Going to Brussels for architecture was vastly more satisfying than going for tourism, and it was unclear what else one would go to Brussels for based on how the city was organized. Perhaps other cities are better planned, or perhaps, after the fall of the Belgian empire in the 1960s, the nation was at a loss to organize itself to be “just” a nation rather than an empire. After all, there is a vast difference between spreading one’s resources out across the globe versus maintaining a strong and vibrant country solely for the residents. There seems to be the conformity of France with little urban islands stuck all over the city. Buses and trains abound, but the ticket machines and stations make almost no sense to people who are visiting, even if they regularly use transportation.
Most transactions are electronic, which is helpful because there were very few ATMS that were consistently available. Either one should have an internationally functioning bank account, or one should feel comfortable carrying a great deal of cash due to proximity of ATMS. Sadly, there are also fewer public bathrooms, even for money, and people were forced to consume or be stuck for a long time. Getting around by public transportation was not impossible, but not reliable for people without vehicles. There were plenty of places to shop, so with disposable income, one might have enjoyed a different experience.
Even more unfortunately, there has been an explosion of suburbia around Brussels, despite its relatively small size as a national capitol. More people are aspiring to house ownership–because “homeownership” would include a variety of other lifestyles–and the amount of construction outside the city center is mounting. Since incomes have been globally stagnating, it is not clear who will be inhabiting these houses and expensive housing because the city seems relatively quiet. There are three universities, so one can only assume that people are being either corporately trained or trained elsewhere.
While there were a few tourist spots, Brussels was harder to understand, but it was a constant conversation between old money and new money. There were a number of streets that looked like any other old European street, but there would be a building or two that would break up the monotony. Interestingly, King Leopold II of Belgium killed more people in the Congo than Hitler did during the entire Holocaust, but there was no museum dedicated to its atrocities to make amends. Having come to see twentieth century architecture, we were able to get to our sites, but there were very few places that inspired, or that were noted by a variety of other scholars. In fact, the city comes off as just a city, without any notable draw other than life itself.
Chasing A Dying Empire 