a clean and healthy air.”
“We know that you can’t manage what you don’t measure—and this valuable data and research will enable the Brussels-Capital-Region, Brussels Environment, and civil society to combat this air pollution crisis,” said Antha Williams, who leads environment programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Tackling air pollution in Brussels will save lives, and will especially benefit the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly who are most susceptible to the harmful effects of poor air quality.
Good air quality is important for all inhabitants of Brussels
The CurieuzenAir dataset provides a very detailed picture of air quality in the various districts of Brussels. The NO2 concentrations show remarkable differences between neighbourhoods, streets and sometimes within the same street. Researchers from Université libre de Bruxelles placed the CurieuzenAir data alongside socio-economic characteristics of the various neighbourhoods. "What is striking is the difference in air quality between the orange and yellow dots in the centre and the blue-green periphery of Brussels," explains Dirk Jacobs, full professor in Sociology at ULB. "The three neighbourhoods with the best air quality in the region are located in Uccle and the three neighbourhoods with the highest NO2 concentration are found in the city centre and near the inner ring road." Neighbourhoods with a higher population density tend to score worse in terms of air quality. Moreover, the Curieuzenair data shows a clear link between income and air pollution exposure: the more deprived neighborhoods, the worse air quality is. "Ironically, this also means that in the neighbourhoods where car ownership per household is lower, the air quality is nevertheless worse because of the impact of nearby traffic".
"The results from CurieuzenAir show that the health effects for the people of Brussels are unevenly distributed. We are not all in the same boat," says Raf Pauly of BRAL, Brussels' urban movement, and a co-initiator of CurieuzenAir. "But the measurement result in your street is not equal to your own daily exposure. We only spend part of our time at home. People from the blue-green periphery also go to study, work or shop in the Vijfhoek. So we all have an interest in seeing the air quality across the whole of Brussels improve significantly and we need to work hard to achieve that."
CurieuzenAir is an initiative of the University of Antwerp, urban movement BRAL and Université libre de Bruxelles, in close cooperation with Brussels Environnement, De Standaard, Le Soir and BRUZZ. This program is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Brussels Clean Air Partnership.
From April 4 to 8, Toha De Brant, Yannick Schandené and Hanne Van Reusel were out and about in Florence, Italy for BRAL. They visited local practices of the commons and exchanged knowledge and experiences with other commoners as part of the Joint Staff Training Event for Commoning Europe in Campi di Bisenzio. Commoning Europe wants to rediscover the public good as the foundation of Europe. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union and aims to spread awareness on common goods and good practices in several countries.
During the Joint Staff Training Event managers, civil servants and citizens from five European countries (Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Romania) join forces to foster commoning practices between public institutions and local governments. The commune of Campi di Bisenzio presented skilfully the experiences and practices on the countryside and the surroundings of Florence’s metropolitan area. After a short presentation of the programme, we let Hanne explain her takeaways.
Day 1
The group kicked-off with an introduction to the Commons regarding legal framework, private-public management, and regulation of the collaborations followed by a visit to Giardini Nidaici. The garden is a space for children in the city of Florence, managed by volunteers.
Day 2
Mondeggi was the second common good visit. It is located in the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli. The community pride themselves in the concept of ‘land of common good’. Free sharing of knowledge, local natural and sustainable farming are a few of their added values.
The group thereafter visited Lumen Firenze, an associative cultural space situated in a large green area of Florence. It represents an incubator of autonomous and sustainable economic dynamics, because it is a reference point for innovative projects, knowledge sharing, start-ups and new civic practices.
Day 3 & 4
After the visits, the group headed inside for round table sessions about common goods. They also learned about how to build an energy community thanks to the contribution of Legambiente Onlus - Comuni Rinnovabili – another Erasmus + project. In promoting energy communities as common good, they believe it can bring economic, environmental and social benefits to local communities.
Hanne Van Reusel’s feedback:
“As engaged commoner and member of BRAL, I joined this European commons exchange and training. Exploring the Metropolitan area of Florence and its commons, I am noting several takeaways:
- The importance of a national law / regional framework defining commons in order to provide leverage.
