“It’s not the place, it’s the crowd”: an explorative study on queer mobilities and spatial practices in Brussels, Belgium

This study explores the mobility experiences and spatial practices of queer people in Brussels, Belgium. Building upon existing research from fields such as urban geography and transport studies as a foundation for the methodology, we explored these experiences through focus groups. Our study shows the various coping strategies that queer people adopt to travel in the city, and how these are often influenced by traditional gendered expectations from those around. It identifies how people negotiate tensions in public spaces through coping mechanisms, touching upon themes such as (in)visibility, hierarchies of space, temporal aspects and intersectional identities. Our results highlight how queer identities can influence mode choice. Especially for cycling, perceived gender proved a strong influence: while male participants regard cycling as an aspirational or sustainable choice, it was often a coping mechanism for female participants to feel safe. Regarding spatial practices, our results highlight a need for more queer spaces, especially for women, outside of the city centre, and catering to different day-time activities. Our results show that feelings of safety and belonging are linked to the people who are present in the space. Therefore, we advocate for structural, year-round inclusion of queer perspectives in mobility and urban planning, for instance through gender- and sexuality-sensitive survey design and closer collaboration between transport, planning, and safety actors, alongside greater attention to subjective and social dimensions of urban accessibility. We further recommend the expansion of queer spaces beyond the city centre and diversifying their use beyond nightlife.