While parts of Belgium have developed as a result of their environment, Brussels has become the urban political hub it is today more by being selected to host the EU headquarters than its environment.
As the EU headquarters, Brussels has developed in a very urban political hub. Belgium as a whole is surrounded by four countries including France, Luxembourg, Germany and The Netherlands. To the north is the North Sea, and within the country, there are a number of interconnected waterways that have made port cities such as Bruges and Antwerp historically very significant. Brussels, however, does not have such waterways. It has a canal along which I used to go running sometimes when the weather was better, but it seemed like it was more for rainwater. Outside of the urban city, there are forests and more greenery in the residential areas.
There are some hills, but Brussels' relatively flat land makes bikes and scooters a much more viable transportation option. You'd think that this would alleviate car traffic issues, but that doesn't seem to be the case just yet.