- The EU subsidiarity principles, acknowledging the role of the social sector and citizens have been written since ‘93, and acting since 2009. They provide ground for supporting commons initiatives also in Belgium and Brussels.
- Commons from the perspective of public administrations is about acknowledging active citizenship and valuing the diverse contributions they bring to the public and common good.
Gratitude to the wonderful team from CampoBisenzio, commoning_europe and bral.brussels. Partners in commons: fermenthingsbe tohadebrant And shout out to my @osmosnetwork that allows me to disappear, learn more and go and soak up some Italian sun 🙏”
Thank you for you attendence and contributions, Hanne, Toha and Yannick! Want to know more about the project Commoning Europe? Are you interested in discovering the good practices our partners and us have put in the spotlight? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and the website www.commoning.eu!
Picnic the streets 10 years later
In June 2012, a giant unauthorized picnic took place on the Place de la Bourse. It led to a deep and irreversible change of the centre of our city. Ten years later, you are invited to celebrate this fantastic victory of civil society by picnicing on the same spot on Sunday 12 June from 12.30 onwards.
Before that, on Sunday 12 from 10 to 12, we shall reflect together at the Cinéma-Palace (Boulevard Anspach 85) on what preceded Picnic the Streets and what followed it all the way to the present situation, on the plans for the future of the surroundings, and on how, here and elsewhere, bottom-up movements can contribute to the reconquest of our public spaces.
Registration: free of charge but obligatory no later than 8 June
Programme of the meeting of 12 June 2012 (in French and Dutch)
Gerben VAN DEN ABBEELE (core group Picnic the Streets): From Streetsharing to Picnic the Streets
Joost VANDENBROELE (core group Picnic the Streets): 10 June 2012 and the reminder picnics
Fatima ZIBOUH (W100) : Le piétonnier comme espace d’inclusion radicale
Paul LIEVEVROUW (director SUM-Project): From the first plans to the real thing
Henri SIMONS (échevin de l’urbanisme Bxl 1995-2006): Pourquoi pas plus tôt?
Sofie VERMEULEN (Brussels Centre Observatory): The piétonnier’s main challenges
Bart DHONDT/ An DESCHEEMAEKER (schepen & chef cab mobiliteit Bxl): the new mobility plan
Nel VANDEVANNET (director Beurs-Bourse project): public & private plans for the Beurspalais
Sven LENAERTS (head CSR Immobel) : private plans for the piétonnier
Teresa EPALZA (Coordinator Heroes for Zero Molenbeek): Picnic the Bridge
Moderation: Nel VANDEVANNET & Philippe VAN PARIJS
Timeline of Picnic the Streets
Ten years ago, thousands of people picnicked here, without permission, in support of sustainable mobility and enjoyable immobility, and of an irreversible reconquest of our public space.
1. Background
25 June 1971: The English-language Brussels-based magazine The Bulletin organises a picnic on the Grand-Place in support of making it car-free. Parking on the Grand-Place was banned in March 1972, and all traffic from January 1991.
September 2000: NoMo-Autrement Mobile, a non-profit organisation made up of residents and academics, draws up a plan for a city centre with 50% fewer cars, including a pedestrianisation of the central lanes.
22 September 2000 - 27 September 2003: The "Street Sharing" collective supports the NoMo plan and mobilises once a year at the Place de la Bourse.
2003: Beliris, the federal body responsible for financing the functions of Brussels as a capital city, commissions a study on the transformation of the central lanes, including a reduction in car traffic from 4 to 2 lanes, and grants a budget. With no effect.
2004: The Brussels City Council approves a project to transform the central lanes, which is not carried out.
2. Picnic the Streets
24 May 2012: An opinion piece published under the title "Picnic the Streets" in Le Soir, Brussel deze Week and The Bulletin calls for civil disobedience in the form of a picnic on the Place de la Bourse every Sunday throughout the summer.
