Spaces of automobility : diverging trajectories within the Liège-Aachen diffuse city

Abstract

The Liège-Aachen metropolitan axis sets itself apart from neighbouring cases of diffuse city by lying both at the centre of the continent and at the edge of two countries, languages, and planning cultures. The socio-technical system of automobility constitutes a defining catalyst not only for accentuating already present dispersed settlement structures, but also for producing, within a very short time span, characteristic urban forms linked to the car. This contribution aims to interrogate this very type of transborder diffuse city through the lens of automobility and a future post-car discourse. Specifically, it proposes, in the light of both Belgian and German past planning practices, to compare the spatial impact of current policy objectives and government plans in both regions to reduce future car use. Keywords: diffuse city, urban morphology, automobility, post-car policies, transborder