Forest on the Rise: How the South-West Corridor of Brussels Became 2026’s Hot Investment Zone

Property buyers searching for Brussels’ next hotspot are setting their sights firmly on Forest, a suburb in the south-west growth corridor, as new transport links and high-profile tech projects transform the local landscape.

This surge of interest isn’t happening in a vacuum. July heatwaves and infrastructure headlines dominate European news, but Forest’s property boom has more prosaic roots: bricks, mortar, and the arrival of the long-awaited Tram 9 extension. As investors scramble to find value beyond the centre, Forest now sits in the crosshairs of buyers previously laser-focused on Ixelles or Saint-Gilles.

New Tram Lines and Unexpected Demand

The heart of this change is the new Tram 9 extension, which began carrying passengers from Simonis to Albert in May. The €77 million project, overseen by STIB/MIVB, slashes cross-city commute times and links Forest’s Altitude Cent and Saint-Denis quarters to major transport hubs. Local shopkeeper Luc Maes, whose family bakery has operated on Avenue du Roi for five decades, reports a sharp uptick in both foot traffic and enquiries about rental apartments upstairs since the trams began running.

This is not the only factor fuelling Forest’s rise. The former Royale Belge headquarters, just across the border in Watermael-Boitsfort, reopened as a life sciences campus last autumn, drawing hundreds of tech and research workers to settle nearby. The new campus is a magnet for young professionals priced out of Uccle or Etterbeek. Meanwhile, the city’s long-standing regeneration initiatives along Avenue Van Volxem—including the See U start-up incubator and several new art spaces in Rue du Montenegro—have given the area a distinctly youthful buzz.

Sharp Price Rises—But Not Out of Reach, Yet

Evidence of Forest’s newfound clout shows up clearly in the numbers. According to Immoweb figures reviewed by The Daily Brussels, the median sale price for a two-bedroom flat in Forest hit €329,000 in June 2026, up 11.4% year-on-year. In comparison, similar properties in Saint-Gilles are now topping €370,000. Yet rents in Forest still average €890 per month for a standard two-bed, keeping the suburb just within reach of teachers, medical staff from CHU Saint-Pierre, and young families drawn by the 12-hectare Parc Duden and better pollution scores than the city centre.

Property agents report that multi-unit blocks on Avenue Jupiter and townhouses off Rue Berthelot rarely last more than three weeks on the market. Demand is especially strong for units within a 10-minute walk of either the Forest-Est or Forest-Midi rail stations, both now benefitting from increased S-train frequency since January.

So, what’s next for hopeful buyers and residents? Local authorities are betting on further private investment to refurbish older housing stock and fill vacant retail on Chaussée de Bruxelles. STIB/MIVB plans to extend the tram lines further east, possibly linking Forest’s southern edge with the thriving Gare du Midi zone by late 2028. For now, would-be purchasers are being advised to move fast, get mortgage pre-approval in place, and explore creative options—including small-scale conversions—in side streets just beyond Altitude Cent. Forest, once a footnote to Brussels’ boom, is now driving the city’s growth story, one tram stop at a time.