The Brussels Urban Summit (BUS) is an initiative of Brussels Capital Region, Eurocities, Metropolis and the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative.
BUS asks the big questions because the challenges facing cities today are vast. Climate change, migration, urban growth and inequality are putting the very fundamentals of urban life to the test. At the same time, cities are the drivers for the innovation needed for a greener and more inclusive future. The big answers we find and the choices we make in the next few years will determine our future for decades to come – for our cities and beyond.
The Brussels Urban Summit (BUS) brings together three international city conferences: the 14th Metropolis World Congress, the Eurocities Annual Conference and the sixth OECD Champion Mayors Summit for Inclusive Growth Initiative. It gathers over 300 cities worldwide and more than 1000 politicians, experts and representatives of civil society to exchange ideas and set the priorities for sustainable, affordable, and liveable cities going forward.
We know that for all our diversity, cities all over the world share common challenges. Offering a varied programme of plenary sessions, workshops, side events and site visits, BUS will be a forum for exchange and debate. The summit offers a unique opportunity to engage in a strategic global dialogue to help define our common urban future.
Hello, Bonjour, Hallo! The Brussels-Capital Region is delighted to be your host city for the first Brussels Urban Summit.
Brussels is right at home in the dynamic and erudite company of Eurocities, Metropolis and the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative. We’re the capital of Europe, but we’re also its capital of conviviality, of conversation, and of the creative, spontaneous collisions that spark change and challenge the status quo.
We know that some of the summit’s big questions—and big answers—will come from Brusselers themselves: the summit includes socio-cultural initiatives designed to include locals in the search for solutions, and Brusselers are deeply engaged citizens of our city and the world.
Brussels is a perfectly imperfect city that dares to be itself. We know how to lead, but we also know how to live: we love to walk our countless squares and green spaces, tour our mural art and our Art Nouveau, read our comics and drink our beer, crowd in with fellow Brusselers at festivals, eat too much chocolate and sit down to Michelin-starred meals. Brussels has always been a diverse, accessible city rich in surprise.
Most importantly, Brussels and Brusselers dare to be believers in a better world. We’re a city of originators and artful embracers of modern chaos; we’re progressive and principled policymakers, innovators and explorers. We’re excited to have you with us and share our city. We can’t wait to show you around.
Click on a logo for more detail about the partners.
Brussels a big cosmopolitan region, a metropolis that is a cultural melting pot and a babel of languages.
A vibrant region with modern infrastructures, but whose dense cultural heritage is protected by UNESCO.
A region that hosts a string of major events and world premieres.
A city where quality of life is well above average ... Hold that thought.
Right, now imagine another region, on a human scale, which you could almost walk across.
A region that boasts more green spaces than living areas. A region where the friendliness of its
inhabitants rivals only their sense of self-deprecation. A region where the unexpected lurks around every corner,
but whose unique charm immediately makes you feel at home. A region where, on top of that, the cost of living is,
this time, well below average ... Hold on to that image as well.
Well now just imagine those two regions
merged into one ... This is Brussels! Capital of Europe, but also of comics, Surrealism, Art Nouveau, chocolate and beer.
An atypical city that has spawned countless talents. A paradoxical city that seems to magically adjust to the scale of
your projects and to the size of your pocket, and that is looking forward to proving it to you!
Brussels International coordinates all European and international relations of the Brussels-Capital Region and
its representation in the world.
Brussels International is the proud organiser of the first Brussels Urban Summit.
With the contribution of:
Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, is able to move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment. We do this by networking more than 200 larger European cities, which together represent some 140 million people across 38 countries, and by gathering evidence of how policy making impacts on people to inspire other cities and EU decision makers.
We engage in dialogue with the European institutions across a wide range of policy areas affecting cities, which include economic development, environment, transport and mobility, social affairs, culture, smart cities, and public services.
We provide a platform for our members to share knowledge and ideas, exchange experiences, analyse common challenges and develop innovative solutions, through a wide range of forums, working groups, projects, activities and events.
Eurocities is committed to working towards a common vision of a sustainable future in which all citizens can enjoy a good quality of life.
Connect with us at https://eurocities.eu/ or by following our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
Metropolis is the global network of major cities and metropolitan areas.
We bring together local and metropolitan governments in a unique association dedicated to finding answers to the current and future challenges facing metropolitan spaces. We foster global cooperation, dialogue, and sharing of knowledge and solutions, grounded in the experience of our members. Together, we elevate the collective voice of metropolises on the global stage, and help them deliver on their commitments with their citizens and with global agendas.
In an increasingly crowded landscape of national, regional, and international city networks, Metropolis is distinguished by 38 years of expertise on metropolitan governance in the world’s largest urban areas.
Our focus on metropolitan governance has never been more important. We live in a metropolitan era, characterized by large cities surrounded by spread-out suburbs, forming urban agglomerations of unprecedented complexity and diversity, connecting to each other locally and globally. Today, almost 2 billion people live in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. That’s nearly half of the world’s urban population, and a quarter of all people on the planet.
For this reason, there is a political responsibility to rethink traditional divisions, bridging the gap between rural and urban, city and nature, and responding to people’s real needs. If we live on a metropolitan scale, we must think and manage on a metropolitan scale.
Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative:
The OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative
is a coalition of willing local leaders who have committed to tackling inequalities and promoting inclusive economic growth in cities.
Since its launch in 2016, the Initiative has engaged more than 100 mayors, providing them with a unique platform
to elevate their voices in national debates and global agendas on inequality, and to facilitate exchanges and the sharing of
concrete actions to ensure economic growth creates economic opportunities for all. The Initiative helps governments analyse
inequalities, monitor material living standards and broader well-being, and design policy packages that promote equity and
growth. It takes a multidimensional approach to inclusive growth, going beyond income to see how people are faring in other
areas of life, like jobs and health. The Initiatives is currently chaired by Dagur Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik (Iceland)
and served by the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities .
Contributing Partners
Media Partners