QUELQUES VILLES HISTORIQUESIMPORTANTES EN BELGIQUE

SOME IMPORTANT MONUMENT TOWNSIN BELGIUM

This contribution gives a glimpse of the efforts madeby towns with an important monumental heritage,such as AntwerjJ, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent and Na-mur.

It was not possible to draw up a complete synthesis ofthe situation in Belgium because information on othertowns was not made available .

What is important is that most of the various townsgrant subsidies for the restoration of valuablebuildings. Increasingly more often the fumishing ofprivate houses i\" also subsidised, leading to an im-mediate improvement in the living quality.

The full cost of this still has to be met by the townconcemed. Much effort has also been put into theimprovement of public areas. The objective behindthis is to stimulate the private owners into collabora-ting on the repairs contemplated to monuments andtown through the efforts of the local councils. Con-tacts between the various monument towns are pro-moted by the As,sociation of Historic Towns and Mu-nicipalities, whi<;h coordinates their needs and re-quests with respect to Central Government. At thesame time the Association acts as a centre for the ex-change of information and knowledge .

Vous trouverez dans cet article un aperçu des effortsconsentis par des villes ayant un patrimoine architec-tural important comme Anvers, Bruges, Bruxelles,Gand, Namur.

Il n'a pas été possible de faire une synthèse complètede la situation belge car les informations sur d'autresvilles n'étaient pas disponibles. Un fait important estque les différentes villes donnent le plus souvent dessubsides pour la restauration d'immeubles de valeur .On subsidie aussi de plus en plus les travaux d'équi-pement des maisons d'habitation, ce qui amène à uneamélioration directe de la qualité du logement.

Les moyens financiers sont encore complètement àcharge de la ville concernée. Beaucoup d'efforts ontaussi été consentis pour l'amélioration de l'espace pu-blic.

L'intention des autorités locales est de stimuler parleurs efforts les propriétaires privés pour qu'ils con-tribuent eux-mêmes à la remise en état des monumentset de la ville. Les contacts entre les différentes vineshistoriques sont favorisés par l'Association des Villeset Communes Historiques. Leurs besoins et questionsvis-à-vis de l'autorité centr~le y sont coordonnés.L'Association fait également office de centred'échange d'informations et de connaissances.

Ir. Luc CONST ANDT Luc CONSTANDT

189

ANTWERP

-the inventory of the patrimony-premiliminari«:s to legal protection-informing the public with regard to restoration-recovery and sale of old construction materials-scientific studies-advice with regard to building permits for legally

protected or valuable buildings-advice with n:gard to restoration work done by the

City of AntweTp (Municipal Buildings Division).

2. The Munici]~al Buildings Division carries out therestoration work on historical municipal buildings. Itemploys three architects and four draftsmen on a per-manent basis.

1. The total area of the City of Antwerp : 139 km2 and83 ha.

2. Historical center (area between the middle Leienand the Scheldt) : 320 ha.

3. The organization of monument preservation.

The preservation of monuments cornes under two di.,visions of the Public Works Service :

1. The Planning Divison, to which the MonumentPreservation Bureau belongs.

This Bureau, which consists of the director of monu-ment preservation and an administrative director, hasbeen responsible for the following since 1971 :

Fig. I. -Antwerp -aerial view of town centre.

Fig.2. Antwerp view of the roadstead.

4. Finances

The special budget (investments) provides 188 millionfrancs for 1980 for restoration work and 8 millionfrancs as the city contribution to work on legally pro-tected monuments owned privately. Total: 196 millionfrancs for restoration work.

The total special budget for 1980 is 850 million francs.Thus, 23 % of the total special budget is allocated torestoration work.

5. Subsidies

The possibility of granting a ~unicipal subsidy to pri-vate individuals for facade cleaning and restoration isbeing investigated for certain valuable but non-legallyprotected buildings that are located within a towns-cape.

Since 1934, the City of Antwerp has regularlymaintained and restored 22 facades of non-legallyprotected but valuable buildings.

and one for the Stuivenberg area -have also beendrawn up and will be presented to the public.

A number 'of destination and construction regulationsare always specified in order to respect the particularcharacter of the old built-up area. The destinationprescriptions stress primarily the preservation of theresidential function, without excluding, however ,other functions. These other functions may not in-crease to the extent that the residential function isthreatened.

7. A very important activity in recent years has beenthe construction of pedestrian areas in theAntwerp inner city:

Place Area (m2)Area of the Vleeshuis 2,755 111!Groenplaats 12,745Handschoenmarkt 3,430Lijnwaadmarkt 2,160H. Consciencep1ein l ,750Ossenmarkt 1,400F. Halsplein 3,900Pelgrimstraat 570Wilde Zee 3,620De Wapper 4,385T. Van Rijswijckplaats 2,215St-Andriesplaats 3,470Project Prekerskazerne 670MecheJseplein l ,060

6. Participation and informing of the public

For three important parts of the city, namely, the in-ner city, the Dam area, and the South, structure planshave been drawn up and wide-ranging public informa-tion and discussion meetings were held.

The major lines of these plans consist of a new ap-proach to the traffic problem and a functional revalua-tion of the built-up areas.Two other structure plans -one for the Eilandje area 44,130 m2

tQt

like, as weIl as buildings belonging to the townscapehave already been inventoried.

