Fair Ground Brussels is an organisation based near Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to reshaping urban life by tackling the acute shortage of affordable, sustainable housing and community spaces. Established to address the growing gap between household incomes and ever-rising property costs, the organisation intervenes directly in the city’s development process. Its mission is to secure land and properties, extracting them from the speculative real estate market, and to ensure these spaces remain accessible for low-income households and individuals indefinitely.
Fair Ground Brussels operates by acquiring buildings and land, making them available for rent or ownership at prices targeted at those otherwise unable to afford decent housing. The cooperative structure ensures that these properties remain permanently affordable, bypassing market pressures that often drive up costs over time. The organisation also actively supports the reintegration of the most disadvantaged by providing stable housing options, often as part of a holistic social support project.
Beyond residential accommodation, Fair Ground Brussels creates community facilities that host not only social services but also cultural and social economy initiatives, offering meeting points for neighbourhood activities and local projects.
In Brussels, the need for such interventions is stark: around 50,000 households wait for social housing, with only 200 new social housing units built each year. The average salary in the city is around €1,200 per month, while average rent stands at €800, highlighting the scale of the challenge Fair Ground Brussels seeks to address. Current projects focus both on securing homes and on developing sustainable community infrastructure, positioning the organisation as a significant actor in efforts to build a fairer city.