SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM : AN OVERVIEW

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SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BELGIUM AN
OVERVIEW Victor Brunfaut ISACF La Cambre,
Brussels, Belgium Be-Sharp Conference Mumbai,
october 16th, 2004
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STRUCTURE 1. The context Belgium 2.
Sustainable development and SBE in Belgium The
general framework the international
commitments The two dimensions of SBE 1.
Sustainable urban planning 2. Sustainable
building The tools 1. New public
institutions 2. Local action
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THE CONTEXT BELGIUM
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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)
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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)
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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)
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels 3
COMMUNITIES Flemish French German
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels 3
COMMUNITIES Flemish French German
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels 3
COMMUNITIES Flemish French German
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels 3
COMMUNITIES Flemish French German
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A SMALL BUT VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED COUNTRY 1 FEDERAL STATE 3
REGIONS Flanders Wallonia Brussels 3
COMMUNITIES Flemish French German each with
its own government, public services, structures
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A SMALL, VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED, DEEPLY MUNICIPALIST, MAINLY DRIVEN BY
PRIVATE INITIATIVE, COUNTRY
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A SMALL, VERY COMPLEX, INSTITUTIONNALY
ENTANGLED, DEEPLY MUNICIPALIST, MAINLY DRIVEN BY
PRIVATE INITIATIVE, COUNTRY
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IN A BIGGER, COMPLEX  STATE  CALLED EUROPE
BELGIUM also with its own government
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A LASAGNA OF POLITICAL ACTORS, FROM THE
EUROPEAN TO THE VERY LOCAL, MUNICIPAL LEVEL
 SUBSIDIARITY  AND  INSTITUTIONAL
COOPERATION  BECOME KEYWORDS
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SBE IN BELGIUM
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• 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

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• 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
  URBAN DEVELOPMENT (1998)
• TOWARDS A THEMATIC STRATEGY ON THE URBAN
  ENVIRONMENT (2004)

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• THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF SBE
• 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

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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 NGOS ASSUME AN
INCREASING IMPORTANCE, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF
IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPERTISE
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1. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Ministeries Prime
Minister Justice Finance Budget and Public
Enterprise Interior Foreign Affairs Defence Econom
y, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science
Policy Social Affairs and Public
Health Self-employed and Agriculture Employment De
velopment Co-operation Civil Service, Social
Integration, Urban Policy and Equal
Opportunities Transport Environment and
Pensions State secretaries e-government, deputy
to the Minister for the Budget and Public
Enterprise Financial Modernisation and Combatting
Tax Fraud, deputy to the Finance
Minister Administrative 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)
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2. THE COMMUNITIES AND REGIONSMAIN COMPETENCIES
OF THE COMMUNITIES EducationCultural
mattersSocial AffairsMAIN COMPETENCIES OF THE
REGIONS Town and country planningEnvironmentAg
ricultureHousingPublic 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.

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• THE TOOLS
• NEW PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS BASED ON TRANSVERSALITY
  AND INTEGRATION THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  COMMISSIONS
• RELYING ON LOCAL RESOURCES AND INITIATIVES LOCAL
  AGENDA 21,  ECO-COUNSELORS , LOCAL DEVELOPMENT,
  CONCERTATION COMMISSIONS,

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1. NEW PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS an example
THE (FEDERAL) INTERDEPARTMENT COMMISSION ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D.
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SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D.
2004-20086 THEMES POVERTY - AGEING - HEALTH -
NATURAL RESOURCESCLIMATE - MOBILITY31
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
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SECOND FEDERAL ACTION SCHEME FOR S.D.
2004-2008THE ISSUES RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE BUILT
ENVIRONMENTACTION 3 offer decent and
affordable housing to all citizensACTION
15 lower the use of natural resourcesACTION
17 the role of public authorities as example of
good practiceACTION 23 eco-energetical
buidingACTION 26/27 mastering the mobility
issue ACTION 28 better transportation
facilities
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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