Een versteende ruimte? De impact van stedelijke veranderingsprocessen op de sociale topografie van Brugge, 1380-1670

In this article, we analyse the evolution of rental values in Bruges between 1382, 1583 and 1667. Although the street pattern and the built environment barely changed during the period under scope, housing was much more elastic than previously assumed. Houses were joined and split up (city centre) or built and demolished (periphery) as a reaction to economic, social, demographic, political and religious change, which was in turn reflected in demand and supply on the real estate market. Whereas the social topography of 1382 still reflects a Sjobergean pattern with a strong distinction between the city centre, the main entrance roads and the more peripheral areas, the situation in 1583 and 1667 establishes a mixed pattern of housing over the entire city. Although this suggests more equal and ameliorated housing conditions, a substantial decrease of ownership indicates that access to property was problematic and social segregation was higher than reflected in housing values alone.