Landscapes of Need

This article examines the intersection between Belgium’s cement industry and postwar urbanization, reframing construction as “terraforming”—the transformation of natural resources into urban landscapes. Moving beyond project-specific studies, it explores how material industries, particularly cement, shaped urbanization regimes during the Trente Glorieuses. Belgium’s geology, rich in limestone and chalk, and early adoption of rotary kilns positioned the country as a major cement producer. Postwar restructuring (1955–1965) modernized the sector, yet declining exports forced the industry to seek domestic markets, aligning with state-led infrastructure programs.

The cement industry pursued a “politics of realization” through technological and organizational innovations: diversification of cement products, bulk distribution, ready-mix concrete plants, precast systems, aerated concrete, and architectural concrete. These strategies facilitated rapid construction, notably highways and industrial sheds, and transformed concrete into a ubiquitous commodity. Ready-mix plants, strategically located near urban centers, created a logistical network that saturated the market and made Belgium a global leader in per capita cement consumption.

Beyond infrastructure, the industry influenced commercial urbanism. Financial groups controlling cement firms invested in retail giants like GB-Entreprises, whose explosive growth after the repeal of the padlock law (1961) relied on concrete for roads, parking lots, and prefabricated store construction. This alliance between cement and distribution sectors produced sprawling suburban retail landscapes and speculative plot urbanism, prioritizing speed and standardization over integrated planning. Similar logics extended into historic city centers, where projects like Antwerp’s URCA plan embedded concrete in large-scale redevelopment schemes.

Ultimately, the study reveals how Belgium’s cement industry co-produced material and spatial orders, embedding concrete as a driver of (capitalist) urbanization. It raises critical questions about socially engineered construction regimes and their implications for sustainability, suggesting the need for post-fossil alternatives to counter the legacy of concrete accumulation.