During the whole month of February, starting this Monday, the people of Brussels are called upon to choose the new name of the longest tunnel in the country, Leopold II, from among 15 names of famous women, Brussels Mobility said in a press release.
The renaming procedure "to symbolically reinforce the place of women in the public space" began last year with a call for ideas to citizens and the reflection of a committee of experts.
Currently, 43% of the streets in Brussels bear the name of a person. Of these, only 6.1% of the streets are named after a woman.
Fifteen candidates are in the running, ten of which were selected by the committee of experts and five by the people of Brussels:
Andrée De Jongh
Chantal Akerman
Isala Van Diest
Marguerite Yourcenar
Marie Curie
Rosa Parks
Semira Adamou
Simone Veil
Sophie Kanza
Wangari Maathai
Marie Popelin
Annie Cordy
Astrid of Belgium
Elisabeth of Belgium
Antoinette Spaak
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The ballot is open for one month via Brussels Mobility's website, where more information can be found on each candidate.
The official name change will take place at the end of the renovation of the tunnel.
The Brussels Times
