Making space for a more foundational economy: The case of the construction sector in Brussels

Abstract

Abstract Although often embroiled in speculative urban development processes, the construction sector is in many ways fundamental to the social reproduction of the city and the functions it hosts. Moreover, in many contexts, a large and increasingly international labor force underpins the sector. Despite its ambiguity, the construction sector has received little attention from policy makers and academics alike, thereby rendering its mundane, yet fundamental role in the reproduction of the city invisible. Meanwhile, there is much more policy and academic interest in propelling industries, innovative sectors, finance, and knowledge-intensive business services. Work on global cities has made clear that such strategies often reinforce competition and that the expected trickle-down effects are left wanting. This paper claims that the “overlooking” of certain economic sectors by academics as well as by policy makers is a consequence of a rather narrow definition of what constitutes the economy and results in a restricted way of practicing urban economic development. Through reframing the definition of the economy, using the inspiring strand of thinking of the Foundational Economy Collective and connecting this to the older urban-base-and-non-base-economy debate, this paper aims to explore opportunities for broadening the practice of urban economic development. It takes the construction sector in the Brussels Capital Region as a case study, arguing that scholarship should make discursive and physical space for more mundane urban sectors and suggesting a set of policy strategies to support the grounded character of the Brussels construction sector.