(Post-war) policy context: suburbanisation and gentrification

Urban and housing policy: the Belgian/Flemish case (! – Influences on policies: gentrification, suburbanisation)

What is suburbanisation?

• Part of urbanisation

• Decentralisation of population

• Different forms of suburbanisation in every country

• Urban flights & deurbanization

What is the demographic suburbanisation?

• Decentralization --> people moving away from the city centre

How is suburbanisation influenced by work & housing?

• Limited ways to travel to work - living close to the workplace

• Crucial changes to social structure through:

  • development of motorized travel

  • Change in economic structure (industry/service)

  • Increased living standards through welfare (Keynesian welfare state)

What are the sociological aspects of suburbanisation?

• Who is moving when?

  • Residential preferences of emerging middle class

  • Rich people moved to the countryside first… followed by segregation

  • --> also created segregation for poor people (left behind)

• Influences on provision of social services, shops, …

• Related to certain social classes

  • Not representative for whole society (also for migration)

  • Upper class

What are the historical main points of Antwerp’s suburbanisation?

• First wave of suburbanisation already in the 1880s

  • City centre still has rising population even though the

• In 1900s second wave of suburbanisation

  • Antwerp’s city centre is losing population

• 1950s and 1970s

  • Huge urbanisation of former rural areas