10 June 2012: Two to three thousand people participate in a giant picnic on the Place de la Bourse following a call disseminated mainly via FaceBook.
16 June 2012: Mayor Freddy Thielemans authorises picnics on the Place de la Bourse every Sunday lunchtime in July and August.
July 2012 - June 2015: Succession of reminder picnics organised at the Place de la Bourse by "Picnic the Streets".
3. From decision to implementation
14 October 2012: Local elections. Several parties promise a more or less significant pedestrianisation of the central lanes.
4 December 2012: The majority agreement of the new College of Mayor and Aldermen provides for the pedestrianisation of the Place de la Bourse, Place de Brouckère and Place Fontainas and a small section of Boulevard Anspach
31 January 2014: Presentation by Mayor Yvan Mayeur of the project "A new heart for Brussels", including the almost complete pedestrianisation of Boulevard Anspach between Place de Brouckère and Place Fontainas.
29 June 2015: Start of the test phase of the new mobility plan: Boulevard Anspach is pedestrianised on a trial basis between Place de Brouckère and Place Fontainas and equipped with temporary furniture in the public space
October 2015: The consultation commission grants planning permission to the pedestrianisation project introduced by the City of Brussels.
November 2015: Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, a curfew is imposed in the centre of Brussels, with a major impact on the vitality of the car-free zone.
February 2016: End of the test phase of the mobility plan, deemed conclusive by the City.
22 March 2016: Brussels attacks: mourners gather en masse in front of the Bourse.
September 2016: Start of the work on the central lanes, mainly financed by Beliris.
February 2019: Inauguration of the Bourse-Grand-Place premetro station
July 2021: Completion of the work on the central lanes
Help, the sewers are leaking! Every year huge volumes of wastewater flow directly into the canal and the Senne via the sewage overflows. This happens when it rains and in Belgium, it doesn’t just rain – il drache.
Canal it up has studied the problem thoroughly and they’ve come to the conclusion that there is only one solution to prevent pollution… We’ll just have to hold our pee and poo when it rains.
Why so? Because our pee and poo have to share the sewage pipes with invasive rainwater, and when it’s raining cats and dogs, as it so often is in our dear plat pays, the sewers overflow into the river and the canal – Adieu cats, dogs, pee and poo!
And so, to make sure that only rainwater overflows, we’ll just have to hold it when it rains. That’s the only way to finally get a clean river and canal.
To succeed, we’ll need every Brusseleir to participate. So, spread the word!
https://www.canalitup.org/hold-your-pee-and-poo/
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/05/12/ga-niet-naar-het-toilet-wanneer-het-regent/
Foto: Stadsbiografie, Roos Vandepitte
In L’Echo and BRUZZ, we read last week that the city and the region of Brussels have abandoned the tower fetish in the European quarter. The authorities have shifted their focus to renovate, add more public green spaces and facilities limit the burden of transit traffic and increase space for active mobility instead. Congratulations to all the citizens and associations who nudged our government in the right direction! We hope that the Urban Ruling announced by minister Smet will assure the necessary legislative aspects and that it can pave the way for other areas in our region – in co-creation with citizens, preferably?!
In other potentially good news: Brussels minister-president Vervoort announced that he wants to add an automatic, systemic percentage of public housing in the regional regulation on urbanism. He toys with the idea of 25 per cent ‘public’ housing per 100.000 square meters in a development. Mind you: ‘public’ can also mean ‘middle-class’. It is not ‘social’ housing per se! So it’s not quite yet the 25% social housing per 10.000 square meters as we proposed in our regional memorandum. Some nudging is still required ;-)
Together with the Belgian Housing Action Coalition, we asked for a systemic solution for the exuberant increases in rent in Brussels. There is an agreement that future rental contracts will need to add an indicative benchmark price. This means that, for the first time, the region recognises that it is forbidden for a landlord to charge an 'excessive' rent. However, Vervoort does not want to add more pressure to his current coalition partners on the question of rent control until the next elections come around in 2024. Quite a pity!