Making Brussels better: Interview with Jonas Helseth

We are always eager to speak to keen Brussels residents who are doing their bit to improve the city. Jonas M. Helseth originally comes from Norway but calls Brussels his home for the past 14 years. We speak with Jonas about his life and his passion for making the city better and more liveable.

Hi Jonas, what brings you to Brussels and how long are you already here?

Long story short, I came here for a traineeship at Norway’s EU representation back at the start of 2008, to work on environmental policy. That makes almost 14 years, my god… I ended up being offered a permanent job there as advisor on energy and transport policies. Norway’s energy policy remains too much of a petroleum show for my taste however, so eventually I ‘switched sides’ – since then I’m in the environmental movement, leading the climate action NGO Bellona Europa.

Could you tell us more about your connection with the city over the years – did your perspective change in any way?

Well, life certainly changes anyone’s perspective of any place – probably the biggest change in that respect was becoming a father. Obviously, that changes your priorities somewhat; the state of the neighbourhood playground all of a sudden becomes a relevant matter. For me personally however, fatherhood has mainly emphasised more strongly some of the aspects that already had me engaged – sometimes enraged – about our city. Air pollution for one; when you’re told by a doctor that some kids in this city have lungs like they smoke 10 cigarettes a day, you simply can’t be cool about that. Road safety, and the insane amount of public space allocated to cars – hence extremely scarce space for pedestrians and cyclists – for another.

From a very early age, I could walk and bike to school where I grew up; in Trondheim, Norway, a city of 200,000. I later had the privilege to study in amazing pedestrian- and cycle-friendly cities like Delft, Netherlands, and Freiburg, Germany. The quality of life there is awesome! Some may say that’s not possible in a big city. I don’t accept that – because I know it’s not true. Ever more cities in Europe find political courage to limit car traffic, create child-friendly streets; make space for people. London does it. Why not Brussels?

We first noticed your activism on Twitter – how do you describe your engagement for a better city and what are your primary motivations?

I suppose I began answering this one above – a primary motivation these days certainly is my 3-year old daughter. She deserves better, and I sense that many parents feel the same way – not only at the downtown school where my daughter goes, but all over our city. Look to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Oslo…even megacities like Paris and London are succeeding in making their cities places to live. Places with more nature, far fewer cars – parked and driving alike – with as a result cleaner air, and space for people to enjoy.

Who doesn’t want that? Sure, people fought the pedestrianisation of the Anspach and of Chaussée d’Ixelles; hell, they even fought to keep the Grand’Place as an open air parking lot back in the day! But no one would seriously want that back, nor a four lane road cutting our city centre in half. Chaussée d’Ixelles has even become the most busy shopping street in our city. Shop owners fought against this only a few years back. Seeing is believing!

So there are those promising steps being made. Mostly however, we see political announcements without a real plan to implement, like the GoodMove plan to scrap 65k on-street parking spots – to make space for people. Two years on, they’ve maybe managed 2k. This city was not built for cars, it was broken for them. Brussels politics remains occupied with that pain of the past. Sure, every little step is better than how it was 20 years ago. But please, lift your gaze; look at what’s happening in nearby capitals like Paris and Amsterdam. That’s the scale you need to act on, if our city is to stay relevant and attractive.

A lot of “expats” feel like they are “temporarily” in Brussels which makes their attachment and dedication to the city very difficult. Any tips on how to change this and should the effort come from both sides (expats + the city/region government)?

This is indeed a major challenge of our city, but such a fantastic one to have! Which other city of this size has tens of thousands of young, ambitious people from all over Europe and the world arriving every year, wanting to build a better future – such a wasted resource if they are not engaged!

My experience is it doesn’t have to be – attachment, and with it, dedication, can occur quickly if conditions are right. For many, language is a barrier to start with. Brussels politics take place in French and Dutch. Many thousands of people who move here for a job will be mainly or even solely using English professionally. Whilst they may learn basic French and/or Dutch, getting to a level where one can take active part in shaping a city – in politics or elsewhere – is not obvious. Of course, for any dedication, there has to be a two-way effort.

The mess that is Brussels politics – broken governance where institutions blame each other – is difficult even for Belgians to understand. You can see how people’s eyes glaze over when someone tries to explain how one street can be managed by three municipalities – and a region. If politicians here truly wish to engage this great resource for our city, they need to work on the sense of helplessness – the sense that no-one’s in charge and nothing can fundamentally change.

Nonetheless, in the years I’ve lived here, non-Belgians have gotten a lot more involved in Brussels politics – but mainly on a local level, where at least EU citizens can vote and stand candidate. A few years back, a Dutch lady called Dagmar and I started the initiative #1Bru, to address the mess – simplification, clear responsibility, less scope for blame game – by gutting the blocking powers of the 19 municipalities, in favour of our city-region government.

Which other city of this size has tens of thousands of young, ambitious people from all over Europe and the world arriving every year, wanting to build a better future – such a wasted resource if they are not engaged!

However, we realised that logical simplification would also disenfranchise 1/3 of Brussels’ population: Non-Belgians. About 20 % of the entire city population are EU citizens who can currently vote and stand in municipal elections, but not in the region. So together with a bunch of other good folk, we started #1Bru1Vote – a campaign to widen voting rights for non-Belgians to the regional level. We went to every municipal council with our petition, and finally got it on the agenda of the Brussels Parliament, which adopted a resolution in favour.

Imagine that – a bunch of random non-Belgians who largely found each other online via social media, got together, and set the agenda on all political levels in this city! We showed it’s possible – but we also saw how much the institutional inertia holds back progress. It’s great to now see politicians like Pascal Smet, who’s responsible for international relations, continuing to build on our initiative, and on the parliament resolution, within the constraints of his mandate.

How do you feel about 19 Brussels municipalities/communes and the fact that such a small city-region has such a complex governance model? What is the solution?

Ha! #1Bru, need I say more? 🙂
But seriously, when one reads the interviews with certain of those 19 mayors, claiming they ought to possess powers to block everything our city-region does for the common good, because they’re “closer to the population” – then you go ask most folks in any municipality, do you know who’s the mayor here? Or do you know where the borders of this municipality actually lie? Do you know who’s responsible for mobility here? I can tell you for certain, for I have asked: most of them will have not a clue. What most folk want and deserve is transparency – and clear responsibility.

Your perfect day in Brussels?

Ahh…it definitely starts with a good breakfast or brunch – as I’m pretty lazy in the morning, probably near home in the Ste Catherine area. Cafe De Markten, Cécile, Chicago, Velvetpeck…or an African brunch at Café Béguin at Place du Samedi! Then taking my daughter to a playground in a park. It also ideally includes a long bike ride with some mates, preferably with a dive into the Sonian forest. And in Brussels, no such ride may end without a cold beer somewhere. Seeing as it’s the ‘perfect day’, there’s sunshine, so it must be Jardin Hospice! Amazing new place. With luck, there’s live music too, otherwise head back to Café Béguin for that purpose. Enjoy!

Any other message you want to share with citizens of Brussels?

Ah, yeah – listen to Angèle’s new song – Bruxelles je t’aime. Then stop constantly moaning about its flaws, many of which are mentioned in that song, and admit to yourself and the world you actually love your city, and let’s join forces in helping improve it – we can sort this mess out! 😉

To find out more about Jonas & his work, feel free to follow him on Twitter.