Watermael-Boitsfort
Lijst 1 PS-Vooruit-CauseComm
Watermael-Boitsfort, also known as the "village in the city," is located on the edge of the Sonian Forest. The municipality is known for being affluent, but at the same time, it hides poverty and social challenges behind its picturesque garden neighborhoods. The efforts of socialists like Jos Bertrand and Pascal Smet have led to recognition and action to address these issues.
The municipality has around 18% social housing, a record in Belgium. The garden neighborhoods also offer opportunities. Initiatives such as the urban agriculture project "Champ des Cailles" utilize the green surroundings and encourage a diverse population. We want more of that!
Despite these strengths, challenges remain, such as the need to attract the middle class back and to invest in elderly care. These remain priorities for socialists in this historic municipality. Turning Watermael-Boitsfort red again is a call for renewed commitment to social improvements and inclusivity.
1. A Municipal Rental Office for Affordable Housing and Commerce
Watermael-Boitsfort faces a serious shortage of accessible housing, forcing young people and single-parent families to leave the municipality. We advocate for the establishment of a municipal rental office (GVK) to significantly increase the number of public housing units. Our focus is on purchasing and renovating buildings, improving energy efficiency, and supporting local businesses to strengthen the local economy.
2. Enhanced Capacity for Childcare Centers
For young parents, it is often challenging to balance work and family life. Therefore, there is an urgent need for additional childcare places and extended opening hours to better align with modern schedules.
3. Improving the Quality and Safety of Sidewalks
The condition of our streets leaves much to be desired in some neighborhoods, leading to frustrations among residents. We want to publish a renovation plan so that residents can transparently track which works are planned or in progress. Additionally, we aim to establish a rapid intervention service for urgent repairs.
4. Softening, Greening, and Moving Away from Fossil Fuels in Our Environment
We need to develop a resilient strategy to manage climate change in the city, such as softening soils and creating cooling islands. Furthermore, we advocate for collective measures like heat networks and energy communities to free Watermael-Boitsfort from fossil fuels more quickly.
5. Increased Safety Through Strengthened Prevention
We focus on addressing the root causes of insecurity, not just on repression. We will enhance human presence by deploying more community wardens and neighborhood police officers in all areas.
6. A New Neighborhood Health Center
We will improve financial accessibility and proximity to healthcare by establishing a new neighborhood health center. We will also develop new initiatives to support the elderly in maintaining their independence, such as enabling them to live at home longer.
7. Investing in Homework Classes and Study Support
We will enhance educational support by allocating more resources to municipal schools. We will also invest in additional homework classes and language courses.
8. Making Sports and Culture More Affordable and Inclusive
We will make sports more accessible by expanding social rates at local sports clubs. We will strengthen sports offerings for young people and focus on gender equality and adaptive sports (G-sports). Additionally, we will improve cooperation between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking cultural centers and schools.
You can find our entire program here: www.causecommune.be
5. Richard Carrère
14. Fabienne Van Der Pluym
18. Mia Polet