8. Other initiatives

A) To accomplish this objective of the City Adminis-tration with regard to monument preservation, it hasitself taken initiatives and also encouraged intitiativesin the private sector. A nurnber of historically veryvaluable buildings have been classified as monuments.The accompanying table gives the increase in thenurnber of classified buildings in recent years. Thesebuildings alI corne under consideration for govemmentsubsidies in the event of restoration (paid for part I y bythe state, province, and commune and part I y by theprivate owner himself). ln some cases these buildingsare city property or they are acquired by the city. lnaddition, 6,333 buildings, parts and accessories ofbuildings, constructions, pictures, memorials and the

Table: Evolution of the total number of classifiedbuildings and urban landscapes

Number Cumulative Number

1936-1975 110 110 8 81976 227 337 I 91977 9 346 91978 2 348 101979 10 358 10

At the moment, there are about 350 buildings beingconsidered by the City Administration and by theState Service for Monument and Landscape Preserva-tion for classification.

Fig. 5. -Antwerp -Groenplaats -previous condition.

-present condition.

IQl

From the point of view of urban architecture, the in-tention is to till i][} the gaps caused by previous slumformation as quickly as possible so that, from the so-cial point of view, the fabric of urban architecture willagain be complete: .The scope of these projects differsconceptually froml traditional housing construction. lnthe inner city, it is always a mat ter of small projects(20 to 60 houses), because the structure of the histori-cal city does not lend itself to projects of several hun-dred new residences ail built at the same time. Themost impressive project, which is already partiallycompleted, is thalt of the neighborhood of the Vlees-huis situated behind the Stadhuis. This project has avery long history. First, it was a mat ter of repairingwar damage immediately after the Second World War .Then it became piirt of an ambitiously conceived pro-ject of slum cleaJrance, the extent of which was solarge that one hadi to wait many years for there to betangible results since the tinancial impact was toolarge. Finally, it became part of the policy of urbanrenewal sketched above.

B) OBLIGA TORY RESTORA TION

SmaIler units of city property are sold or leased forlong terms with the obligation that they be restored.

C) MANUAL

To be able to satisfy the requests of many private par-ûes, the City Administration bas put together a manualenûtled " Some tips for the restoration of old houses » .A few thousand of these manuals have already beensold. The table of contents is a foIlows :

I. The initiatives taken by the State and the CityAdministration regarding monuments and towns-capes (inventories, classifications, scope, specifi-cations of urban architecture).

2. An initial survey of the architectural situation of abuilding (roof, masonry , plastering, ceIlars, foun-dations, woodwork, floors).

3. Some indications for the maintenance, repair, andrestoration of historical residential facades.

4. Short directive for the reconstruction of residen-tial facades

5. Repair of carpentry work and woodwork.6. Problems of dampness.7. Cleaning of facades .8. Insulation.9. Improvment of stability.

10. General tips for reconstruction.II. Electrical installation.12. Heating.13. Premiums granted by the authorities.14. Financing without a state guarantee.15. Advertising, signs, inscriptions.16. A worked-out example of the repair and recon-

struction of an old house.17. The destination and construction prescriptions

for the inner city.

To deal with alI these subjects exhaustively is, ofcourse, excluded, but the manual does give the pros-pective rebuilder or restOf"er a thorough survey ofwhat he has to take into account should it be neces-sary .Indications of the direction in which solutionscan be found are also given.

The principal chal.acteristics of this project are :

I. These are social residences because the City Ad-ministration was of the opinion that lower incomegroups must also have the opportunity to live in a re-constructed historical area.2. ln the reconstruction of this area, it was stipulatedthat the existing historical street layout must be pre-served and be made traffic free.3. The roof pattern must harmonize with the sur-roundings, and particulary with the roof of the nearbyVleeshuis.4. Particular attention must be given to the facadematerials used. The City Administration placed300,000 old bricks at the disposal of the contractingpublic building company.5. The land was :given in concession at very low pri-ces to this company in order to make the constructionof social residences possible.

The first phase of Ithis project has been completed, andthe second phase has been contracted for. ln the im-mediate vicinity, there are still a number of smanerprojects being executed such as the restoration of oldbuildings, the cons,truction of new buildings, the layingout of a neighbor!J,ood park, etc. Everything indicatesthat this very old neighborhood win again become anormal link in the overall city scene within a fewyears.

D) VLEESHUIS PROJECT

Ta restare the residential functiaff, the City Adminis-tration has, via recognized construction companies,built or designed social housing in the inner city. Theprogram comprises more than ) ,000 residences in alI.

BRUGES

toration. Approxirnately 500 files are handled an-nually.-Urban architectural planning

Urban architectural planning consists of the prepara-tion for urban planning, i.e., the structural plan andthe section plans. The basic rnaterial for the framing ofthe section plans consists of the inventory cards of thehouses in the inner city.

Of the 50 section plans for the 9 city quarters, 23 havebeen cornpleted.

-RestorationsThe Monument Preservation Service advises on bothprivate and public restorations. Bach file is followedfrom the beginning. For the restoration of city prop-erty, the Service conducts a source study. For large

NOTE CONCERNING MONUMENT PRESERV A-TION AND URBAN RENEW AL

1. Total area of the City of Bruges: 13,100 ha.2. Area ofthe historical center within the city walls of1297: 370 ha.3. Organization

For the organization ofurban renewal, the College of theBurgomaster and Aldermen of the City of Bruges hasvarious instruments at its disposai :

3.1. The Monument Preservation and Urban RenewalService

to the activities of this Service belong :

-Processing of building filesThe Service advises on each building files for newconstruction, remodeling, facade adaptation, and res-

Fig. 1. -Bruges. Burg. Situation in 1978 before the redirection of traffic. The square was used exclusively as a car park and also through trafficfrom Steenstraat passed through the Burg in the direction of Hoogstraat.

