Brussels

1. Brussels is home to the world's largest comic strip mural, known as the "Comic Strip Route," which features colorful murals dedicated to famous Belgian comic characters such as Tintin and the Smurfs, making it a unique outdoor gallery for art and comic enthusiasts. 2. The city hosts a unique underground network of tunnels and caves known as the "Brussels Catacombs," which date back to the 17th century and were originally used for the burial of the city's dead, providing a fascinating glimpse into the city's history beneath its streets. 3. Brussels is famous for its "Manneken Pis," a small statue of a urinating boy, which has become a symbol of the city. However, what many don't know is that the statue has over 800 costumes that are regularly changed for special occasions and events, making it a quirky aspect of local culture.

In Brussels, approximately 60% of residents are renters, with about 40% owning their homes. The high proportion of renters is due to limited access to affordable homeownership and a strong demand from both local and international workers. The median price to purchase an apartment in Brussels reached €260,000 in early 2025, which translates to roughly €3,500 to €4,000 per square meter for standard apartments, depending on the neighborhood. Median rental prices for apartments are around €18 to €21 per square meter per month, with average two-bedroom rents at €1,250 monthly. Publicly owned housing, primarily managed as social housing, represents about 11.4% of the housing stock in Brussels. Public/social housing targets low-income residents unable to access the private market, offering rents significantly below market rates. In Brussels, the distinction between terms is nuanced: public housing is operated by regional and municipal authorities, while social housing refers to properties allocated based on strict income and eligibility criteria, offering the most affordable options. There is also some “intermediate” or “affordable” public housing for lower-middle-income residents, making social housing a subset of public housing, not strictly synonymous. Despite its importance, the supply of social housing is insufficient to meet demand, resulting in long waiting lists and forcing most tenants into the more expensive private rental sector. This shortage remains a major challenge for Brussels' urban policy and social equity.

Brussels is experiencing an acute housing crisis marked by a persistent gap between rising demand and limited supply. Over the past five years, rents have risen sharply—with average city center rents for a three-bedroom apartment increasing by 38 percent to over 2,100 euros per month in 2025. One-bedroom apartments surged even more, up 44 percent to around 1,190 euros monthly. The supply of available rentals has dropped over 20 percent in the past year, contributing to price escalation and fierce competition for tenants. Demand is fueled by population growth, household fragmentation, steady migration, and a high influx of international workers and students. Single-person households now make up over a third of all households, and flexible leases for expats and professionals have increased significantly. Pressure is intense in neighborhoods near EU institutions and business districts. The groups most affected include low- and middle-income families, younger adults, and students who are often priced out of both the private and homeownership markets. Many are forced onto long waiting lists for subsidized housing or must accept substandard or overpriced accommodations. First-time buyers, in particular, struggle with affordability as price growth outpaces wage increases and borrowing constraints further limit their access to the market. Ongoing legislative uncertainty and short-term rental activity (such as Airbnb) also impact supply and affordability for long-term residents.

The Brussels city administration is responding to affordable and sustainable housing challenges with tightened rental legislation, expansion of social housing, and enforcement actions targeting the private market. In late 2024, Brussels introduced new lease rules including stricter habitability standards, restrictions on successive short-term leases, rent smoothing (prohibiting abrupt rent hikes on new tenants), and greater transparency for renters. These measures seek to stabilize rents and protect tenant rights. The city’s communicated targets focus on expanding public housing supply and urgently addressing long social housing waitlists. Although progress on housing construction accelerated recently—with over 1,400 units completed between mid-2019 and April 2024 and about 870 units under construction—the region remains significantly below earlier ambitions to add 8,000 new public and social units. Financial constraints have slowed further expansion, though a €300 million loan was recently sought to fund additional projects. Concrete actions include: - Public housing construction and renovation programs, emphasizing energy efficiency and compliance with high environmental standards. - Regulatory crackdowns on illegal short-term tourist rentals, aiming to return properties to the long-term rental market for residents, especially in pressured city center neighborhoods. - Support for EU and federal sustainability incentives, such as reduced VAT on energy-efficient construction and green renovations. Despite these efforts, advocacy groups and local officials continue to call for larger investments, massive scaling of social housing, and stronger rent regulation as current measures have not yet closed the supply-demand gap or resolved affordability for many residents.

Housing cooperatives in Brussels represent a small but growing share of the housing landscape, with their role centered on providing affordable, non-speculative, and collectively managed housing. The sector is marked by renewed interest, particularly as rising property prices and limited access to traditional homeownership push more residents—including the middle class—to seek alternatives. While the exact share of cooperative housing remains low compared to social and private housing, pilot initiatives like those by Community Land Trust Brussels and various local associations are expanding. These projects often rely on removing land from the speculative market to keep costs down long-term. Recent years have seen the Brussels region engage actively to promote cooperative housing through pilot projects, policy dialogues, funding calls, and workshops that connect local pioneers with successful European models. Authorities and advocacy groups are proposing a regional action plan and pushing for structural policy support such as easier access to land, legal and financial facilitation, and recognition of the cooperative model as a third way between public and private housing. The momentum is driven by successful international examples and growing civil society networks, signaling that cooperative housing, while still a minority segment, is increasingly viewed as a viable component in Brussels’ strategy for affordable, sustainable urban living.