Economies of Collective Temporary Occupations in Brussels

Abstract

In European cities, strengthening local grassroots initiatives is trending. Citizen groups often find space only by temporarily occupying unused buildings, which, in turn, creates value through diverse activities and economies. While temporary uses are acknowledged for their capacity to generate social and cultural value, the diverse economies they activate remain undefined. This article investigates the economies generated by collective temporary occupations (CTOs) in the reuse of vacant real estate in the Brussels-Capital Region. Based on the hypothesis that CTOs contribute to post-growth urban development, this article explores economic activation, spatial characteristics, and temporal dimension in 10 cases. Results show that CTOs enhance place quality by combining artistic creation, sports facilities, circular production, welfare services, and sharing practices. From small neighbourhood infrastructure to large metropolitan hubs, temporality ranges from 1 to 10 years, with longer-lasting initiatives functioning as commons despite their temporary status. By recognising the diverse dimensions of value creation and the role of CTOs as generators of new economies, this research contributes to the study of temporary uses in post-growth urban planning.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Urban Planning, 2026 · DOI ↗