This summer, CIVA presented a dual exhibition that sheds light in an original way on the evolution of urban planning, architecture and the approach to heritage in Brussels. The first section, covering the period from 1950 onwards, offers a unique insight into the campaigns and proposals against ‘Brusselisation’ that characterised the construction industry. Part two focuses on the 1990s, a period characterised by large-scale construction.

‘Save / Change the City – Unbuilt Brussels #01’ has been created by bringing together the extensive collections of the Sint-Lukas Archive and the Archives d’Architecture Moderne (aam). Through interviews and a timeline running throughout the exhibition, visitors are introduced to the spirit of the 1950s, a period in which a lack of vision on the part of both property developers and the government led to the destruction of valuable heritage and even entire neighbourhoods.