11. Matthias Van Wijnendaele

My political activism began when I participated in my first civic actions in Schaerbeek and Brussels in 2012! With other volunteers, I started the protest group Picnic The Streets and painted bike lanes on Avenue Deschanell. But even earlier, as a teenager, at home at the table, my two brothers and I were already going to change the world.  

My focus is on the Quartier du Nord, from Stephenson through Liedts to St Maria. I have been living here for 14 years and I feel that cleanliness and safety have far from improved. Brussels is becoming more attractive, but Schaerbeek has remained stagnant for the past 10 years! This is because there is not enough investment in these neighbourhoods. 

I believe you have to pursue a close and active policy. So not just patching up, but real social policy up to the behind the house walls. A targeted approach to the drug problem, curtailing gambling establishments and continuous repair and maintenance of public spaces. I also want a solution to the lack of coordination between waste collection (by the Brussels Region) and the cleanliness teams (by the municipality). Dirt and drugs do not belong on the streets. And children should be able to cycle to school safely.  

I am a civil engineer in construction with experience in procurement, public works and mobility. My actions as a cycle path builder landed me in the cabinet of @pascalsmetbrussels from 2014 to 2019. Today, I am a portfolio manager at Beliris. I want to do politics in a different way: shouting less, doing more. I am a do-gooder, but a do-er too!