Overview

Fergus Sutherland looks at the Bruce Plan, a proposal to almost completely replace the city centre....

By the mid-20th century, Glasgow faced severe urban challenges. Rapid industrialization during the 19th century had created dense tenement housing, much of it overcrowded and lacking basic amenities. Large sections of the population lived in poor conditions, with high rates of disease and poverty.

In 1942, with the Second World War still raging around the globe, the city’s Master of Works, Robert Bruce, was tasked with reimagining the city and so what became known as the ‘Bruce Plan for Glasgow’ was published in 1945. Through the demolition of the historic city centre it set out an ultra-ambitious, ultra-modern vision to transform Glasgow, addressing overcrowding, industrial decline, and poor urban conditions. Although now a byword for misguided planning strategies in general, it had a lasting influence on the city’s development and set the scene for the remoulding of both the city and the surrounding region for decades to come.