This contribution considers the spatial distribution of foreigners in Brussels. Fifteen nationalities are considered, among which a group of affluent foreigners linked to the international functions of the city (EU Capital and NATO headquarters) and a poor group whose beginnings can be traced to the ‘guestworkers’ immigration in the late sixties and early seventies. Firstly, the population structure of Brussels and the position of its foreigners are outlined in a historical perspective. Then, the housing market structure and its spatial distribution are explained. Both elements are crucial to the understanding of the contrasting residential distribution of the affluent foreigners and the guestworkers. Finally, the changes in the composition of the foreign communities between 1981 and 1991 are examined and related to processes of urban restructuring. They express the passage from a Fordist to a post‐Fordist city whereby spatial patterns merely change, but deepening contrasts in the social structure appear.

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Les villes belges sont traitées sous l'angle du système très urbanisé de l'habitat. Après une évaluation de l'impact de la restructuration des communes, on passe à l'analyse des régions urbaines. La hiérarchie des villes et les problèmes qu'elle pose, de même que la structure économique urbaine sont ensuite examinés. En dernier lieu sont mis en lumière les conséquences éventuelles de la régionalisation (1.1.1980) surtout pour Bruxelles.

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