Happy Monday!
Today you’ve got me, Katie Westwood, back in the Belgium in Brief hotseat.
I hope you enjoyed the region’s blink-and-you-missed-it transformation into a winter wonderland on Sunday as much as I did.
As I dodged piles of slush on my commute to work this morning, I thought about David Seffer, the subject of our lead story in today’s Brussels Times.
David is a wheelchair user, and like many Brussels residents with reduced mobility, he often struggles to get from A to B in Brussels and feels shut out from many aspects of city living.
Our reporter Rita Alves accompanied David on a trip around Brussels to see the kinds of challenges he and other people with disabilities face every day while navigating the city.
Things that many of us take for granted – going into shops, enjoying a night out with friends in a favourite bar, or even just crossing the road – are fraught with difficulties for David.
Whether it’s finding pavements blocked with bags of rubbish or getting his wheels caught in broken paving slabs, there are obstacles everywhere. The frustrating thing is, most of the issues can be easily dealt with, if only we have the political will (and resource allocation) to address them. I urge you to read Rita’s eye-opening report.
It would be interesting to get David’s take on the recent pedestrianisation of Place Royale in Brussels city centre. The Brussels Times News Editor Ugo Realfonzo has looked at the renovation of the iconic square, which was unveiled to the public last week after months of work.
The square had become a busy and dangerous roundabout in recent times, making it a difficult place to navigate for pedestrians and wheelchair users alike. Before the works, only 20% of Place Royale was reserved for pedestrians, while 80% was dedicated to motorised traffic. Now that ratio has been reversed.
It seems like a positive step in a city where the car is still king. But perhaps people with reduced mobility – who might rely on vehicles to get around – may disagree.
I also wanted to highlight a couple of weekend features which you may have missed. For Valentine’s Day, reporter Anas El Baye wrote a fascinating piece on single people in Brussels, asking whether they get a raw deal in the city.
On Sunday, meanwhile, we published a lovely feature by reporter Eva Hilinski, who wrote an ode to her favourite Brussels flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle. I know where I’ll be heading next weekend.
If you have any comments, tips or suggestions to improve our coverage, please feel free to drop me an email at k.westwood@brusselstimes.com
Bye for now!
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1. Dodging rubbish bags and broken paving slabs: The daily struggle of getting round Brussels in a wheelchair
“I used to have quite a busy social life. I used to go out a lot. It's just not possible anymore,” wheelchair user David Seffer told The Brussels Times.
2. Brussels’ iconic Place Royale gets pedestrian-friendly makeover
Nearly 90% of Place Royale is now reserved for pedestrians, with the City of Brussels having also added some new features. Read more.
3. New Brussels Minister-President already in hot water for poor Dutch skills
Boris Dilliès explained that he will now work on his Dutch as soon as possible after being criticised in the Flemish press just hours after being sworn in. Read more.
4. From ‘racehorse’ to ‘ugly camel’: What is happening with Belgium’s VAT reform?
"I had a racehorse in mind, but we ended up with a very ugly camel. If it cannot reach the oasis, we will have to talk about it again." Read more.
5. Why graduate jobs are disappearing in Belgium
Experts point to artificial intelligence, but that's not the only reason. Read more.
6. Do single people in Brussels get a raw deal?
"Single people without children in Belgium are the most heavily taxed in Western Europe." Read more.
7. After conquering the gaming world, a cult Belgian videogame is heading to TV screens
The creator of HBO’s hit series The Last of Us is developing a new show based on an award-winning Belgian role-playing game. Read more.
