Mapping the current market dynamics: the case of Belgium

This paper analyses the demand and supply in the housing market of Belgium through several indices. On the basis of this analysis, housing market dynamics can be mapped in a spatial context. This mapping is based on a typology of municipalities. The different types of municipalities are compared and maps of spatial housing dynamics are conceived. These patterns are then set out to the desired spatial structure of Belgium. This gives insight in the contrast between the actual spatial dynamics and desired spatial dynamics by policy plans. Are we developing the housing market on the places where the market is the most dynamic or not

Home-ownership and asset-based welfare: the case of Belgium

In this article, using policy documents and both qualitative and quantitative data sources, we evaluate the extent to which the Belgian welfare system conforms to trends towards asset-based welfare involving the promotion of home-ownership as an alternative to social security provision. We conclude that, following the explicit and ongoing sponsorship of home-ownership since the end of the 19th century, in Belgium, an asset-based approach to welfare has actually been in place for some time. Most Belgian elderly people are income-poor (mainly due to low public pensions) but asset-rich. While the risk of poverty for home-owners in old age is somewhat higher than that for the general population, it is much higher for elderly renters. As far as the preconditions for a possible restructuring of the Belgian welfare state in the direction of greater reliance on asset-based welfare are concerned, we find that most of them are fulfilled. Public debt is high with increasing costs of population ageing looming large on the economic horizon. However, although some politicians have raised the issue, so far, virtually no initiatives have been taken to tap into existing housing wealth. Our qualitative evidence shows that this can be partly explained by the fact that Belgians have a rather conservative attitude towards the welfare state, which is expected to provide adequately for 'traditional' life-course risks such as unemployment and old age. Housing is considered a private issue, separated from the social security sphere

Older people’s experiences of informal care in rural Flanders, Belgium

Flanders (Belgium) is ageing at high speed. The number of people aged over 80 will increase from more than 400.000 today to nearly 800.000 in 2060, which is 10 % of the population. Although the entire region is ageing, older people are overrepresented in non-urban areas. A large majority of the elderly have to ''age in place', being the consequence of a very clear-cut policy to foster staying put. However, one can question if their quality of life can be guaranteed, knowing that basic facilities are often unavailable in sparsely populated areas. This is especially relevant when personal mobility decreases and (health) care is needed. Based on qualitative research methods (in-depth interviews, focus groups and observations made while following care providers), this paper discusses the everyday experiences and perceptions of older people with regard to informal care. We focus on elderly people living in two different rural regions, rudimentary defined as a work-poor area (Westhoek) and a work-rich area (Kempen). The results indicate that the availability of informal care is -among others- dependent on the spatial context and can therefore not be guaranteed everywhere

Afbouw woonbonus : nu of nooit

status: publishe

Facets of housing and housing policies in Belgium

It seems that many Belgian cities are doing well. Their population is increasing, numerous urban projects are under way, and masses of construction sites testify to effective realisations. And the inner cities are swamped with tourists and visitors attracted by the historical monuments and leisure activities. Is the 21st century indeed becoming the era of the city, as a White Book on urban policies predicts? Or is some modification of that prediction necessary? It would seem so, since the population growth is due to people coming from abroad (family reunification or formation; asylum-seekers), while at the same time the natives-as they have done since the 1960s-keep on leaving the city. So sub- and de-urbanisation has not stopped. There are even indications that it is accelerating again. In this contribution we consider why sub- and de-urbanisation, why sprawl is so obstinate, so persistent. We look at the structures behind the Belgian sprawl, seeing them as the consequence of a longstanding dialectical process of political choices and actions, cultural convictions and economic possibilities that reinforced each other in daily practice over and over again in the dominant direction