Belgian Cities Research Articles

Ghent’s Red-Light District in Comparative Perspective

Research on modern red-light districts is centered largely on street prostitution zones. Missing from most of the literature are studies that examine red-light districts consisting of clusters of visible indoor businesses that are legal and reg- ulated by the authorities. This paper examines this kind of zonein Ghent, Belgium. Avariety of data is used to document this red-light district's social and physical ecology, routine activities within it, and key characteristics of actors involved in the sector. The goal of the paper is to provide a fairly comprehensive analysis of both the zone's internal arrange- ments as well as ways in which it is shaped by external forces. The findings are then compared to previous research on red- light districts in two other Belgian cities, Antwerp and Brus- sels, which reveals significant differences between the three settings.

Sharing the Silver Screen: The Social Experience of Cinemagoing in the Indian Diaspora

Despite the growing attention paid to the social practice of cinemagoing and to Indian diasporic film cultures, little research has combined these two topics. This article looks into issues of community as well as discursive practices occurring at the intersection of these two phenomena. First, it examines the physical community formation generated by the theater space as a setting for watching homeland films, in accordance with more general theories about diasporic communities and media consumption (Georgiou, 2006). Second, it looks into the audience discourses that precede and follow the actual cinemagoing act (Gillespie, 2002; Staiger, 2000). Based on a case study in the Belgian city of Antwerp, large-scale as well as in-depth insights are developed through a multi-method approach, combining analyses of in-depth interviews with the results of an exploratory cinema survey. These revealed that Indian diasporic cinemagoing is limited in its community-forming function (by issues of comfort, audience diversity, as well as behavioral conformism to a Western context) and is characterized by transnational discursive practices informing film preferences. A general change in the social experience of cinemagoing occurred in the diasporic context when compared to India and intercommunity differences found expression in cinemagoing culture.

Informal social support in contexts of diversity: shaping the relationship between the public and the private sphere.

This paper aims to re-examine the social dimension of social support as the shared responsibility of social work and families in shaping social support rather than pressuring parents' individual responsibilities, as this has been a significantly under-theorised issue in social work research. In our qualitative study, we discuss parents' experiences of informal social support in Centres for Children and Parents (CCP) in two cities in Belgium. During 2012, six discussion groups were held with 29 mothers, three fathers and one nanny who visited one of the CCP included in the project. A broad topic list was used, investigating parents' first visit and motivations to return; their encounters with other children, parents and the professionals; and the actual role of the professional. Data were interpreted repeatedly using qualitative content analysis. The CCP focus on engaging with a wide diversity of parents of young children, not framed as 'at risk', reflecting the contemporary contexts of diversity in which these practices unfold. Our research shows that departing from an anti-essentialist approach to diversity and heterogeneity may be productive for the promotion of both social support and social cohesion as it captures social issues such as diverse and changing norms and values, diverse and changing family compositions, lifestyles and situations, and diverse and changing biographical, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds of children and parents. As the CCP offer the opportunity of a confrontation between private issues and public concerns, social encounters between a diverse mix of families are experienced as supportive. While embracing parents' perspectives regarding equity, reciprocity, agency and social cohesion, it becomes clear that these processes of interaction require facilitation by a specific professional. In this article, we attempt to unravel and discuss the possible role(s) of social work in generating informal social support.

Treatment satisfaction and quality of support in outpatient substitution treatment: opiate users’ experiences and perspectives

Aims: Patient-reported outcomes have become an important source of information to guide service provision. Although opiate substitution treatment (OST) is an evidence-based and widely available intervention for opiate dependent individuals, evaluation studies have primarily focused on objective outcome indicators rather than on clients’ perspectives and personal experiences. This study aims to assess opiate users’ satisfaction with various aspects of substitution treatment and their subjective experiences and expectations regarding the provision of psychosocial support. Methods: The study sample consisted of 77 opiate-dependent individuals who had been involved in OST for at least three months in some cities in Belgium. Qualitative interviews were used to explore clients’ subjective experiences, in addition to some quantitative measures. Findings: About half of the respondents recently received some form of psychosocial support and they were generally satisfied about these services. However, the number of persons who wanted psychosocial support clearly outnumbered those actually receiving these services. Respondents stressed the importance of building trusting relationships with OST staff. Also, the need for more flexible and individualised support was emphasised. Conclusions: Compared with other stakeholders’ perspectives or traditional outcome indicators, service users’ subjective experiences shed an alternative light on the impact of opiate dependence and OST on individuals’ daily lives. This information should be incorporated in individual treatment planning and when designing and evaluating OST services.