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Bruges. Burg. Situation in lune 1979 after the redirection of traffic'ig. 2

pieces of city property (such as the Begijnhof), it exe-cutes its own plans.-Study and documentation, information and publica-tion

-PersonnelTwenty-six people are employed in the MonumentPreservation and Urban Renewal Service. Amongthem are an engineer-architect, art historians, archi-tects, architectural draftsmen, and a team of workers.

3.4. The Traffic Commission

The Traffic Commisssion advises on important alter-ations in the traffic pattern.

4. Budget

ln the annual budget, significant disbursements areforeseen for urban renewal projects su ch as restora-tion of city property, grants to private parties for res-toration work, m:iintenance and repair work on largemonuments, and constructing traffic-free zones in theinner city.

In 1980, 227, 580, 000 HF were provided in the budgetfor renovation and restoration projects.

5. Subsidy Systems

5.1. Subsidy for Artistic Restoration

A private owner can apply for a city subsidy for therestorationof non-protected though valuable property.This amounts to 50% of the restoration costs of thevisible portions (!'ront facade, roof) and 30 % of therestoration costs of the non-visible portions (rear fa-

3.2. The Commission for Urban Landscape

Ail important architectural changes in the inner cityare advised on the by consultative Commission forUrban Landscape under the chairmanship of the AI-derman for Urban Renew.al.

3.3. The Steering Commit tee

The Steering Commit tee, which is also a consultativecommission, consists of officiaIs and external consul-tants and evaluates ali urban architectural changes in theinner city.

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cade and valuable interior elements). This systern wasintroduced already in 1877. Approximately 400 houseshave been restored with subsidies over the last 100years. At this time, 5 to 8 million HF are granted forprivate restoration annually.

5.2.a Subsidy for the functional improvement of res-idences

b) Subsidy for attachment to the public sewagesystem, with elimination of discharge in surface water

a) The subsidy systern discussed in 5.1. above isoriented exclusively to historically valuable buildings.ln the inner city, however, there are a great nurnber ofhistorically unimportant houses of inadequate livingquality. Therefore, supplementary subsidy systernswere set up to allow owners and renters to acquirehousing improvment premiurns for functionally inade-quate houses.

To corne under consideration for the subsidy, thework must effectively improve the living quality ac-

cording to therequirements of healthy and appropriatehousing.

Orants for the functional improvment of a residenceare only allowed for residences of which the cadastralincome does not exceed a certain limit. The amount ofthe grant is set at 40 % of the cost of the work done orequipment installed, exclusive of V .A. T. , with a limitof 150,000 BF per house.

b) The intervention for the connection of a house tothe public sewer system amounts to 75 % of the costs,with a maximum of 90,000 BF, exclusive of V .A. T .

These city subsidies have been operative since I ja-nuary 1979. ln 1979 6 million BF were provided forthis in the budget. The amount was raised to 12 millionBF in 1980.

5.3. Subsidy for the installation of placards andoverhanging signsAt the municipal council meeting of 27 november

Fig. 3. -Bruges, Hoogstraat 34. Before restoration. The 18th cen-tury facade of the probably 14th century building was altered in the19th century. Before the restoration the house was in a seriouslydilapidated condition.

Fig. 4. -Bruges, Hoogstraat 34: after the restoration. During therestoration the 18th century appearance was reconstructed accor-ding to a drawing kept in the town archives.

IQ7

Bruges, Walstraat 16-18. Before restoration. Dwellings from the 16th and 17th centuriesFig. 5

An information officiaI, who will be hired by the citywill play an important role in this.

7. ]mportant activities in the cityThe city administration sees the improvment of thelivability of the inner city as one of the most importantoptions. For optimal functioning, the ideal number ofresidents is set at around 32,000 (now around 25,000).ln view of this, it is logical that the activities of thecity be primarily oriented to the increase in the num-ber of healthy and functionally appropriate residencesand the improvment of the residential environment.

a) Bruges has been carrying out a vigorous purchasingpolicy for a number of years. The purschased build-ings are made habitable by restoration and remodeling. Recently, there has also been more cooperationbetween the city administration and the Society forSocial Housing. Various projects have been carriedout in conju1:1ction with the Bruges Housing Society.We note the already inhabited apartments of the Zil-verpand (120), the residences on the Vlamingdam (11),on the Stoelplein (4), on the Kalvariebergstraat (29),

1979, a new subsidy system was approved for the in-stallation of artistic placards and overhanging signs.Both proprietors and operators of commercial and in-dustrial buildings are eligible for a grant. The amountof the grant is set at 40 % of the cost with a maximumof 25,000 BF.

6. Information and public relations

The Monument Preservation and Urban Servicecontinually functions as an information bureau for thepopulation. Every morning, the public can go therewith problems concerning residential restoration and

renovation.

ln addition, every year numerous groups of interestedpeople from Belgium and abroad (restoration special-ists, architectural students, etc.) are received andgiven guided tours through the city. The purpose is tomake known the Bruges approach to renovation.

A very important task, which will certainly have to bedeveloped further in the future, is that of informing thepublic about plans, projects, and section plans for theinner city.

