New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960

Following a decision by the municipal council, the City of Brussels’ appearance became resolutely historic once again as of 1960. Many private buildings in the historic centre were adorned with old-fashioned facades. This era was regarded as being destructive to the old part of the city, yet paradox...

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Main Author: Dominik Scholz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université libre de Bruxelles - ULB 2024-01-01
Series:Brussels Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/7273
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author Dominik Scholz
author_facet Dominik Scholz
author_sort Dominik Scholz
collection DOAJ
description Following a decision by the municipal council, the City of Brussels’ appearance became resolutely historic once again as of 1960. Many private buildings in the historic centre were adorned with old-fashioned facades. This era was regarded as being destructive to the old part of the city, yet paradoxically, it led to a reinforcement of its historic character – a little known phenomenon until now. Is this an early expression of a criticism of progress which emerged elsewhere in Europe in the 1970s? This article looks at urban planning in Brussels from a new angle. Through an analysis of stakeholders and ideas, it examines the reasons behind the construction of a new historic centre from the 1950s to the 1970s. This article shows that these reasons do not lie in the local patriotism of municipal representatives, but in a complex synergy between official urban planning policy, the successful mobilisation of protest groups and a desire for socio-economic development.
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publisher Université libre de Bruxelles - ULB
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spelling doaj-art-5e0f1ff5a7934f3b88b24bea20eef30e2025-08-20T03:56:17ZengUniversité libre de Bruxelles - ULBBrussels Studies2031-02932024-01-0110.4000/brussels.7273New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960Dominik ScholzFollowing a decision by the municipal council, the City of Brussels’ appearance became resolutely historic once again as of 1960. Many private buildings in the historic centre were adorned with old-fashioned facades. This era was regarded as being destructive to the old part of the city, yet paradoxically, it led to a reinforcement of its historic character – a little known phenomenon until now. Is this an early expression of a criticism of progress which emerged elsewhere in Europe in the 1970s? This article looks at urban planning in Brussels from a new angle. Through an analysis of stakeholders and ideas, it examines the reasons behind the construction of a new historic centre from the 1950s to the 1970s. This article shows that these reasons do not lie in the local patriotism of municipal representatives, but in a complex synergy between official urban planning policy, the successful mobilisation of protest groups and a desire for socio-economic development.https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/7273associative sectorhistorytown planningurban strugglesheritage
spellingShingle Dominik Scholz
New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
Brussels Studies
associative sector
history
town planning
urban struggles
heritage
title New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
title_full New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
title_fullStr New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
title_full_unstemmed New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
title_short New facades in the old style: Brussels and the “Îlot Sacré” urban plan of 1960
title_sort new facades in the old style brussels and the ilot sacre urban plan of 1960
topic associative sector
history
town planning
urban struggles
heritage
url https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/7273
work_keys_str_mv AT dominikscholz newfacadesintheoldstylebrusselsandtheilotsacreurbanplanof1960