In the suburbs...

Sign In to follow this

Followers 3

Entry posted by timmie · December 2, 2013

774 Views

Answers

ROFLyoshi and Huston: thank you very much for the nice comments!

GeometryMath Algebra: who knows what the future will bring, eh?

Let's ride!

As promised last time, this update will not focus on the capital city. Instead, we will take our car and go for a ride in suburbia. So, hop in your car and put on a fitting soundtrack! As always, click the images for a higher resolution!

Suburbs are a relatively recent phenomenon in Vloesem. They timidly appeared in urban planning some 70 years ago (phase 1 on the map), when the first neighbourhoods were constructed close to the capital city. These quiet and green neighbourhoods proved to be very popular with the higher middle classes who could afford a large house and a car. This was inevitably the start of a growing segregation: rich people increasingly left the city, while poorer people continued to live in the cities and the countryside, but not in the affluent suburbs.

From the 1950s, the tempo became higher (phase 2 on the map): the neighbourhoods became larger and new infrastructure was built, whereas the earlier neighbourhoods were built near existing roads. Existing towns were swallowed up by the sprawl: they became a part of the urban area and often lost their independence: they were incorporated in the capital city of Bunden, a move much disliked by the old population, people who saw their small town become part of a large metropolis. This happened with the towns of Rood, Voordegem, Brust, Sloes and Overden.

Sloes:

Rood:

New railways were constructed to make sure people could get quickly get to their workplace in the center of the city (while not having to live there), something that strengthened the suburban mentality. Government policy was to provide cheap train passes to make a suburban lifestyle possible. (The first real motorway stretches were not yet finished, but more about that in a future update.)

From the mid-1960s, a slight policy change was introduced (phase 2 and 3 on the map). Focus wasn't only on the middle and higher classes anymore: the lower classes had to be able to pursue the suburban dream too. A massive building program was started by the social-democratic government with the intention of building 150.000 affordable houses and apartments (the so-called 'Million Program' - politicians have always exaggerated). Density in the suburbs increased. Together with this, large retail parks were introduced.

Together with the growth of the suburbs, car traffic had increased, without a sufficient growth of the road network, causing congestion and unsafe situations. Reaching the capital by car from the suburbs was not always easy! For this reason, 'Motorway 1965' had been launched in 1950. The most important stretches were finished ahead of schedule: 1964.

From the 1980s, a new phase began (phase 4 on the map). The suburban dream began to show cracks: the car-centered model caused air and sound pollution, streets were unsafe, traffic jams were growing longer and longer, shops were not located next-door and life in the suburbs was a little boring, since all the exciting venues were located down-town. More and more people started to prefer life in the city over life in the suburbs and this caused housing prices to explode in Bunden, the capital. A process of gentrification started and the suburbs stagnated.

Still, this was not the end of the suburb. Although the city was now the most attractive option, not everybody had the ability to live there, and the population was still growing. New neighbourhoods were constructed and new plots of land brought on the market. These neighbourhoods were more dense and less car-centered, but built around the availability of public transportation (always a walk of less than 5 minutes, thanks to footpaths). Liveability is at the core of the philosophy and these neighbourhoods soon became very popular places to live for families.