198

Fig. 6. -Bruges, Walstraat 16-18. In 1980 the houses numbers 16 and 18 were combined into one and restored respecting the contributions oflater centuries.

on the Coupure (4), and on the Gappard- en Violier-straat (4).

b) The improvement of the residential environmentdepends in large measure on making the spacebetween the residences, i.e., the public area, attrac-tive. Since exacting architectural quality demands areplaced on the private owners, an extra effort is alsonecessary on the part of the authorities in the layingout of the public areas.

leading city in Belgium (Ganzestraat and Moerstraat).

For the road surface -the " third wall » of the streetis thus worthy of just as much care as goes into thefacades -are natural stone instead of bleak, dead as-phalt.

For illumination, street lights modeled on the old Bru-ges lanterns will be installed. Special efforts are alsobeing made in th{: design of the other street accoutre-ments.

b) Cleaning of the canaisTo resolve the problem of the heavily polluted canalwater, it was decided in 1972 to install a new sewersystem to take the waste water out of the canais. Thisdifficult job is now three-quarters finished: only thenorthem sector of the city has yet to be provided withnew sewers. The old city canais have also beendredged out. The coast works mechanism that sepa-r:ates the inner and the outer canais was closed, andfresh water is regularly provîded from a reservoirsouth of the city.

Arnong the responsibilities of the city in the publicareas are :

a) Reconstruction of streets and squares.When the rnechanical traffic is restricted, space be-cornes free for pedestrians. The streets can be read-apted by widening the sidewalks, laying out of auto-free streets and squares (Breidelstraat, Burg, BlindeEzelstraat, Visrnarkt, Huidevettersplein, Hallestraat,Sint-Arnandstraat, Kleine Sint-Amandstraat, Eier-markt, Simon Stevinplein, Schouwburgplein, andKraanplein, with a total area of 21,998 m2), creatingenclosed residential areas, for which Bruges was the

199

c) Planting vegetation

Finally, concem for vegetation in the city is an im-portant aspect of the urban renewal policy of Bruges.Therefore, in recent years various private gardenshave been purchased, of which one has already beenopened to the public -the Minnewaterpark.

The city also purchased and" reorganized » interiorproperty (inner gardens on the Oostrneers-Westrneersand on the Ropeerdstraat and the Speelrnanstraat weresold to local residents so they can enlarge their owngardens). Dernolition of irnpeding or dilapidatedbuildings provides roorn for new plantations, for the

creation of neighborhood gardens. allotment gardens.or playgrounds.

ln addition to the maintenance of existing plantations.new trees are being planted. Young trees are plantedbut serious experiments are being carried out in thetransplantation of largel trees here and there in the in-ner city.

Roth officiaI and private flower planting projects com-plete the green imal~e of the city.

Luc CONSTANDT

Engineer-architectCity of Bruges

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BRUXELLES

-130.000.000 FB, à la protection du patrimoine pu-blic;-20.000.000 FB, à l'aide aux particuliers sous formede primes;-500.000.000 FB, à la conservation de son patrimoineprivé.

En matière de subsides, le 26 juin 1978, le Conseilcommunal adoptait deux règlements relatifs à l'octroide primes pour l'amélioration fonctionnelle des habi-tations et la restauration des façades et ce pour unepériode d'application de deux ans. Ces règlements,entrés en vigueur le 7 mai 1979, ont aussitôt connu uncertain succès auprès des Bruxellois. Tant et si bienque le Collège a ];>roposé au Conseil, le 5 novembredernier, de proroger pour cinq ans ces règlements, lé-gèrement modifiés et complétés par un troisième voletrelatif à l'isolation phonique. Cette nouvelle décision a

La superficie totale de Bruxelles est de 3.292 ha etcomporte, outre le centre historique (457 ha), les an-ciennes communes de Laeken, Nedèr-Over-Heem-beek, Haren et les quartiers Louise!Roosevelt etNord-Est.

La protection du patrimoine public de la Ville relèvedu Service de l'Architecture qui fait partie du Servicetechnique des Travaux Publics constitué d'un cadre

multi-disciplinaire.

Ce service a également pour tâche l'aide et le conseilaux particuliers pour tout ce qui touche la restaurationdes édifices anciens. D'autre part, le Service des Pro-priétés Communales gère et restaure le patrimoineprivé de la Ville.

La Ville de Bruxelles consacre annuellement les som-mes suivanes :

Fig. 1 -Bruxelles, Boulevard M. Lemonnier.

201

RESTAURA TION ET RA V ALEMENTDES FAÇADES

Le règlement adopté en juin 1978 prévoyait déjà uneextension des interventions de la Ville dans les frais derestauration des façades situées aux abords de laGrand-Place. Désormais, il est proposé d'accorder uneprime de 15 % pour le ravalement des immeublesd'habitation quelle que soit leur qualité architecturale.Ce montant peut, dans certains cas, être cumulé avecles 25 % d'intervention de l'Etat, ce qui représente40 % de frais.

ISOLA TION PHONIQUE

D'après une enquête faite récemment, il apparaît queles principaux motifs pour lesquels la population quittela ville sont les inconvénients dus au bruit commeceux dus à la circulation automobile. Il a donc étéproposé d'adopter un règlement octroyant une primepour le placement d'un double vitrage ou de survi-trage, de même que pour l'adaptation des châssis. LeFig. 2. -Bruxelles. rue au Beurre.

été approuvée par l'autorité supérieure et les trois rè-glements sont devenus exécutoires le 22 mars 1980.

Fig. 3. -Bruxelles, rue de Rollebeek.

