IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
Although the Belgian medieval city of Bruges was largely spared destruction during the two World Wars, the integrity of its historic fabric and scenery got substantially affected in the 1950s and 1960s, generating polluted waterways, neglected monuments and altered streetscapes. Aware of the shadow modern developments casted on Bruges as heritage flagship, local actors called for action at the turn of the 1970s, initiating a thoughtful city renewal policy. Central to this effort was the Structure Plan developed by Groep Planning, a multidisciplinary team operating across architecture, urban planning, heritage conservation, and mobility. By center staging the recognition of the inherited city, its characteristic ambiente and human scale, they produced a policy document to counter depopulation, speculation and the erosion of heritage values. Using mapmaking and interviews to study the city’s cultural history and spatial reality, innovative development plans for Bruges and its wider region were created. Guarding Bruges’ ensemble value was balanced with integrating contemporary architecture and infrastructure, fostering a symbiotic relationship between urban conservation and renewal. Among planners it is recognized as having raised the bar for future development plans in Belgium and beyond. This paper unpacks the notion of ‘integration’ in the Structure Plan, first tracing its meaning concerning the issues of historic image, mobility and livability. The paper also relates these ideas to the discourses of key actors like Jan Tanghe, Andries Van den Abeele or Raymond Lemaire and to public controversies, evaluating if ‘conservation politics was no longer equal to conservative politics’ (Tanghe, Structure Plan).
Warre Onnockx (°1999) is a PhD fellow at Ghent University’s Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, affiliated with the Architecture Culture and the Contemporary (ACC) Research Unit. He earned his Architecture and Engineering degree at Ghent University (2022), with a thesis on housing in Flemish beguinages. He then completed a Master in Heritage Studies at the University of Antwerp (2024), focusing on post-war heritage and architect Paul Felix. His doctoral research explores postmodern architecture in Flanders and urban integration in historic cities like Bruges during the 1970s and 1980s.
Maarten Liefooghe (°1983) is associate professor of Architectural Theory, History and Criticism at Ghent University. His research explores intersections between art, architecture, exhibition, and preservation since the 19th century. His PhD focused on artist museums, followed by studies on reconstruction architecture, full-scale exhibits, and architectural competitions. He co-directs the Architecture Culture and the Contemporary (ACC) research unit with Maarten Van Den Driessche. He has published in journals such as The Journal of Architecture, Architectural Histories, and OASE. With Maarten Delbeke, he is co-editing Touring Belgium, a volume on 19th-century heritage tourism and architectural historicism.
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Tuesday 7th July, 2026