The Modal Split of Cities: A Workplace‐Based Mixed Modelling Perspective

AbstractMany transport planners and policy‐makers compare cities on the basis of travel behaviour or transport system characteristics. These comparisons are then used to promote cities as ‘cycling capitals’ or ‘public transport paradises’. However, data‐related and methodological issues make comparisons across cities difficult. This paper presents an alternative to the dominant atomistic‐residential perspective which takes a random sample of residents in a city as input. We conceptualise cities as concentrations of workplaces and compare the commuting behaviour of employees active in a selection of sectors. This paper presents a new indicator to measure the modal split of cities and explains the level of car use in Belgian cities using mixed models. The presence of a railway station is associated with lower levels of car use, while highway access increases the share of the car. The car is also less popular in city centres, subcentres and in more dense urban areas.

Identifying City Differences in Perceived Group Discrimination among Second-generation Turks and Moroccans in Belgium

This study investigates the effects of city context on the levels and predictors of perceived group discrimination (GD) among Turkish and Moroccan second-generation immigrants in Belgium. Based on the Integration of the European Second-generation (TIES) data, we address two main questions: (1) Are there significant differences in the levels of perceived GD between the two cities in Belgium (Antwerp and Brussels) within each immigrant group? (2) Who perceives more GD within each city? To answer these questions, possible composition effects should be controlled. Accordingly, we use propensity-score matching to make second-generation immigrant samples from the two cities reasonably comparable with respect to socio-demographic characteristics. Concerning the first research question, we find that after propensity-score matching, the Turkish second-generation perceive more GD in Antwerp than in Brussels. For the Moroccan group, however, the city differences in perceived GD are no longer significant after matching. With regards to the second research question, we find that those who are more socio-economically integrated and those who perceive more threat in their city are more likely to perceive GD.

Prediction of ultrafine particle number concentrations in urban environments by means of Gaussian process regression based on measurements of oxides of nitrogen

Gaussian process regression is used to predict ultrafine particle (UFP) number concentrations. We infer their number concentrations based on the concentrations of NO, NO2, CO and O3 at half hour and 5 min resolution. Because UFP number concentrations follow from a dynamic process, we have used a non-stationary kernel based on the addition of a linear and a rational quadratic kernel. Simultaneous measurements of UFP and gaseous pollutants were carried out during one month at three sampling locations situated within a 1 km2 area in a Belgian city, Antwerp. The method proposed provides accurate predictions when using NO and NO2 as covariates and less accurate predictions when using CO and O3. We have also evaluated the models for different training periods and we have found that a training period of at least seven days is suitable to let the models learn the UFP number concentration dynamics in different typologies of traffic.

Epidemiology of infective endocarditis in a large Belgian non-referral hospital

Objectives:Guidelines for diagnosis of infective endocarditis are largely based upon epidemiological studies in referral hospitals. Referral bias, however, might impair the validity of guidelines in non-referral hospitals. Recent studies in non-referral care centres on infective endocarditis are sparse. We conducted a retrospective epidemiological study on infective endocarditis in a large non-referral hospital in a Belgian city (Kortrijk).Methods:The medical record system was searched for all cases tagged with a putative diagnosis of infective endocarditis in the period 2003–2010. The cases that fulfilled the modified Duke criteria for probable or definite infective endocarditis were included.Results:Compared to referral centres, an older population with infective endocarditis, and fewer predisposing cardiac factors and catheter-related infective endocarditis is seen in our population. Our patients have fewer prosthetic valve endocarditis as well as fewer staphylococcal endocarditis. Our patients undergo less surgery, although mortality rate seems to be highly comparable with referral centres, with nosocomial infective endocarditis as an independent predictor of mortality.Conclusion:The present study suggests that characteristics of infective endocarditis as well as associative factors might differ among non-referral hospitals and referral hospitals.

The ordinal dominance theory as applied to the most attractive retail cities of the Benelux area

An important estate broker for retail in Europe has performed statistical research on retail business in cities in the Benelux area (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg). The broker choose five characteristics to rate 30 Benelux cities on their retail business. However, summing these ranks is not allowed as they do not represent cardinal numbers. Hence, calculating the medians and quartiles of this ordinal number series signifies a possible alternative. The disadvantages of this approach are: many ex aequos and to be operational at least six terms are needed, whereas only five characteristics are present here. Instead, an Ordinal Dominance Theory was developed that only needs at least three terms. Finally, a SWOT-analysis was made concerning retail business for the main Belgian cities, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.

