ABSTRACT
In Belgium, the modern origins of spatial planning lie in the 1960s. However, spatial planning was strongly influenced by the destruction during the two world wars and by the need for housing due to the growing population, as well as by the planning concepts that were introduced by the German occupiers. Soon after the war households were eligible for substantial subsidies and cheap loans to build a house. These grants were guaranteed by the state. Municipalities and private developers provided the necessary building plots by subdividing agricultural land and green areas owned by large landowners (Figure 14.1). While this process certainly provided an answer to housing needs in the very short term, it also gave rise to sprawl and suburbanisation all over the country and especially in Flanders because a spatial framework was lacking. Sprawl and the fragmentation of space also resulted in ecological problems. The entire river system became polluted because there was no overall sewage network and valuable natural areas and even watery lands were transformed into building areas.
