During the summer, hot days are becoming more common in Brussels. For many older people, increasing temperatures can affect daily routines, comfort, and well-being. Green spaces such as parks, forests, gardens and cemeteries help cool our cities. They also provide places for social and daily activities.
Are you 65 years or older and living in the Brussels-Capital Region?
Then you are warmly invited to complete our questionnaire and share your experiences with green spaces in daily life, especially during hot weather. The survey takes about 15 minutes and can be completed on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Your participation contributes to research and public discussions on how Brussels can remain liveable, healthy, and inclusive as the population ages and the climate warms.
What is this survey about?
The survey aims to better understand older adults’ use of green spaces in Brussels and how it may relate to their feelings on hot days. In particular, it looks at:
• How they visit and use green spaces in daily life;
• How this use may change during hot weather;
• How they feel physically and emotionally on hot days.
The survey also explores other aspects that matter for older people, such as their views on neighbourhood greening and how they cope with heat at home or outdoors.
Why is your participation important?
Older adults’ everyday experiences are not always well represented in discussions about green spaces and climate change. By sharing your experience, you help make older people’s voices more visible. Your answers also help researchers and policymakers better understand the impact of hot weather on older adults and the role of green spaces in warming cities.
There are no right or wrong answers — we are simply interested in your personal experiences and feelings. Your answers are completely anonymous.
Who initiated this study?
This survey is conducted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Sciensano as part of a PhD research project on inclusive urban green spaces for older adults in Brussels. The research is funded by the European Union research project GreeNexUS. GreeNexUS aims to promote sustainable solutions for greener, healthier, safer and more accessible urban areas, with Brispo as a partner in the project.
If you have any questions or experience a technical problem, you can contact the PhD researcher, Yuxin Pu (yuxin.pu@vub.be).
The survey is available in 3 languages:
Version française
Nederlandstalige versie
English version
PROTECTION OF YOUR DATA AND RIGHTS
Participation is completely voluntary and you can decide to discontinue your participation at any time. The information you provide via the questionnaire will only be used for scientific purposes. Only the aggregated results (combined information from all participants) will be published in scientific publications and made public. Individual responses will never be shared.
The data will be stored securely in encrypted form at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and retained in accordance with legal and institutional requirements. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to access, correct and erase your data, where applicable, during this period. You can request this by contacting the VUB Data Protection Officer (dpo@vub.be). If you choose to provide your email address for the aggregated results, your email address will only be stored separately from your questionnaire responses so that your answers cannot be traced back to you. The email address will be deleted at the end of the research project.
This study has been reviewed and approved by an independent ethics committee (VUB Ethics Commission for Human Sciences).
QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT DATA PROTECTION?
If you have any question about data protection, please contact VUB Data Protection Officer (dpo@vub.be). If you have a complaint about how your data is being processed, you can contact the Belgian data protection authority: Drukpersstraat 35 — 1000 Brussels — Tel.: 02/274 48 00 — e-mail: contact@apd-gba.be.
