Felix Aerts & Arshia Ali Azmat

Talk on your neighbourhood of the future

Join us for an engaging debate and Q&A session featuring Arshia Ali Azmat and Felix Aerts at Park Ouest. a community organiser and a graphic designer, working with the Brussels Centre for Urban Studies as well as on the research project “WELCOMIN – Community Welfare Mixed Infrastructures”. Her work probes the nexus of culture, housing, and politics, aiming to envision a city that is more accommodating for all its residents. With a background in coordinating a cultural network addressing migration and social justice within artistic realms, Arshia brings a unique perspective to urban community welfare.

On the other side, Felix Aerts represents Toestand vzw, a rapidly expanding non-profit focused on revitalizing temporarily vacant spaces for social and cultural uses. Their current initiative transforms the area between Beekkant and Osseghem into Park Ouest—a space for community building, sports, relaxation, and more.

This discussion will delve into the future of the neighbourhood and the ongoing development of Park Ouest. Attendees are invited to contribute their visions for their community’s future, engaging with various scenarios inspired by prospective research. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of your community through active participation and forward-thinking dialogue.

Super Terram & CiDéSol

Soil and dialogue: screening and debate

Discover the earth around us at a special screening followed by a fascinating debate on the state of soil in Brussels. This unique programme will begin with a short documentary exploring the challenges and solutions of urban soil management. After the film, take part in an enriching exchange with members of Super Terram, CiDéSol and Bruxelles Environnement.

This exchange will be an ideal opportunity to gain a better understanding of local environmental issues and discover what is being done to preserve the health of our soils.

Jonathan Vigne (Repair Together asbl)

Planned obsolescence

Are you frustrated that your smartphone seems to be gradually slowing down even though it’s only 2 years old? Are you dreading the day when your printer breaks down for no apparent reason? We’ve probably all experienced this kind of problem before. Who is responsible for this? Is it programmed obsolescence?

In this interactive animation, we will try to answer these questions by analysing with you concrete cases that you encounter every day.

Leo Van Broeck

Discover the essence of the city and the path to a sustainable future!

Leo Van Broeck (Antwerp, 1958) is a leading Flemish engineer-architect who has made an undeniable mark in the field of urban planning and sustainability. From 2016 to 2020, Van Broeck served as the fourth Flemish Government Architect. He is the co-founder of the architectural firm Bogdan & Van Broeck and a lecturer in architectural and urban design at KULeuven. He has brought the debate on urban planning out of meeting rooms’ confines and into the public agenda, advocating for inclusivity, sustainability, and biodiversity conservation.

Discover the essence of the city and the path to a sustainable future! In this lecture, Leo Van Broeck delves into what truly defines a city: its diversity, contradictions, and continuous evolution. A city is a living process, shaped by people, cultures, the economy, and policymakers. But let’s not forget that our future depends on a sustainable approach to urban development. Leo Van Broeck advocates for spatial humility, acknowledging that we cannot claim more than 70% of Earth’s fertile land for our needs. Hence, he calls for urban densification, towards a city accessible to people from diverse backgrounds. Let’s embark on a journey towards a city that thrives on its diversity, where sustainability and inclusivity are at the heart of concerns. It’s time to rethink the economic model, with the city at the center. Endless growth is not sustainable; we must strive for qualitative growth: better quality in less space, based on new sharing economies and cooperative economic models.