The Social Ecology of Red-Light Districts

Research on modern red-light districts (RLDs) is deficient in some key respects. Centered largely on street prostitution zones and nations where prostitution is illegal, this literature gives insufficient attention to settings where RLDs consist of a cluster of indoor venues that are legal and regulated by the authorities. Using classic Chicago School research on vice districts as a point of departure, this article examines the physical structure and social organization of red-light zones in two Belgian cities: Antwerp and Brussels. The comparative analysis identifies major differences in the social ecology of the two settings. Differences are explained by the distinctive ways in which each municipal government manages its respective RLD, which are related to the contrasting social backgrounds and political capital of the population residing in the vicinity of each district. Policy implications are briefly discussed.

Integrated modelling of faecal contamination in a densely populated river–sea continuum (Scheldt River and Estuary)

In order to simulate the long-term (months–years) median Escherichia coli distributions and variations in the tidal Scheldt River and Estuary, a dedicated module was developed for the Second-generation Louvain-la-Neuve Ice-ocean Model (SLIM, www.climate.be/slim). The resulting model (SLIM-EC2) presents two specific and new features compared to the older SLIM-EC model version. The first is that the E. coli concentrations in the river are split in three fractions: the free E. coli in the water column, the ones attached to suspended solids and those present in the bottom sediments, each with their own transport, decay and settling–resuspension dynamics. The bacteria attached to particles can settle and survive on the bottom, where they can be brought back in the water column during resuspension events. The second new feature of the model is that it is coupled to the catchment model SENEQUE-EC, which thus provides upstream boundary conditions to SLIM-EC2. The result is an integrated and multi-scale model of the whole Scheldt drainage network from its source down to the Belgian/Dutch coastal zone. This new model reproduces the long-term median E. coli concentration along the Scheldt River and Estuary. An extensive sensitivity study is performed demonstrating the relative robustness of the model with respect to the chosen parameterisations. In addition to reproducing the observed E. coli concentrations in 2007–2008 at various stations, two extreme wastewater management scenarios were considered. Overall, there is no doubt that the Scheldt Estuary acts as a cleaning filter of faecal contamination originating from large Belgian cities. As a result, at the mouth of the Scheldt Estuary E. coli concentration is negligible in all investigated conditions.

Left, right, left. The influence of party ideology on the political representation of ethnic minorities in Belgium

The scholarly literature on ethnic minority representation often points to the “political opportunity structure” – particularly that of political parties – to explain the prevalence of ethnic minorities in elected politics. Informed by the literature on women in politics, this article examines how the ideology of political parties affects the representation of ethnic minorities. This article is based on a qualitative case study of 2 major Belgian cities and includes 33 semi-structured interviews with ethnic minority councillors, candidates, members of ethnic communities, and party representatives. Interviews were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. We found party ideology to affect the support parties received from ethnic minority voters and candidates; party ideology does not, however, influence party strategies to enhance ethnic minority representation. Overall, political parties do not seem to invest in their ethnic minority candidates and councillors.

Missed opportunities and lessons learned, evaluation of the initiative on B30 biodiesel in the CIVITAS project of the Belgian City Ghent

In the framework of the European CIVITAS project in the Belgian City Ghent, the initiative was taken to introduce B30 biodiesel in the city car fleet. Yet, implementation turned out to be difficult due to a combination of reasons which will be discussed in detail in the manuscript. First of all, there is no consistent policy on the taxation of high-blend biofuels in Belgium. Furthermore, questions and misconceptions on technical aspects lead to distrust by the consumers and retailers, often resulting in the needless withdrawal of the vehicle warranty. Finally, the lack of a good monitoring program to measure emissions, impact on car maintenance and B30 economics during the project is seen as a missed opportunity.

Defining and characterizing urban boundaries: A fractal analysis of theoretical cities and Belgian cities

In this paper we extract the morphological boundaries of urban agglomerations and characterize boundary shapes using eight fractal and nonfractal spatial indexes. Analyses were first performed on six archetypal theoretical cities, and then on Belgium’s 18 largest towns. The results show that: (1) the relationship between the shape of the urban boundary (fractal dimension, dendricity, and compactness) and the built morphology within the urban agglomeration (fractal dimension, proportion of buildings close to the urban boundary) is not straightforward; (2) each city is a unique combination of the morphological characteristics considered here; (3) due to their different morphological characteristics, the planning potential of Flemish and Walloon cities seems to be very different.

Cooks and Waiters on the Move: the World and International Exhibition in Ghent, 1913, as a Destination for Hospitality Workers

In 1913 the city of Ghent hosted the World and International Exhibition. By exploring population registers, dossiers of the Police des etrangers, files of the labour court and letters written by hospitality workers applying for a job, the article tries to find out who were the hospitality workers (gender, nationality) attracted by the World Exhibition in this Belgian provincial city, and how their trip to Ghent fitted into their labour migration itinerary. The article also deals with the intermediaries (bureaux de placement, the local labour exchange, workers’organisations, personal networks), which informed hospitality workers of the Ghent job opportunities, and discusses the segmentation of the labour market in the hospitality trade.

