1. Historical Significance: Ghent is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Ghent, founded in 1817. It has played a crucial role in the city’s cultural and intellectual life, contributing significantly to art and science. 2. Unique Festivals: Ghent hosts the famous "Gentse Feesten," a ten-day festival held every July that celebrates music, theater, and local culture. It features over 1,000 performances and attracts visitors from all over the world, showcasing a vibrant mix of local talent and international acts. 3. Innovative Cuisine: The city boasts a growing food scene that emphasizes local and sustainable ingredients. Ghent is known for its "Veggie Thursday," where many restaurants offer vegetarian or vegan menus, promoting plant-based eating habits among locals and visitors alike.
The housing market in Ghent, Belgium, is facing significant challenges in 2025. The city has approximately 120,853 households, with about 50.3% of residents renting and 49.7% owning their homes. The average price per square meter for all types of real estate in Ghent is €3,058, with apartment prices ranging from €2,611 to €4,677 per square meter depending on the location. Social housing plays a crucial role in Ghent, but supply falls short of demand. As of 2022, there were 15,000 social housing units, while 11,000 households were on waiting lists, some for over a decade. Social housing represents about 12.1% of the total housing stock. The city is actively investing in social housing programs, with a recent €22.5 million investment to expand and renovate the existing stock. This includes plans for constructing 1,092 new social rental homes and renovating 2,049 units. Cooperative housing initiatives like Community Land Trust Ghent are emerging to provide affordable housing options, though their impact is still limited. Despite these efforts, affordability remains a significant issue. Over half of Ghent residents believe housing is unaffordable, and 23% of households spend more than a third of their income on rent and housing costs. The situation is particularly challenging for young buyers and low-income households.
The city of Ghent is actively addressing housing challenges through several initiatives: The administration aims to end chronic legal homelessness by 2040 through a three-step approach focusing on housing the homeless, preventing homelessness, and data collection. They plan to invest more in prevention and permanent housing with support. Ghent has set a target of creating 2,500 new social housing units by 2030. The city is also working to improve existing housing stock through programs like Ghent Knapt Op, which provides financial support and assistance to low-income homeowners for essential renovations. The city introduced a "recurring fund" model, offering €30,000 for renovations to homeowners, who repay the contribution plus a premium based on added home value when sold. This aims to create a sustainable cycle of housing improvements. Other initiatives include developing "Robust houses" for chronically homeless individuals with complex needs, scaling up leasehold renovation models, and exploring social impact bonds to house homeless people. Ghent is also focusing on data collection, organizing homeless counts every three years and setting up a monitoring dashboard to inform policy decisions. The city collaborates with regional and EU partners to secure funding and share best practices for affordable and sustainable housing solutions.