AMELIORA TION FONCTIONNELLE DESHABITAnONS

Rappelons que le règlement de 1978 accordait uneprime de 80.000 F maximum par logement pour l'éxé-cution de travaux améliorant le confort des habitationscomme l'installation de cuisine, de sanitaires, d'unchauffage central, le placement d'un ascenseur et laréalisation d'un garage. L'intervention est de 30 % dumontant, celle-ci pouvant être accordée séparémentpour chacun des trava~x envisagés. D'autre part, desmajorations d'intervention étaient prévues pour leshandicapés (50 %), les propriétaires occupant leur lo-gement et les jeunes ménages (30 %).

Les modifications apportées au règlement sont les sui-vantes :

-la prime ne sera pas accordée ni pour des immeublesde moins de 10 ans, ni pour des appartements de type" flats » ;-pour les jeunes ménages, un effort particulier estconsenti pour ceux qui se rendent propriétaires de leurlogement: une prime double, de deux fois 30'%, estprévue, mais elle ne sera accordée qu'une fois; demême, toutes les majorations ne sont accordées quepour le logement occupé par le bénéficiaire;-Vintèrvention concernant la construction d'un garageest portée à 30 %,

après les travaux du métro aux boulevards du centreet bientôt à Laeken;

-piétonniers et" woonerven » : de nombreuses ruesont été réservées aux piétons et d'autres seront pro-chainement soumises à une réglementation particulièreoù la circulation est autorisée mais où le piéton occupeune place priorit.ure, il s'agit des zones résidentielles.Parmi les réalisations récentes citons, la rue de Rolle-beek et la rue au Beurre près de la Grand'Place. Pourles zones résidentielles, deux projets sont à l'étudedans des quartiers où ont été construits des logementssociaux comme la rue du Miroir et la rue de la Que-relle;

montant proposé est de 30 % avec un maximum de30.000 F par logement.

Afin d'attirer l'attention des habitants sur ce qui se faitnotamment en matière de protection des monumentset de rénovation urbaine, la Ville publie chaque moisune revue intitulée "Bruxelles, ma ville».

De plus, des expositions sont organisées (voir" Urba-nisme et rénovation urbaine" -mai-août 1979), de mêmeque des commissions informelles avec les habitants.

Enfin, on prévoit la publication d'une brochure quidonnera de manière précise le détail des primes accor-dées à la rénovation d'anciens immeubles. Cette bro-chure fera l'objet d'une très large diffusion de manièreà informer la population de toutes les possibilités quilui sont offertes dans ce domaine. -fontaines: un '..aste programme de fontaines a été

entrepris pour faire rejaillir l'eau aux quatre coins dela ville -soit dans des fontaines en fonte reproduitessuivant des anciens modèles soit dans des fontaines enpierre. L'ensemble du programme réunit une trentainede fontaines pour un montant d'environ 80.000.000.

En matière d'amélioration des voies publiques, l'effortde la Ville se porte dans différents domaines :

-programme général de réfection des trottoirs parphases, visant quelque 35 km de trottoirs; notamment

Bruxelles, square J. Palfyn.Fig.4

"\

'f)~

Un concours d'idées lancé à la fin de 1979 dans le ca-dre du millénaire de la Ville et doté de 300.000 F deprix, a réuni vingt-trois projets. Deux d'entre eux ontété primés par un jury comprenant des architectes etdes sculpteurs, à savoir ceux de MM. Richard Fla-ment et Philippe Ermans d'une part, et de MM. w.

Bielyszew, K. Jaroszewski et A. Skopinski d'autrepart. C'est finalement le projet de ces derniers qui futretenu pour être réalisé au boulevard Emile Jacqmain.

Bruxelles, 27-05-1980

204

GHENT

What is called the historical inner city occupies thegreater portion of the city, i.e. , 644 ha. The limits thatdefine 1his area were deterrnined by the city expansionthat occurred in the second half of the 13th century .Fortifications were built around the new city in the16th century .Major roads were constructed laterwhere the fortifications stood, so it is possible to fol-low the borders of the then City of Ghent on a moderncity map. The old ring departs from the Neosepleinand runs along the Sassevaartstraat, Het Dok, Kas-teellaan, Heirnislaan, Vlaamse Kaai, Keizersvest,Sint-Lievenslaan, Citadellaan, Borg, Ch. de Kercho-velaan, Ijzerlaan, Godshuizenlaan, Martelaarslaan,Bisschop Triestlaan, Einde Were, Nieowe Wandeling,Begijnhoflaan, Opgeëistenlaan, BIaisant Vest, andNeoseplein. The borders of the historical inner city donot coincide completely with 1hose of the activity areaof the monument reservation service.

Certain areas that lie within the ring described abovehave not been included in the action area because oftheir relative unimportance. Other areas situated Oot-side the ring were incloded in the action area. This isthe station area and the streets aroond the CitadelPark.

following points: history, scale drawing with indica-tion of the results of the sarnples, scale drawing withindication of the parts to be conserved, suggestions,photographic report, and results of the architectural-archaeological and technical construction study.

-The Service's own designs

Designs for restoration, renovation, and new con-struction projects are developed by the architects of theService.

-Advice and assistance with restoration files

This sector provides aIl kinds of advice and sometimesproposes alternatives to a restoration project. It aIso,arnong other things, assists in major restorations, e.g.,the Stadhuis, Belfort, Sint-Niklaskerk, and the Tore-ken.

-Information-education sectorHere the stress is placed on providing information tothe public. On the initiative of this sector, an informa-tion bureau was established in the city center that isopen at specified times and days. Everyone can re-ceive advice there free and without obligation. Thissector aIso organizes exhibitions on a regular basis inthe various quarters of the city that deal with specificlocal problems.

