Illustration from Glasgow Corporation's First Planning Report, March 1945, showing the proposals to rebuild the inner core of the city. Robert Bruce, the City Engineer and Master of Works 1941-1948, was the driving force behind the proposals which were intended to transform Glasgow over fifty years into a "healthy and beautiful City". His two reports covered five key issues: transport, industrial growth, open spaces, redevelopment of blighted areas and provision for housing and commercial development.
Bruce proposed to demolish almost everything in the city centre and rebuild from new, removing, for example, the School of Art, the City Chambers, Central Station and all the other period buildings which add so much character to the city today. Slum tenements were to be replaced by commercial developments and the inhabitants removed to high-density housing schemes on the outskirts (but within the boundaries) of the city.
Bruce's proposals were ultimately rejected and less radical solutions sought.
Reference: 930.2001.15
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
Bruce Report, City Engineers, First Planning Report, Glasgow Corporation, Masters of Works, peripheral estates, redevelopment, slum clearance, town planning, urban regeneration
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