The City of Brussels will launch neighbourhood citizens’ assemblies, called “Wij Quartier,” from 17 November to give residents a permanent role in shaping the future of their area.
The initiative was announced by Frederik Ceulemans, the alderman responsible for citizen participation. It is intended to embed public involvement more firmly in the city’s day-to-day decision-making.
The assemblies will meet regularly and combine online participation with in-person gatherings. They will build on public consultations, participatory budgets and other local engagement initiatives tested in recent years.
Ceulemans said those earlier experiments now form the basis of a more structured model, in which citizen participation is no longer limited to individual projects but becomes a lasting part of municipal policy.
The process will begin by gathering residents’ and local users’ experiences, concerns and suggestions about their everyday surroundings. Contributions may cover public space, mobility, cleanliness, the environment and community facilities.
The selected topics will then be discussed at meetings bringing together residents, Brussels Participation, and city representatives to develop practical solutions. If the participants do not adequately reflect the neighbourhood, a random draw will be organised to ensure balanced representation.
Recommendations approved by residents will be submitted to the municipal executive and reviewed by the relevant departments. The executive’s responses will be published on the participation platform, and funding may be allocated to proposals that are adopted.
The first phase will run from 17 November to 17 January in three areas: Grand-Place-Saint-Jacques, Squares-Europe and Roi-Martyrs-Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges.
