SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM : AN OVERVIEW Victor Brunfaut ISACF La Cambre, Brussels,...

SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM : AN OVERVIEW

Victor BrunfautISACF La Cambre, Brussels, Belgium

Be-Sharp ConferenceMumbai, october 16th, 2004

STRUCTURE

1. The context : Belgium

2. Sustainable development and SBE in Belgium

The general framework : the international commitments

The two dimensions of SBE1. Sustainable urban planning2. Sustainable building

The tools 1. New public institutions2. Local action

QuickTimeï¾ª et un dï¾ŽcompresseurPhoto - JPEG sont requis pour visualiser

cette image.

THE CONTEXT : BELGIUM

A VERY DENSELY POPULATED COUNTRY…

HIGHLY DOTATED IN MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURES (HIGHWAYS)…

HIGHLY URBANIZED…

Population: 10.263.414 inhabitants (2001)Land surface: 32.545 km2Density: 315 inhabitants/km2

GNI per capita: US $22,940 (World Bank, 2002)

QuickTimeï¾ª et un dï¾ŽcompresseurPNG sont requis pour visualiser

cette image.

… A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY ENTANGLED COUNTRY…


cette image.


1 FEDERAL STATE


cette image.


1 FEDERAL STATE3 REGIONS

FlandersWalloniaBrussels


cette image.




3 COMMUNITIESFlemishFrenchGerman


cette image.




3 COMMUNITIESFlemishFrenchGerman

… each with its own government, public services, structures…

… A SMALL, VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY ENTANGLED,DEEPLY MUNICIPALIST,MAINLY DRIVEN BY PRIVATEINITIATIVE,COUNTRY…


cette image.

IN A BIGGER, COMPLEX « STATE » CALLED EUROPE…

BELGIUM

also with its own government…


cette image.

… A LASAGNA OF POLITICAL ACTORS, FROM THE EUROPEAN TO THE VERY LOCAL, MUNICIPAL LEVEL

« SUBSIDIARITY » AND « INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION » BECOME KEYWORDS


cette image.

SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENTAND SBE IN BELGIUM

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SBE IN BELGIUM

• LATE START, SLOW MOTION

• A CONCERN IMPOSED TO BELGIUM BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENDA; THE NEED TO COOPERATE IN ORDER TO SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE

• A TERMINOLOGICAL PROBLEM : FROM « GROWTH » TO « LASTING DEVELOPMENT »

• THE « 3 PILLARS » AS A JUSTIFICATION

THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK : THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS

RIO, KYOTO, JOHANNESBURG… AND THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ACCENT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS HAVE HAD A KEY ROLE IN THE (LATE AND SLOW) DEVELOPMENT OF SBE IN BELGIUM

• EUROPEAN SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE (1999)

• FRAMEWORK OF ACTION FOR SUSTAINABLE URBANDEVELOPMENT (1998)

• TOWARDS A THEMATIC STRATEGY ON THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT (2004)

THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF SBE

1. SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING

• densification of existing urban cores• stop « urban sprawl »• urban renewal - housing• creation of new centralities into urban areas• intermodality

2. SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

• mainly through financial incentives• the driving role of public authorities

THE SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL SITUATION

THE VERY COMPLEX INSTITUTIONAL SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY IS OF COURSE REFLECTED IN THE INSTITUTIONAL TOOLKIT REGARDING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

IT GENERATED THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIPLE, OFTEN OVERLAPPING STRUCTURES (S.D. FEDERAL AND REGIONAL TRANSVERSAL COMMISSIONS,…)

IN THIS CONTEXT, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL ORIENTED LOBBIES AND NGO’S ASSUME AN INCREASING IMPORTANCE, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPERTISE

1. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

MinisteriesPrime MinisterJusticeFinanceBudget and Public EnterpriseInteriorForeign AffairsDefenceEconomy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science PolicySocial Affairs and Public HealthSelf-employed and AgricultureEmploymentDevelopment Co-operationCivil Service, Social Integration, Urban Policy and Equal OpportunitiesTransportEnvironment and Pensions

State secretariese-government, deputy to the Minister for the Budget and Public EnterpriseFinancial Modernisation and Combatting Tax Fraud, deputy to the Finance MinisterAdministrative Simplification (Prime Minister)European Affairs (Minister for Foreign Affairs)Sustainable Development and Social Economy (Minister for the Budget and Public Enterprise)Family and Disabled Issues (Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health)

+ 14 federal public services+ 3 programmation services•Social integration, poverty and social economy•Sustainable development•Scientific policy

2. THE COMMUNITIES AND REGIONS

MAIN COMPETENCIES OF THE COMMUNITIES :

EducationCultural mattersSocial Affairs

MAIN COMPETENCIES OF THE REGIONS

Town and country planningEnvironmentAgricultureHousingPublic WorksTransportRegional aspects of the economic policyForeign tradeEmployment policyRegional aspects of the energy policyOrganisation and supervision of the local authoritiesProperty belonging to the various religious groupsScientific research relating to regional matterinternational relations relating to regional matters.

Note : in Brussels In the bilingual region of Brussels-Capital,3 Community Commissions share in the exercising of Community competencies : the French Community Commission (COCOF), the Flemish Community Commission (VGC) and the Common Community Commission (COCOM)

THE TOOLS :

1. NEW PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS BASED ON TRANSVERSALITY AND INTEGRATION: THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS

1. RELYING ON LOCAL RESOURCES AND INITIATIVES: LOCAL AGENDA 21, « ECO-COUNSELORS », LOCAL DEVELOPMENT, CONCERTATION COMMISSIONS,…

THE (FEDERAL) INTERDEPARTMENT COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1. NEW PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS : an example

SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D.

SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D. 2004-2008

6 THEMES :POVERTY - AGEING - HEALTH - NATURAL RESOURCESCLIMATE - MOBILITY

31 ACTIONSONLY 1 EXPLICITELY REGARDING SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTUREAND 5 REGARDING SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING

2 PROBLEMS 1. THE GAP BETWEEN THE ACTION SCHEME AND THE « REAL » GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME2. IMPLEMENTATION

SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D. 2004-2008THE ISSUES RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

ACTION 3 offer decent and affordable housing to all citizens

ACTION 15 lower the use of natural resources

ACTION 17 the role of public authorities as example of good practice

ACTION 23 eco-energetical buiding

ACTION 26/27 mastering the mobility issue

ACTION 28 better transportation facilities

2. LOCAL ACTION

… a way to avoid planification and to achieve implementation, on a volontarist basis

… a way to implement active citizens participation

… a way to foster the permeation of sustainable development values, and the development of « best practices »

SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM : AN OVERVIEW Victor Brunfaut ISACF La Cambre, Brussels,...

Documents

Transcript of SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM : AN OVERVIEW Victor Brunfaut ISACF La Cambre, Brussels,...