Brussels Green Spaces vs Housing: A City at a Crossroads

Brussels is confronting one of the most consequential urban planning dilemmas in its modern history: whether to preserve its remaining brownfield sites as vital green infrastructure or convert them into desperately needed housing. With more than 60,000 households waiting for social housing and a recent heat wave that claimed approximately 2,000 lives across Belgium, the tension between these competing priorities has reached a critical juncture, as RTBF reported.

A City Under Pressure

The scale of Brussels’ housing crisis is stark. More than 60,000 households are on the social housing waiting list, with families facing waits of 9 to 13 years. The current Regional Land Use Plan (PRAS), adopted in 2001, predates the integration of climate imperatives into urban planning. Meanwhile, nearly one in two square meters of Brussels soil is impermeable, a figure that has doubled over the past half-century, according to Bruxelles Environnement.

The stakes were underscored dramatically this summer. The June 2026 heat wave, which brought ten consecutive days near 30°C and three days approaching 35°C, resulted in approximately 2,000 excess deaths across Belgium—a 48% excess mortality rate, the highest ever recorded for a heat wave in the country. Brussels alone saw 188 excess deaths, representing a 63% excess mortality rate, as RTBF reported.

The Legal Battle: A Landmark Ruling

At the heart of the conflict lies a landmark court decision. On October 29, 2025, the Court of First Instance of Brussels ordered the Brussels Region to suspend the urbanization and soil sealing of undeveloped plots larger than 0.5 hectares until the adoption of a new PRAS, at the latest by December 31, 2026. The court found that by continuing urbanization without integrating climate imperatives, the Region was failing its general duty of care—marking the first time a court has forbidden a European capital from urbanizing natural sites over half a hectare, as La Libre reported.

“It’s an important stage victory,” said Jean-Baptiste Godinot, spokesperson for We Are Nature.Brussels, the association that brought the case alongside Bruxelles Nature and 1,330 citizens. “Since 2014, we have been demanding a moratorium on soil artificialization. This decision finally recognizes the legitimacy of that fight.”

The Brussels regional government, however, filed an appeal on March 20, 2026. State Secretary for Urbanism Audrey Henry (MR) stated that the appeal aims “to obtain the necessary clarifications and to guarantee a legally secure application” of the ruling. The government also published a controversial circular on April 8, 2026, instructing officials to continue processing all permit applications—a move that We Are Nature condemned as “democratic thuggery,” accusing the government of attempting to circumvent a binding court decision.

The Josaphat Brownfield: A Case Study

The Josaphat brownfield, a former SNCB railway yard spanning nearly 25 hectares at the Schaerbeek/Evere border, embodies the broader conflict. Purchased by the Region in 2005, it represents the last large undeveloped space in Brussels. The SAU (Société d’Aménagement Urbain) proposes building housing, a school, and facilities while preserving 4 hectares for biodiversity—a plan that underwent public inquiry from August 25 to September 23, 2025, as RTBF detailed.

“We’re very central here,” said Gilles Delforge, Director General of SAU. “We have a RER stop already in operation that gets you to Schuman station in less than 7 minutes. We’ll have just over 40% of this brownfield conserved and dedicated to biodiversity. We’ll have recreational green spaces, housing, a school, a daycare—it’s a mix that seems fairly balanced between different functions.”

Critics remain unconvinced. Wildlife photographer and filmmaker Thomas Jean points to Tour & Taxis as a cautionary tale, where initial promises of biodiversity preservation and social housing were not kept—social housing ultimately accounting for only 6% of the development. His first feature documentary, “Res Nullius,” released May 6, 2026, documents the remarkable wildlife thriving in Brussels’ urban brownfields—foxes, peregrine falcons, beavers, and even a wild boar in Woluwe Park, as DH reported.

A Question of Priorities

Jean acknowledges the urgency of the housing crisis but argues that the answer cannot come at the expense of the city’s last living soils. “Vegetation cools and concrete warms,” he summarizes. He advocates instead for demolishing dilapidated buildings, renovating existing structures, and converting vacant office space into housing. “If we prioritize only housing or only biodiversity, in both cases, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.

The government has responded with the Plan Canopée, validated on July 16, 2026, which aims to vegetalize public spaces, with pilot projects at Place Schuman and Rue de la Régence. “The Plan Canopée is a concrete response to the lessons learned from the Schuman roundabout,” Henry said. However, Jean criticizes the plan as too late and insufficiently ambitious, noting that the pilot sites are primarily transit areas rather than the densest, most mineralized neighborhoods that need priority.

The Path Forward

As the legal battle continues and the December 2026 deadline for a new PRAS approaches, Brussels stands at a defining crossroads. The court ruling has created a temporary reprieve for sites like Josaphat, Meylemeersch, Keyenbempt, and the Bois du Calevoet, while three sites—Plateau Avijl, Donderberg, and Marais Wiels—have been granted permanent green zone protection.

“We need to move beyond the toxic narrative that opposes social housing and natural spaces,” Godinot said. “We want access to healthy housing and healthy nature for all.” The coming months will determine whether Brussels can reconcile these twin imperatives—or whether it will be forced to choose between them.

What to watch: the outcome of the government’s appeal, the adoption of the new PRAS, and whether the Plan Canopée expands beyond its pilot sites. The decisions made in the next year will shape Brussels for decades to come.