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Abstract :
[en] In the 1960s, Brussels embarked on a modernization journey, following the groundwork laid for the 1958 Universal Exhibition. Emphasizing housing and traffic solutions, the City’s agenda drew heavily upon functionalist urban planning ideals, resulting in the disappearance of the historic districts that had escaped the city’s nineteenth-century transformations in favour of high-rises and expansive road networks.
Initially, these demolitions stirred little controversy, save for the preservation efforts around the Grand-Place and its vicinity, known as the ‘sacred block’, which saw its facades restored or rebuilt in an urban décor style. The creation of the Quartier des Arts association in 1967, focusing on protecting and enhancing a portion of the upper town around Place Royale, marked a turning point. Under the guidance of Raymond Lemaire, then Secretary General of the newly-founded ICOMOS, and a Council of Europe expert, the association advocated for a holistic revitalization of old neighbourhoods involving more than just facade restoration.
Despite the fact that its emergence preceded that of ARAU (Atelier de recherche et d’action urbaines – Urban action research unit) by two years, Quartier des Arts has been completely sidelined in historical narratives. This oversight likely stems from the association’s ambiguous composition, led by business leaders with political connections, and made up of representatives of governments, institutions and administrations. Unlike ARAU’s more visible, advocacy-driven campaigns for residents’ rights, Quartier des Arts operated primarily ‘from within’. Nevertheless, a closer examination of the processes at work in a series of Brussels-based projects at the turn of the 1970s shows that the association deserves to be considered as one of the key players amidst the paradigm shift towards a more comprehensive treatment of historic districts.