Further, brochures are published about, arnong otherthings, the problem of plastered facades, the Patersholaction plan, and the renovation of the beluiken (smallhouses grouped around an inner court yard -19thcentury).

-Historical research

This sector, which is of course very important, takescare of the historical publications.

-Restoration workshop

Restoration of small elements: facing-bricks, buildinginscriptions, wall paintings.

-PlanningThis sector cooperates actively in the structural plan-ning of Ghent. The Monument Preservation Service

provides developmental models for a number of areasof the city (Gentse Kuip, Sint-Elisabethbegijnhot).The Service is also executing the Patershol actionnlan.

-PersonnelAround 15 peoplt: are employed in the monumentpreservation service. Among them are art historians,historians, architects, interior designers, and archi--tectural draftsmen. ln anticipation of the approva1 of a

DATA CONCERNING THE MONUMENTPRESERV A TION AND URBAN ARCHEOLOGYSERVICE OF GHENT

1. Total area : 15,469 ha., Greater Ghent

2. Total area of the historical center, Gentse Kuip:65 ha.

3. Organization of monument preservation

ln December 1978, the College of Burgomaster and AI-dermen decided to transform the Archaeology and His-torical Monuments Service to the Monument Pres-ervation and Urban Archaeology Service. Both sec-tions, however, work autonomously.

The monument preservation service is divided into anumber of sectors, each of which deals with oneparticular aspect :

-Processing of building filesHere attention is given primarily to the files that dealwith houses within the action area. Aesthetic, art his-torical, landscape, and archaeological factors are in-vestigated.

-Preliminary studiesThe object of these studies is to give the owner or de-signer a package of information about the property. Areport is drawn up of each study that consists of the

2,000,0007,000,000

500,000

-Designer.s fees-RestorationBuilding on Lange Steenstraat. HuisToreken. Oud Vleeshuis. Schepen-huisstraat. Huis Bolle Onderstraat-Preliminary study. historical build-

ings-Sint-Pietersabdij. execution ofrestoration and adaptation work 15,000,000

Fig. I. -.Den vliegbenden Hert .detail bouse Kraanlei.

definitive staff, they are almost aIl employed on atemporary basis.

4. Budget (1979)

The sum that is allocated for the restoration of the pa-trimony.-Stadhuis: Restoration work 7 ,000,000

Repair and adaptation 3,000,000

151,080,000

The City of Ghent grants subsidies for the restorationof noteworthy buildings that are not protected legaIly.This system is intented to encourage private initiativewith regard to the restoration of elements of the citylandscape that are of artistic and historical value.

What buildings are eligible for such a subsidy ?

-Noteworthy buildings or parts of them that are atleast 50 years old.

-These buildings, of course, must be within the Cityof Ghent.

-Buildings that are not protected by a Royal Decree,since those so protected are subsidized in anothermanner .

-The buildings must be the property of a natural per-son or a non-profit organization.

What work is subsidized ?

Restoration work on facades and roofs as weIl as ar-tistically historicaIly ,noteworthy permanent elementsof the building that are not visible from the street.

Naturally, the work must be carried out in accordancewith the advice and under the supervision of the Mon-ument Preservation and Urban Archaeology Service.

Only one subsidy (;an be granted for one and the samebuilding.

Amount of the subsidy

-For the facades and roofs, the subsidy amounts to50 % of 1he restoration costs. For the rear facade,the subsidy is 30 %.

-30 % of the restoration costs are provided for thepermanent elements of the building that are of artis-tic and historical value and that cannot be seen fromthe street.

1,580,000

25,000,000

6. Participation and informing of the public

As noted above, the Monument Preservation Servicehas opened an information bureau in the center of thecity. It is located at Veldstraat 82 in the Museum VanDer Haeghen. This initiative was taken to give thepublic the chance to acquire information in a free andunconstrained way about city plans. ln addition, at-tempts are made to open information bureaus in areasforwhich an action plan has been drawnup. This wasthe case in the Prinsenhof area, and one will beopened in the Patershol in February .These informa-

10,000,000

2,000,000

work-Honoraria: Designer's fees

among others, Stapelhuis Graslei,restoration of the building; Grasleinrs. I, 2, 3, reconstruction of the fa-cade; reconstruction of the houses inthe Martelaarslaan-Restoration, rebuilding, and pain-ting of aIl sorts of buildings owned bythe city-Financial contribution to work onprivately-owned classified buildings-Belfort-LakenhaIle, restoration of 2facades-Graveristeen, adaptation work-Purchase of historical buildings

3,000,000

75,000,000

Fig. 2. -Oud Begijnhof St Elisabeth. Provenierstraat

Then the entire project is formulated in terms of anaction plan that (:onsists of the concrete working outof the development model. ln contrast with the tradi-tional small-scale structural plans, the developmentmode! is a flexible working instrument that remainsalways open to alteration.

tion bureaus are oriented primarily to the residents ofthe area concemed.

With rega~d to the participation of the residents, whena development model is being drawn up for a specificarea, contact is made with the residents or with aworking commit tee that represents the residents.

7. Important activities in the city

For some time now, a great deal of effort has beendevoted to the design of a structural plan for the cityof Ghent. ln this context, development models havebeen drawn up for various areas. The drafting of sucha model takes place on the level of micro-planning.

ln these development models, the objectives that areformulated on the basis of surveys are presented spa-tially. They are, as it were, spatial representations ofthe desired developments with regard to traffic, resi-dences, care institutions, etc.

