Brussels Environment is involved as a partner in the Forest4Youth project. Brussels' green spaces and forests thus contribute to therapeutic objective for adolescents aged 12 to 18 experiencing difficulties. This directly reinforces the multifunctionality already present in our green spaces, which integrate nature heritage, landscape, ecological management, food production, recreation, sports, and now, health therapy.
This is also a major first for Brussels Environment, which is working jointly with the medical community to develop therapeutic trails within these green spaces, ready to welcome the first groups of young people starting in mid-2026. This follows on from a previous pilot project already developed with ULB/ERASME at the Vogelzang site, where the first meditation trail has been created.
Kauwberg © Bruxelles Environnement - Leefmilieu Brussel – Nicolas Cambier
Four initial trails have been identified in the Brussels Region, as they are located near medical facilities and meet criteria for tranquility: Kauwberg, Rouge-Cloître, Vogelzang, and King Baudouin Park. Others will follow. By selecting these sites, Brussels Environment is adding a new component to the project: integrating therapeutic trails into peri-urban green spaces (combining wooded areas and open landscapes). This complements the project's other trails, which primarily utilize more natural wooded areas. Given the importance of health in cities, considering the constantly growing urban populations, this project is highly relevant and could inspire other cities to follow us.
Roi Baudoin-Laerbeek © Bruxelles Environnement - Leefmilieu Brussel – Aurore Poncin
Beyond this new "health" function, this project also presents a valuable opportunity for our natural area managers to collaborate with the medical community to design and co-create these new trails, with a focus on listening and mutual respect for everyone's interests. The trails must be compatible with treatment protocols, but they must also fully respect these particularly fragile natural environments within an urban context.
Brussels Environment is also exploring the possibility of incorporating activities along the trails (planting, landscaping, creating fascines, etc.). This also opens up the field of activities for our managers and green keepers, many of whom showed great interest during the management day organized on April 1, 2026, where about a hundred green space managers discovered this project with great interest.
