Els van Doesburg about Antwerp’s housing policy: “I aim at people who fall between the social and private housing market”
In our tiny house in the parking lot of Ikea Wilrijk, alderman for housing Els van Doesburg (N-VA) explained the Antwerp housing policy on Saturday morning. “We are going to achieve our target of 5,000 new renovated social housing under this legislation,” it sounds.
Els van Doesburg was the first guest in our tiny house on Saturday, where general editor-in-chief Frederik De Swaef and opinion-editor Kris Vanmarsenille received living experts for two days. The alderman for living answered questions about the importance of greenery in the city, the social housing market and the affordability of houses in Antwerp.
More people are arriving in Antwerp, and all those people have to find a home. That has an impact on urban development, says van Doesburg. “You have to get the most out of the assets you already have. In addition, you have to keep building, but that has to be done in a lean way. For example, it is important that you do not close your eyes to the use of the car, you must have a real picture of it. In addition, we see the public domain of our city as our communal garden. As a board, we are making the most of this: think of the renovation of the quays.”
The residents also have a responsibility for sufficient greenery, according to the aldermen. “I am often accused that there is so little forest in the city. But Antwerp is the most densely built-up city in Flanders. You have to take that into account. There is also criticism that there is little greenery on our squares, but often there is, for example, a parking underneath. It is not only a responsibility of the city, by the way. We must encourage residents to soften their gardens and driveways. We can handle that as much as possible.”
Between the social and private housing market
The current city council established at the beginning of the legislature with the aim of building or renovating 5,000 social housing units. “We’re going to get that. At the moment we are working on 33 projects, by the end of this legislation another 280 will be added that have at least started.”
But in addition to the residents of social housing, Van Doesburg wants to pay enough attention to the group that is just not entitled to it. “The image of social housing or a private home, there is still a whole world in between. I bet on that intermediate category. People who are not affected by other benefits for social housing, those are the people who are having a great time. we have specific projects, the biggest example being the Fierens blocks (In the Sint-Andrieswijk, ed.).”
Not a horror city
The alderman also wants to nuance Antwerp’s reputation as a heated housing market. “In Antwerp, affordable housing is not that bad. Together with Hasselt we are the View of the Flemish central cities. We are 20% cheaper than, for example, Leuven, Ghent or Bruges. It is true that there is a need for affordable housing in Antwerp, but it is not a horror city here where you cannot find it.”
Van Doesburg himself bought a house on Sint-Jansplein, a neighborhood with a poor reputation. But also prospective buyers cannot blind themselves. “We were able to find a beautiful house on Sint-Jansplein that is still affordable. I sometimes say: the North is the new South.”