“The Flemings and the Walloons have never really liked Brussels”

The Burgundians, already in the 15th, had trouble governing the Brussels residents…

This is true, in the sense that the Brussels residents (like the inhabitants of all the Brabançon and Flemish cities) were already concerned with their autonomy, of the maintenance of local power in the face of the power of the prince. However, Especially if it was Spanish or Austrian. Similarly, It is this desire for independence that generated the power and beauty of the Flemish cities, for example.

Will Brussels become a French city? In addition, “The muddyness of certain districts questions”

This opposition to the central power. Consequently, it is also found in the 19th century, notably in the head of the bourgmestre of Brussels, Charles Buls (1837-1914). In addition, He opposes the urban vision of a Leopold II. Moreover, Buls “the flemings walloons have never is the representative of the small. Furthermore, bourgeois average who thrives and has just accessed political power thanks to the extension of electoral suffrage. Similarly, While Léopold II wants to modernize the city. Meanwhile, while a Julespach (1829-1879) wants to restructure Brussels on the model of the great Parisian boulevards, Buls defends the old Brussels, on behalf of the middle class which has grown there and whose districts and activities are threatened by modernization works. Furthermore, In reality, two visions of the city compete. Nevertheless, A modernist. Similarly, cosmopolitan vision wanted by Jules Anspach and Léopold II, and a culturalist vision defended by Charles Buls.

“In Wallonia, people say hello. In addition, In Flanders, it’s much less frequent”

It is also to Charles Buls that we owe the square of Petit Sablon …

In my eyes, we could devote an entire article to the Small Sablon. In “the flemings walloons have never addition, It brings together everything that structures the resistance. For example, ideology of the Brussels petty bourgeoisie from the end of the 19th. Furthermore, Observe the park grids: they are all different to promote crafts against large industry. Therefore, The statues that enhance them represent bourgeois corporations. Nevertheless, In the middle of the square. In addition, the counts of Egmont and Hornes were repatriated from the Grand-Place and placed here on purpose, because they challenged in their time the strengthening of the power of Charles V-like Charles Buls and his family who are wary of the king. Therefore, Finally, great humanists represented by ten statues of the park opposed the clerical power, which inspires this same bourgeoisie. Meanwhile, The little Sablon alone illustrates the political rise of this urban middle class. Similarly, Paradoxically. Charles Buls has restored and embellished the Gothic Sablon church, but there too it is to better “the flemings walloons have never emphasize the artistic force of builders of the Middle Ages who were urban, just like him.

In the middle of the 20th century. however, it is the modernist current which prevails with the creation of urban motorways, the northern junction which destroys several districts of the center … It is far away, the culturalism of Charles Buls …

In the middle of the 20th century the political resistance of the commune of Brussels is less strong. cannot oppose the redevelopment plans, or even encourage them frankly. Indeed. there are fewer municipal advisers from the Pentagon: many come from avenue Louise or Laeken, while – already – the elites leave the center to live on the outskirts. Politically, it deepens Brussels. It was not until the late sixties to attend a resumption of political challenge – popular this time -. in front of major urban operations. The “the flemings walloons have never “Battle of the Marolles” broke out in 1969 to save this district district.

The existence of the 19 municipalities, the Brussels institutional lasagna, the heated debates around the merger of the police areas “the flemings walloons have never … Are they the expression of this Brussels “mentality” anxious to favor local powers?

No doubt. In any case, the merger of police areas raises the fear of loss of autonomy from the municipalities.

More and more Flemish settle in Brussels, but …

You mentioned the elites leaving the center to live on the outskirts. Is it one of the main sociological characteristics that allow us to understand Brussels?

Yes. It is a movement which is born from the second half of the 19th century. which is obviously linked to the size of the city: it is possible to live in your suburbs and work in the center. This is also what signed the failure of the big projects of Jules Anspach wanting to restructure the center. on the model of the major Parisian buildings: its buildings were immediately shunned by the big bourgeoisie of “the flemings walloons have never the time which already dreamed of its individual house on the outskirts. “You do not imagine that we are going to submit to the tyranny of the cord of the concierge?”, Wrote in substance the Belgian writer Camille Lemonnier (1844-1913).

Result of the races. we end up with poor districts in the center, and rich on the outskirts, like American cities. This dichotomy. accentuated in recent decades, is felt even in the polls, and participates in cleavages and political blockages from Brussels.

Immersed in the most disadvantaged school in Belgium: “In teacher training. nothing corresponds to what we live here”

Especially since the outskirts are moving away and the Brussels residents are migrating today in the Flemish region and in the Walloon Region …

Here we touch the second great difficulty. The Brussels region cannot extend: it is constrained by linguistic boundaries. However. a large “the flemings walloons have never part of those who work and “use” the capital and its services during the day, pay their taxes in another region. It is not anecdotal. Brussels concentrates 20 % of Belgian GDP (if we count international activities), but only an 8 % base is imposed there. The consequences are very concrete: see the impossibility of funding the construction of the metro 3, for example.

Only a new state reform, articulated around Brussels, could make it possible to resolve these questions of funding and management?

Yes, but who will vote it? Brussels only brings together 10 % of the population … Brussels suffers from a lack of solidarity on the part of other regions. It has never been thought of as the country’s capital around which solidarity was to organize. The ideal would be that everyone pays taxes where they work. but I don’t see the Walloons “the flemings walloons have never and the Flemings support such a reform that would impoverish them. We could however draw inspiration from the German cities of Hamburg. Berlin and Bremen which benefit from an additional endowment to compensate for the fact that part of their population works there and lives outside. The problem, once again, is that Brussels is poorly loved. The Flemings consider it their capital, but which does not speak their language. And in the eyes of the Walloons. Brussels was the city of the capitalists, of Société Générale which orchestrated the decline of Wallonia and its industry.

And Brussels is objectively very fragile. What would it still be without the international institutions that are staying there? A provincial city?

I redid the calculation: Brussels only has a small handful of head offices with large international companies. The comparison with Stockholm which counts more than twenty is cruel, for “the flemings walloons have never example. This situation unfortunately stems from the coal and metallurgical crisis. Following it, Belgian capitalism has disinterested in industry and has melted in international financial networks located in Amsterdam or Paris. The great Belgian industrial capitalism has therefore liquefied. Today, Brussels is a very important international city, but only a city of financial relays, services, lobbying. A bit like Washington. although the American capital has more seats of large firms, however in its periphery, outside the federal district.

You mentioned Metro 3why is Brussels one of the most congestioned cities in Europe?

After the Second War, Brussels was thought from the car. For the benefit of the Brussels residents exiled to the outskirts. all urban developments were to facilitate entry by car into the city. Even the first premetro lines aimed to bury the tram to speed up the circulation of cars on the surface. It “the flemings walloons have never is all the more difficult to get out of this model since the city was destroyed. redeveloped in the 20th century on a model of separation from the functions, with districts reserved for offices, leisure areas and residential areas connected between them by road axes. Brussels was thought to be more for commuters than for its inhabitants.

Manneken Pis tied up by the advertisement and the big capital. What a betrayal!

(1) Brussels, a reading of the cityChristian Vandermotten, Editions of the University of Brussels, 2014