Social housing in Belgium is often perceived as a burden for those living in the residential neighbourhoods where housing projects are constructed. Its presence can even initiate the economic decline of surrounding private properties. Nonetheless, through joint efforts of various public administration agencies, local governments try to prevent these negative trends. With the help of architectural competitions, we can nowadays observe some of the best architects of Belgium and Europe engaging in projects to confront such challenging issues. Projects like Savonnerie Heymans in Brussels or Jerusalem Social Housing in Schaarbeek are putting many old clichés about living in social housing to the test.