The project aims to examine the segment of postmodern architecture in Liège and Bruges, realized
between 1970 and 1989, which sought to reintegrate formally within the historic city center and
which took position in the urban renewal / integral conservation programs set in motion through
state funding granted to these two cities. Unlike a number of historical studies on canonical projects
in Brussels, which reacted against the so-called “Brusselization”, a nuanced study of postmodern
architecture in provincial cities like Liège and Bruges is still lacking. The case studies selected for this
project, designed by architects such as V. Desmedt, J. Francotte, Groep Planning, E. Van Assche were
often criticized or judged of little architectural interest by journalists and architectural critics in the
late 20th century. The way in which these projects responded to the urban mythology of the “scarred
city” of Liège or “Bruges-la-Morte” remains largely unquestioned. By combining recent disciplinary
insights of architectural history and heritage studies, this project proposes an important revision and
contribution to the history of postmodern architecture, at a moment when key actors involved can
still be interviewed and personal archives of architects have become available. The project proposes
to use the digital tools of controversy mapping to retrace the history of controversies around these
projects and larger urban renewal, contributing to timely challenges of adaptive re-use.