Ruimte & Maatschappij

Abstract

This article focuses on the housing pathways of residents of high-rise social housing in Flanders (Northern part of Belgium), thereby including formal and informal residents. We look at the relevance of social rental housing within the residents’ individual housing pathway, their identification with a specific neighbourhood, the economies and social capital they rely on, their evaluation of communities they live in, and the understanding of social class and experience of stigma. From these pathways we may perceive the metamorphosis of the figure of the social tenant as the ‘Old Belgian’ to the construct of the ‘incapable tenant’, and we contradict the presumed lack of social cohesion within these communities – based on the agency, values and knowledge displayed by the residents themselves. In this way, this article attempts to identify what ‘the new marginality’ means for the Flemish urban context, and how these ‘wobbly’ housing pathways relate to the Belgian/Flemish welfare state.

Keywords: social and public housing, housing pathways, welfare state, wobbly pillar, marginalisation, informal economy

How to Cite:

Allemeersch, S., Roets, G. & De Decker, P., (2025) “From ‘Old Belgians’ to the new marginality: Housing pathways of social high-rise residents in the Rabot estate.”, Ruimte & Maatschappij 17(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/renm.94118