The European quarter is a fundamental cornerstone of Brussels' urban identity and image. It is the physical but even more the symbolic port of entry of many Europeans to Brussels. It is Brussels largest business district, but it is above all the place where Europe is being made every day. Around 30.000 European civil servants and a few hundred elected people, but also around 60.000 people who produce ideas and knowledge, weave together a dense network of relations between the decision and policy makers and those who want to influence them.
Succeeding in making of this very special neighborhood a place of true democratic intensity is a challenge that goes beyond city planning. It is about giving substance to the manifest destiny of a city which has embraced – a little unwillingly – the role of cradle of Europe and must confront all the complexity of such a task.
The European Quarter Fund is one of the places where this peculiar role is being debated by a great variety of stakeholders with the aim of contributing to the general interest.
Alain Deneef
Executive Officer
© Patrick C. Freyer (Unsplash)