Housing

In this layer, we focus on the ‘housing’ need system: how do we live and build? What is the footprint of the buildings? What undesirable effects does it have and what favourable trends do we see?

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Market

This group of indicators shows the driving force behind our housing: the market demand for property.
Number of households
2,926,471 households

Number of households

This indicator shows how the number of households in Flanders is evolving on an annual basis. In combination with...
Number of companies
679,105 companies

Number of companies

This indicator shows how many companies are active in Flanders each year. It gives an idea of how many...
Floor area of residential buildings
1.2 billion m²

Floor area of residential buildings

This indicator shows the total floor area of residential buildings. It paints a better picture of the amount of...
Floor area of non-residential buildings
32.9 million m²

Floor area of non-residential buildings

This indicator shows the total floor area of non-residential buildings. It paints a better picture of how much of...

Footprint

This group of indicators shows the pressure on our environment caused by our housing, in the form of emissions and consumption of resources.
Material footprint of the building stock
28,936 kt

Material footprint of the building stock

This indicator measures the material footprint of the Flemish construction industry and housing on a yearly basis. The figures...
Carbon footprint of the building stock
22,077 kt CO₂-eq.

Carbon footprint of the building stock

This indicator measures the carbon footprint of the Flemish construction industry and housing on a yearly basis. The figures...
Material footprint of the construction sector
34,746 kt

Material footprint of the construction sector

This indicator offers a better insight into the material footprint of housing in Flanders. It is determined by an...
Material footprint of heating buildings
466 PJ

Material footprint of heating buildings

The heating of buildings in Flanders is one of the biggest energy consumers and one of the main causes...
Emissions from buildings and homes
8,360 kt CO₂-eq.

Emissions from buildings and homes

This indicator gives a picture of CO2 and particulate matter emissions caused by buildings. Emissions during both the construction...

Condition of resources

This group of indicators shows the state of our own resource stocks: water, materials, land and air.
Built-up area
391,582 ha

Built-up area

This indicator shows how much of Flanders is built up and provides more information about the extent of this....
Raw material, fuel and water reserves
911,900 kt sand

Raw material, fuel and water reserves

This indicator shows the status of the material reserves needed for the building stock in Flanders. It gives us...
Concentration of emissions
415 ppm CO₂

Concentration of emissions

This indicator measures the concentration of emissions in Flanders and compares it to the international objectives.
Open space
974,807 ha

Open space

This indicator measures how much open space there is in Flanders and how this has evolved. By being able...

Undesirable effects

This group of indicators shows undesirable effects that our housing system helps to cause.
Number of homeless people
5,456

Number of homeless people

This indicator shows how many homeless people there are in Flanders. It gives us more insight into the socio-economic...
Number of people affected by emissions
96% of the population

Number of people affected by emissions

This indicator measures how many people are affected by emissions. It allows us to calculate the impact of housing...
Number of people facing water scarcity
3,221,563

Number of people facing water scarcity

This indicator shows how many people in Belgium are affected by water scarcity and water shortages. The indicator also...

Desired changes

This group of indicators shows the changes that society and policy want to bring about.
Average lifespan of buildings
57.2 years

Average lifespan of buildings

The lifespan of buildings in Flanders is increasing, a trend that is completely in line with the circular model....
Floor area use efficiency
7,156 m²/ha

Floor area use efficiency

This indicator shows how much usable floor area a building offers and how much space that building needs for...
Use efficiency of existing housing units
205,000 empty units

Use efficiency of existing housing units

This indicator shows the use efficiency of existing housing units in Flanders.
Heating efficiency of buildings
389 kWh/m²

Heating efficiency of buildings

This indicator shows the heating efficiency of buildings during their use phase. That efficiency is determined on the basis...
Number of rented social housing units
156,744 units

Number of rented social housing units

This indicator shows how many social housing units are being rented out in Flanders. The affordable nature of social...
Amount of renovation and construction
19,851 permits

Amount of renovation and construction

Renovation counts as a circular strategy as renovating existing buildings increases their lifespan and makes them more efficient. This...
Recycling rate of building materials
96.9%

Recycling rate of building materials

This indicator offers more insight into the recycling rate of building materials in Flanders. Here, we look at not...