Up to the present, development models have beenconstructed for the Prinsenhof and the Patershol. Adevelopment model for the Oud Begijnhof Sint-Elisa-beth is being given the tinishing touches.

8. Encouraging jJrivate restoration

To encourage people to restore their property, it isvery important that the authorities, and here partic-ularly the municipal authorities, give a good example.This is certainly the case for Ghent.

The granting of city subsidies has prompted many totake on restoration work. Moreover, the MonumentPreservation and Urban Archaeology Service a!waysprovides advice about the property involved. Histor-ica! studies are done, and preliminary studies areplanned if necess,lry .

Ail of this is done in order to bring the restorationwork -which must be done with extreme care -to asuccessful completion.

ln the coming years, the attempt win be made to com-plete as soon as possible the restoration work being

20'

Fig.3 .Het Torreken. Huidevettershuis, Vrijdagmarkt Fig. 4. -« He! Pa!ershol Hertogstraat

ln tbe inner city of Gbent, tbere are a large number of19tb century manors tbat are empty or only partiallyoccupied. Of çourse, tbese bouses no longer satisfyour requirements. Tbe adaptation of tbese manors toour standards of comfort inevitably costs a great dealofmooey. Wat sbould one do witb tbese empty bousestbat are tbreatened by decay ? Here and tbere, tbeyare being used by companies and financial institutions.But tbis fate is certainly not in store for alI of tbeempty manors. Sbould tbey be demolisbed ? Protestsare raised against sucb a course, and sometimes rigb-tly so.

As regards tbe beluiken, a solution bas been found in asense. Tbe City of Gbent bas purcbased a number oftbem and bas remodeled tbem so tbat tbey can againfulfiIl tbeir bousing function. Sucb a project basalready been carried out in tbe Abrikoosstraat.

Tbe empty factories require an entirely different ap-proacb. Of course, industrial arcbaeologists want tobave tbem preserved. But tbe introduction of an ap-propriate function is not always so simple in tbesesometimes very large buildings. Sbould one opt for a

done on the Stadhuis, the Belfort, and the Sint-Ni-klaaskerk.

ln addition, work will begin this year on the restora-tion of the Toreken on the Vrijdagmarkt and the DeRaeve house and the adjacent houses -both beingthe property of the City of Ghent.

ln the planning service, a shopping and walking circuitis being worked on for the inner city. The route will bethe following: Koommarkt, Donkersteeg, GoudenLeeuwplein, Burg, Braunplein, Mageleinstraat, Ka-landenstraat, Koestraat, Vogelmarkt, Kouter, Zon-nestraat, Veldstraat, Koommarkt.

These plans are encountering opposition from someshopkeepers who fear they will lose business becausetheir clients will not be able to drive to the immediatevicinity of their stores. Solutions to the parking prob-lem are being sought.

One of the problems the City of Ghent has to copewith is its 19th century patrimonium. By this we meanthe numerous manors, the beluiken, and the old facto-rIes.

208

compromise solution whereby the best witnesses of anera are preserved and some of them demolished ? Nat-urally, each case must be handled individually. Itwould be a mistake to set up general norms.

be followed every day by the monument preservationservice would certainly lead to more rapid and betteroperations. This reform would be of benefit both tothe people of Ghent, who up to Dow have Dot beenable to acquire a clear understanding of the mat ter ,and to the officiaIs who, in their turn, have to strugglecontinuously with problems that arise solely from thisadministrative structure.

9. Suggestions

A reform of the administration of the monument pres-ervation service

Simplification of the various procedures that have to H. BALLEGEER, lic

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LE «DEVENIR» DU VIEUX NAMUR

Le contrôle de la réglementation communale est évi-demment facilité par l'obligation légale de solliciter unpermis de bâtir avant de construire, démolir, recons-truire, transfornler un bâtiment existant ou modifier lerelief du sol. Au surplus dans la vieille Ville chaquedemande d'un permis de bâtir fait l'objet, avant d'êtreexaminée par le Collège Echevinal, d'un avis émanantd'un groupe de travail dit du « Patrimoine Architectu-ral » , composé d'une douzaine de personnes bénévolesamoureuses de leur ville -architectes, urbanistes,sociologues, historiens -lesquels ont pour tâched'examiner tous les projets de constructions oud'aménagement immobilier dans la vieille Ville, demême que leur insertion dans le complexe architectu-ral namurois.

Un groupe de travail similaire existe également pourles aménagements de territoire en" Sites Mosans ouChampêtres» .

L'urbanisation du territoire namurois est étudiée parune Commission Consultative d'aménagement. Com-posée de représentants de tous les corps intermédiai-res et des administrations concernées -une soixan-taine de membres au total -cette commission qui seréunit une ou deux fois par mois a pour mission dedonner au Conseil Communal, soit à sa demande, soitsur proposition signée par vingt citoyens au moins, unavis motivé sur l'aménagement et l'embellissement duterritoire de la \rille, la conservation des vestiges vala-bles de son passé, la circulation piétonnière et auto-mobile dans ses artères comme dans ses accès, la des-serte des servicl~s publics, la rénovation urbaine, l'as-sainissement des sites industriels désaffectés, le loge-ment, les espact:s verts, la politique foncière et tout cequi contribue à la promotion d'un environnement dequalité.

Ce qu'ont voulu les édiles namurois en organisantainsi la participation des citoyens au « Devenir » deleur Commune, c'est bénéficier d'une quête perma-nente d'idées permettant au Conseil Communal deprendre le poul~, de la population à chaque fois qu'unproblème d'aménagement de territoire se pose de tellemanière que les namurois ne se trouvent pas en congéde citoyenneté d'une élection à l'autre.

