The survey looked at the quality of living standards in the 13 largest Flemish cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Aalst, Bruges, Genk, Hasselt, Kortrijk, Leuven, Mechelen, Ostend, Roeselare, Sint-Niklaas and Turnhout. It follows the same approach as previous editions in 2004 and 2006, but adds two new themes: Care in the City and Enterprise in the City.
Research into key indicators in the field of care was carried out by the Centre for Sustainable Development at Ghent University, a department that has been closely associated with the creation of the Stadsmonitor since its launch. Research into enterprise was carried out by Idea-Consult.
In addition to research, 8,000 Flemish people over the age of 15 were interviewed by telephone on the subject of life in their cities, their neighbourhoods and their streets.
In general, taking the full panoply of 129 variables into account, Bruges, Hasselt and Leuven turned out to be the most congenial cities in which to live, with Aalst and Turnhout bringing up the rear. People in the three leading cities were happiest with conditions in their own neighbourhoods (all three cities rated above 80%) and in the city as a whole (87% for both Bruges and Hasselt and a whopping 90% for Leuven).
Leuven mayor Louis Tobback reacted by calling for city administrations to be given more power. “We need a kind of internal Flemish state reform in which cities and municipalities can take more decisions themselves and get the money they need for specific purposes,” he said. “Cities could score even better if they could decide in a really autonomous way. I can’t even move a bus shelter without first getting permission from De Lijn or the province.”
Nearly 47% of the people of Hasselt were "very proud" of their city, compared to only 18% in Sint-Niklaas.
Live performances per 10,000 inhabitants dance music theatre Antwerp 15.9 104.1 95.8 Bruges 9.7 158.4 66.0 Ghent 12.1 172.1 115.9 Hasselt 11.8 137.1 98.0 Kortrijk 10.7 181.4 64.2 Leuven 20.3 139.9 152.6 Mechelen 7.5 66.4 129.7 Ostend 10.0 78.0 55.6 Satisfaction with restaurants, cafés and other nightlife Restaurants cafés Nightlife Antwerp 79.1% 63.5% Bruges 89.2 67.4 Gent 85.9 71.1 Hasselt 92.5 79.9 Kortrijk 81.2 60.9 Leuven 89.8 76.8 Mechelen 82.4 55.7 Ostend 87.6 66.3 Satisfaction with shopping Satisfied Very satisfied Antwerp 38.1% 45.2% Bruges 39.5 49.8 Gent 43.4 43.4 Hasselt 33.7 61.1 Kortrijk 47.0 24.8 Leuven 42.4 47.2 Mechelen 53.0 26.2 Ostend 42.1 49.8