Visible Ethnic Minorities in Local Political Parties: A Case Study of Two Belgian Cities (Antwerp and Ghent)

The central concern of this article is the extent of political party commitments to the inclusion of ethnic minorities. The study of two Belgian cities and four parties shows a marked discrepancy between the efforts to include ethnic minority candidates and their level of inclusion in the local party structures as individual members, as party officials or as a party subdivision. A possible explanation is that political parties only promote the representation of ethnic minorities out of concern for their own electoral competitiveness, and not based on an unconditional commitment to the full political integration of ethnic minorities.

Relative group size and minority school success: The role of intergroup friendship and discrimination experiences

From an intergroup relations perspective, relative group size is associated with the quantity and quality of intergroup contact: more positive contact (i.e., intergroup friendship) supports, and negative contact (i.e., experienced discrimination) hampers, minority identity, and school success. Accordingly, we examined intergroup contact as the process through which perceived relative proportions of minority and majority students in school affected minority success (i.e., school performance, satisfaction, and self-efficacy). Turkish minorities (N=1,060) were compared in four Austrian and Belgian cities which differ in their typical school ethnic composition. Across cities, minority experiences of intergroup contact fully mediated the impact of perceived relative group size on school success. As expected, higher minority presence impaired school success through restricting intergroup friendship and increasing experienced discrimination. The association between minority presence and discrimination was curvilinear, however, so that schools where minority students predominated offered some protection from discrimination. To conclude, the comparative findings reveal positive and negative intergroup contact as key processes that jointly explain when and how higher proportions of minority students affect school success.

Bollywood tracks towards and through the city: structural patterns of Hindi film culture in Antwerp (Belgium)

The globalisation of Hindi cinema is a topical issue in current media and film research. Whereas the majority of previous studies on Indian film in diaspora have been concerned with issues of audiences and text, this article concentrates on the structural patterns of Hindi film, specifically in the Belgian city of Antwerp. It is inspired by insights from political economy studies which acknowledge the balance of power and global dynamics from a local perspective. Using distribution and exhibition analyses based on interviews, surveys and archival research, this study examines Hindi cinema's tracks towards (selection and distribution) and through (promotion and exhibition) the city, mainly in multiplex theatres. These analyses adopt a historical approach and reconstruct how the exclusive film culture of one community has been transformed into a more elaborate commercial enterprise, revealing both continuity and change in power relations, public, urban and transnational spaces as well as audience management. This study demonstrates the dependency of a diasporic film culture on the greater context of global cinema history, and the way in which peripheral marketplaces such as Antwerp are becoming increasingly subject to transnational corporations and their strategies.

Are advanced producer services connectors for regional economies? An exploration of the geographies of advanced producer service procurement in Belgium

This paper seeks to extend research on regional urban networks under contemporary globalization through an analysis of the geographies of producer service procurement in Belgium. In contrast to approaches that merely focus on the location of a selection of ‘globalized’ advanced producer service (APS) providers in a predefined set of ‘world cities’, we analyze the revealed spatial and functional linkages between consumers and producers of such services. This analysis is discussed in the broader context of economic geography literature on the resurgence of ‘regions’ in vertically disintegrated, post-Fordist economies. We compare our results against the assessed positions of leading Belgian cities in the urban networks generated by advanced producer services. Major findings include: (1) the relevance of a predefined set of major cities/firms is dependent on the sector; (2) a focus on the relationships between major firms and cities may lead to circular reasoning and a closed concept, since a focus on the importance of ‘globalized APS firms’ necessarily engenders ‘world cities’ and vice versa; and (3) the continuing relevance of regional specificity to service provision implies that in some sectors ‘local’ firms are actively involved in urban network formation.

Social participation among older adults living in medium-sized cities in Belgium: the role of neighbourhood perceptions

This study examines the associations between neighbourhood perceptions and social participation in a sample of older adults living in medium-sized cities in Flanders, Belgium. Strong evidence of the influence of place on older people's physical and mental health exists. However, the question of how neighbourhoods promote or hinder social participation remains under-explored in social gerontology. Using data generated from the Belgian Ageing Studies, a multivariate regression model (n = 1877) is tested, with personal characteristics, subjective neighbourhood assessments and objective city-level measures as independent variables, and two indicators of social participation as dependent variables: social activity and formal participation. Positive predictors included neighbourhood involvement, frequent contact with neighbours and availability of activities for older people. However, the predictive role of neighbourhood perceptions is stronger for formal participation than for social activity, which is explained more by individual characteristics. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for research and practice pertaining to health promotion interventions.