Good Living, the name of the new regional planning by-law, includes rules that all streets, squares and buildings will have to meet in order to obtain a planning permit in the future. According to Minister President Rudi Vervoort and Secretary of State Pascal Smet, this law will be the “guideline for making Brussels’ transition to a forward-looking city on a human scale a reality”. With its approval, the impact study can be finalised this summer before the consultation rounds begin and the general public can make their opinion known through the public inquiry.

Already in 2016, Pascal Smet, then Minister of Mobility, took the initiative to set up a holistic mobility plan for the entire Brussels Region. This plan, called Good Move, was first approved in April 2019 by the previous Brussels government and came into force in 2020. It includes a clear hierarchy of road networks for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, cars and trucks and serves as a basis for defining conditions in terms of infrastructure and maximum speed.

“Good Move has consolidated the mobility turnaround that we initiated in recent years, because it required a decisive and coherent plan for the whole of Brussels. Good Living is the next step, as all the rules are written into legislation. It will define the urban fabric of Brussels for the next 50 years and thus improve the quality of life and residency in the city for all,” Pascal Smet emphasises.

This general regulation is the result of a process of co-construction with urban planning experts from various backgrounds and from all public bodies involved in urban planning in Brussels. These experts formulated objectives and recommendations in three categories: open spaces, city life and habitability. These three elements will structure the regulatory environment.