Brussels is a vibrant and multicultural city located in North-West Europe. The capital city of Belgium is situated in the valley of the Senne River, a small tributary of the Schelde. The city is the political centre of Belgium and hosts more than 5,000 diplomats, 159 embassies and 300+ representatives from cities and regions. Brussels is also an important economic and financial centre with 90,000 companies, including 2,000 multinationals and 13 million m² of office space.
The Brussels Capital Region is the administrative centre for many international organisations, including the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the World Customs Organization and EUROCONTROL as well as a large number of international corporations.
The Brussels Capital Region was formed in June 1989 and is part of both the French and Flemish communities of Belgium. It has bilingual status and is one of the three federal regions of Belgium along with Flanders and Wallonia. The city has a vibrant cultural scene and strong creative industries sector.
Brussels Capital Region is a Metropolis member: https://www.metropolis.org/member/bruxelles
The Mayor
Philippe Close was born in 1971 in Namur, Belgium. He graduated with a degree in law from the Free University of Brussels and in 1999 was hired by Elio Di Rupo (Prime Minister of Belgium, 2011 - 2014), at the Emile Vandervelde Institute of Studies, the Socialist Party’s research center. In 2000, he was appointed Di Rupo’s spokesman and the following year, in 2001, he joined the team of Freddy Thielemans, Mayor of the City of Brussels, as Director of Cabinet.
In 2006 Close was elected to the Brussels City Council and became alderman for Personnel and Tourism.In 2012 he added Finance to his portfolio. In 2009, Close was elected to the parliament of Brussels-Capital Region and chair of the Social Affairs Committee. In 2013 he was appointed PS (Parti Socialiste) Group Leader. In 2017 Phillip Close was elected Mayor of the City of Brussels.
Brussels Capital Region on the use platform
Below are 3 initiatives being implemented by Brussels Capital Region that demonstrate effective metropolitan governance, sustainable citymaking and the localization of the SDGs.
Usquare.brussels – bringing people, the city and knowledge together
In particular, the “Canal Plan” case study, was one of the protagonists of a Metropolis’ pilot project, led by Brussels, aimed at strengthening partnerships for the revitalization of urban areas. In this context, Metropolis’ members Brussels, Grand Lyon and Montréal exchanged experiences of innovation on urban revitalization strategies, analysing and organizing on-site visits to concrete projects. For more information click here.
To find more case studies from Brussels Capital Region, use our search function and select “Brussels” or "Brussels Capital Region" as the "city".
City profile
For a detailed profile on Brussels including population demographics, administrative structure, industry and economics, click on any of the above case studies and then select "City information".
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