Fearless Cities: Brussels – Two Days to Win Back the City
After Barcelona, Warsaw and New York, it’s Brussels’ turn to host the municipalist summit called: Fearless Cities, on the 22nd and 23rd of September at the Kaaitheater.
Over two days of workshops, meetings and exchanges, Fearless Cities Brussels welcomes local and international citizens to share experiences, strategies and participative tools for a more open and democratic governance of their city.
The conference will bring together over 300 participants—activists, social workers, cultural actors, entrepreneurs and committed citizens—in a co-creation space featuring fourteen workshops and four plenary sessions as well as cultural entertainment. Speakers from Barcelona, Amsterdam, Naples, and Saillans (France) will relate their municipalist experience and lessons learned. The conference has a highly participatory format, with professional facilitators inviting citizens to explore ideas, issues and solutions.
At the initiative of the citizen movement WeBrussels, the conference will address the principles and good practices of municipalism.
Municipalism is a political project which challenges the current workings of our democracy, and seeks to involve citizens and neighbourhoods directly in policy making. It sees local communities as drivers of change, based on consensus building, feminism, inclusion, solidarity, and sustainability.
Three weeks before the October 14th municipal elections, the topics covered are broad, complex, and decisive for the future administration of the communes and for the life of all Brussels residents: work (creating meaningful jobs at the local level and in alignment with our values), housing (the right to housing, social diversity, gentrification of neighborhoods), public space (planning, use, occupation of the commons), mobility (soft and sustainable transport, micro-mobility), urban ecology (air quality, green areas, urban farming), social and sustainable economy (short supply chain, local currency, local exchange system, social entrepreneurship), migration (hosting asylum seekers and transmigrants, sanctuary cities), feminising politics, citizen participation, government ethics, and public transparency.
Considering that places are limited, interested parties are encouraged to register online.
GOOD TO KNOW:
• When: from 10:00 on Saturday, 22 September to 18:30 on Sunday 23 September 2018
• Where: Kaaitheater, square Sainctelette 20, 1000 Brussels (www.kaaitheater.be)
• Program: fearlesscities.webrussels.org
• Participation fee: EUR 10 for both days. Registration is free for low-income people. We encourage other participants to “pay it forward” by purchasing a solidarity ticket (an extra ticket that will be offered to another person)
• Children admitted. Daycare will be provided on both days
• Healthy food and drinks available at moderate prices
