Mobility sphere Interview Public investment

How can activism influence urban mobility policy?

Philippe Van Parijs, Philosopher and economist Rédigé le June 10, 2024

On transforming the European Quarter in Brussels: “Together with our residents’ committee, we began lobbying and taking action to transform the five‑lane highway that runs in front of the European Commission… we wanted to turn it into a much narrower boulevard for cars and widen the sidewalks to create two cycling lanes.” On the criticism at the time (2003): “People said: ‘This is utopian, it will never happen, commuters need it.’ But it did happen.” On the ‘Picnic the Streets’ initiative: “In 2012, I published an opinion piece titled ‘Picnic the Streets,’ inviting people to join a civil disobedience movement… I invited them every Sunday to sit in the middle of the central lanes [of the urban highway connecting Gare du Midi and Gare du Nord].” On the final outcome and perseverance: “It took a lot of lobbying, a lot of persistence from a group of young people… and courage from political leaders. Now, it’s simply unimaginable that we would ever go back to the previous situation.”

Philosopher and economist Philippe Van Parijs explains the influence of activism on urban mobility policies.

My personal experience in Brussels bears witness to the crucial role of activism, as demonstrated by two successful initiatives.

The first began shortly after I moved into the European Quarter. Together with the residence committee, we started lobbying and taking action to transform the five-lane freeway that passes in front of the European Commission. We wanted to transform it into a much narrower lane for cars by enlarging the sidewalks and creating two bicycle lanes, and we succeeded. This project took place in 2003, and at the time people were skeptical. But today, it has evolved so much that, during the Covid, the number of bike lanes doubled, and we now have two bike lanes in each direction.

The second initiative, comes from an article I published in 2012, “Picnic the Streets”. The idea was to organize a civil disobedience movement by picnicking in the middle of the center lanes of a highway. Despite opposition, it paid off. Today, the Place de la Bourse boasts a beautiful, long pedestrian zone. There was a lot of lobbying and perseverance, with groups of young people coming out in support, and also courage on the part of those in power. Today, it is unthinkable that we will go backwards.