Accessibility versus air pollution : a geography of externalities in the Brussels agglomeration

This paper proposes a novel approach to investigate the geography of accessibility and air pollution and tests it on the case of the Brussels Capital Region. First, we find a strong positive correlation between accessibility and air pollution, highlighting a trade-off that exists between two emblematic but antithetical externalities of agglomerations. Next, we focus on the outliers that escape this trade-off and we develop a methodology to combine their respective levels of accessibility and air pollution into a 'desirability' indicator. Finally, we analyse the distribution of the most and the least desirable neighbourhoods across the city: while we observe flagrant patterns of inequality, these do not reflect the socio-economic structure of the region, in apparent contrast with the literature on transport justice and environmental justice. The results show how positive and negative socio-ecological externalities can be two sides of the same agglomeration coin. The methodology proves to be relevant to further comparative research and policy making concerned with promoting a balanced progress of social, economic and environmental priorities

The Empowering Virtues of Citizen Science: Claiming Clean Air in Brussels

The governance and monitoring of environmental hazards—and of air pollution in particular—is often dominated by technical expertise and scientific knowledge. Approaches of this kind remove the issue from the public debate and democratic deliberation: citizens are de facto excluded from related decision-making and their knowledge about the problem is barely taken into account. This article explores the potential and limits of citizen science to challenge unfair frameworks of environmental monitoring and governance, inasmuch as it empowers citizens, by enabling three critical processes: gaining knowledge, gaining epistemic recognition, and building transdisciplinary coalitions. Empirically, this study is based on AirCasting Brussels, a Citizen Science project that unrolled in Brussels in the context of a mobilization for cleaner air to which it contributed. The analysis shows that citizen science has increased the ability of participating communities to scrutinize air pollution policy and to contribute to and influence public discussion about it, albeit with certain limits. Overall, as a counterpart to their fundamental right to participate in democracy, Citizen Science proves effective to strengthen citizens’ capabilities to do so in a meaningful manner

Between liveability and accessibility in the Bois de la Cambre

Il s’agit d’étudier les tensions qui existent entre accessibilité géographique et habitabilité urbaine à Bruxelles, en examinant le cas du Bois de la Cambre en tant que lieu de loisir et de passage. Nous nous intéressons d’abord aux 150 ans d’histoire de ce parc, avant de présenter une enquête exploratoire sur les préférences de la population en ce qui concerne l’aménagement du parc eu égard à la circulation automobile. L’étude fait apparaître une étroite corrélation entre cet aménagement et le mode de vie de chacun. Au fil de son histoire, l’aménagement du parc s’est fait surtout en réponse à des changements sociétaux d’ordre général au niveau des modes d’organisation de la vie des populations, plutôt qu’à un projet urbain explicite. De nos jours, les priorités exprimées par différents groupes de population pour l’aménagement du parc sont fonction de leur lieu de résidence, de leur mode de déplacement, de leur utilisation des espaces verts et de leur accès à ces derniers. Dans ce contexte, l’étude met en évidence la nécessité d’œuvrer autant à la mise en place d’autres solutions de mobilité concrètes qu’à l’élaboration de nouveaux imaginaires pour la ville et la mobilité.Aan de hand van het geval van het Ter Kamerenbos, dat zowel als doorgangsruimte als voor vrijetijdsdoeleinden wordt gebruikt, onderzoeken we de spanning tussen geografische bereikbaarheid en stedelijke leefbaarheid in Brussel. Eerst bespreken we de 150-jarige geschiedenis van het park. Vervolgens presenteren we een verkennend onderzoek naar de voorkeuren van burgers omtrent de inrichting van het park in relatie tot de aanwezigheid van gemotoriseerd verkeer. Uit dat onderzoek blijkt een sterk verband tussen de voorkeursinrichting en persoonlijke levensstijl. In de loop der jaren weerspiegelde de inrichting van het park veeleer de bredere maatschappelijke veranderingen in de manier waarop mensen hun leven organiseren, dan een concreet stadsproject. Tegenwoordig sluit de prioriteit die verschillende sociale groepen formuleren voor de inrichting van het park aan bij hun woonplaats, hun vervoerswijze en hun gebruik van en toegang tot groene ruimten. In dat kader benadrukt het onderzoek dat het noodzakelijk is om zowel concrete mobiliteitsalternatieven als nieuwe denkbeelden over mobiliteit en de stad te ontwikkelen.We explore the tensions that exist between geographical accessibility and urban liveability in Brussels, by examining the case of the Bois de la Cambre, as a place of leisure as well as transiting. First, we study the park’s 150 years of history. Second, we present an explorative survey into citizens’ preferences for the park’s set-up in relation to the presence of motorized traffic. The research reveals a strong relation between the preferred set-up and the personal way of life. Through history, the set-up of the park has reflected broader societal changes in the way people organized their life, more than it reflected an explicit urban project. Today, the priority different social groups express for the setup of the park, reflects their residential location, mode of transport, and use of and access to green spaces. In this context, the study stresses the need to work as much on the construction of concrete mobility alternatives than on the construction of new urban and mobility imaginaries

Alternativa metodológica para trabalhar gênero em sala de aula

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo expor e problematizar a metodologia desenvolvida na atividade “Construção de estereótipos no Brasil Colônia”, referente ao estudo de gênero. Foi realizada através do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência (Pibid/UFSM), e aplicada em turma de 2º ano de Ensino Médio da Escola Estadual de Educação Básica Augusto Ruschi, no ano de 2014. A história das mulheres ainda é um assunto pouco trabalhado em sala de aula, por isso, houve a necessidade de planejar a atividade em torno desse tema, a fim de reconhecer a mulher como sujeito histórico, visto que construiu a história juntamente com os homens e não de forma secundária. A temática da atividade foi referente ao período colonial brasileiro, mais especificamente o nordeste açucareiro e como a partir desse construiu-se estereótipos sobre as mulheres e os papéis privados e sociais que ocupavam. Para problematizar tais estereótipos realizou-se uma dinâmica em que os alunos deveriam fixar em painéis bonecas brancas, negras e indígenas em espaços ocupados no Brasil Colonial e como pensam ser no Brasil atual. Essa metodologia de ensino em história teve como objetivo provocar a reflexão sobre como o passado influencia na formação das mentalidades atuais, visto que a história se compõe de rupturas, mas também de continuidades