La Ville octroie également des subsides pour la restau-ration dans la zone culturelle des façades (400 francsau m2) ou de la couverture des toitures à versants enardoises Qaturelles (300 francs au m2).

D'une superficie de 18.000 ha, la Ville de Namur gra-vite autour d'un vieux centre urbain historique dequelque 21 ha, enserré entre la Citadelle, le Parc Loui-se-Marie, le chemin de fer, la Meuse et le confluent duGrognon.

Depuis de nombreuses années, une réglementationstricte existe qui protège la bâtisse spécialement dansce centre urbain de telle manière que la Ville a puconserver, réserve faite de l'un ou l'autre accroc dansle paysage, une unité architecturale qui fait soncharme et l'admiration de ses hôtes.La sauvegarde de cette unité s'imposait d'autant plusque des hauteurs de la Citadelle -une colline boiséecouronnée d'anciennes fortifications en son éperon quidomine le confluent de la Meuse et de la Sambre -lavieille Ville présente un site particulièrement visible.

Voici quelques exemples de cette réglementation :

...la hauteur des façades longeant les voies publiquesest déterminée par la largeur de celles-ci; elle est égaleà la largeur de la voie plus trois mètres, sans pouvoirdépasser dix-sept mètres, le Collège Echevinal pou-vant imposer des hauteurs inférieures lorsqu'il s'agitde protéger la visibilité d'un monument, la vue d'unsite ou encore la vue d'un ensemble où la hauteur offi-cielle serait en disproportion avec les immeubles voi-sms ...

...le Collège Echevinal peut imposer le style de laconstruction et la nature des matériaux extérieurs ;dans la vieille Ville, toutes les façades des bâtiments àériger ou à transformer devront être édifiées en bri-ques rouges locales ou en briques de teinte et d'un as-pect s'en rapprochant fortement et en pierres de taille;le rejointoiement sera effectué en joints plats et d'uneteinte uniforme; sur la hauteur du rez-de-chausséel'emploi de la pierre naturelle est obligatoire; les vitri-nes pourront être aménagées suivant des conceptionsmodernes pour autant que leurs montants et linteauxsoient garnis d'un revêtement en pierres naturelles oud'un matériau naturel de caractère riche ...,

...les toits seront uniformément en ardoises naturellesou en matériaux d'une teinte strictement similaire,agréés par le Collège...,

...les autorisations de démolir et de transformer desimmeubles pourront être assorties de l'obligation deconserver leur façade éventuellement aménagée...,

...tout remplacement ou modification de menuiseriesextérieures telles que portes, châssis, corniches, lu-carnes,... d'immeubles situés dans la zone cQlturelledoit faire l'objet d'une autorisation ...

Plusieurs centaines de milliers de francs figurent cha.que année au budget communal dans ce but.

210

Des opérations spécifiqueségalement en cours depuisritoire de Namur .

Deux conventions -une troisième sera incessammentsignée -ont été passées entre la Ville et l'Etat quisubsidient largement la rénovation urbaine de la ruedes Brasseurs, en accordant à la Ville une subventionégale à 75 % du prix des immeubles et de leur trans-formation.Ces conventions ont permis d'ouvrir trois chantiersdont un est déjà terminé, portant sur une bonne cen-taine de ]ogements.

L'opération de la rénovation de ]a rue des Brasseurs-elle a entraîné jusqu'ici une dépense de que]quecent septante millions -est sans aucun doute uniqueen son genre.Elle fut d'ailleurs appelée pour cela une opération pi-lote qui avait pour objet non seu]ement d'assainir unquartier d'habitations mais aussi de ]e préservercomme vestige valab]e du passé en assurant sa réno-vation.

La Ville de Namur, enfin, est soucieuse également depréserver ses monuments et sites c]assés. Ceux-ci fontl'objet de soins attentifs d'un Echevinat -l'Echevinatde ]'Environnement, qui en est spécialement chargé.

En conclusion, nous pouvons dire que ]a po]itique sui-vie en matière de rénovation urbaine dans notre Ville apour but de garantir ]e «Devenir" du vieux Namur.

La plus importante d'entre elles se situe dans le quar-tier de la rue des Brasseurs; l'objectif concernéconsiste à donner un avenir à son passé. Rue commer-çante et bourgeoise au siècle dernier, la rue des Bras-seurs s'était petit à petit transformée par suite del'exode des ateliers, d'une part, et des bourgeois,d'autre part. Elle était devenue une rue ouvrière, voiremême, à la longue, une rue habitée par des personnesâgées ou marginales .

Cette évolution de la population s'était accompagnéede la dégradation de l'habitat au point que la rue de-vint ça et là un nid de taudis.Des mesures furent sans doute prises depuis unetrentaine d'années qui aboutirent à la démolition desimmeubles insalubres sur la fondation desquels furentconstruites des habitations sociales.

Une telle politique -socialement intéressante et in-dispensable -aboutissait toutefois à faire disparaîtreà jamais les vestiges valables du passé qu'il n'étaitguère possible de protéger autrement que par le clas-sement ponctuel des seuls immeubles possédant quel-ques caractéristiques particulièrement remarquables.

La politique inaugurée par le Gouvernement en 1972permit de résoudre ce qui apparaissait à l'époquecomme la quadrature du cercle.

Albert SERV AISEchevin de Namur

de rénovation urbaine sontquelques années sur le ter-