Location and transformation. Changing plot structures in existing housing blocks in Bruges, 16th-19th centuries

Heidi Deneweth investigates urban transformations in Bruges between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, from the moment when Antwerp and Amsterdam took over its leading position in international trade and finance. Bruges was not a city in decline, but in contrast to rapidly growing cities, it did not require any major changes to its existing urban layout during the following centuries. Still, multiple adaptations of plot structures initiated by private owners considerably altered the built space and social topography of the early modern city. Deneweth demonstrates how the city’s changing position within its urban network, growing inequality, the impact of the real estate market, speculation, and building regulations had different effects for different social groups, resulting in the divergent evolution of specific neighbourhoods.