The Dahliastraat, "a new workmen's district in the middle of hovingen"

After the First World War, the housing shortage in the devastated city of Aarschot was very great. After much hesitation, the city bought wooden barracks from the King Albert Fund under Mayor Coomans. They were placed here on both sides of the Elisabethlaan and would serve for decades to come.

But this was not enough. In 1920 the Catholic weekly De Klok wrote: "Two years have passed since the armistice. A second winter is just around the corner and still burnt and looted are homeless and without furniture. The housing shortage is so acute and our houses are still in ruins. Nothing is done. This has to change! We are tired of empty promises and long speeches!"

New opportunities arose after the National Society for Cheap Housing and Housing Quarters (NMGWW) was founded in 1920 with the primary aim of supporting the municipalities in providing housing for the less fortunate. The quality of housing was only secondary. The NMGWW would mainly offer rental housing.

The socialist leadership of the NMGWW clearly had a preference for garden suburbs where not only rental housing with a large piece of land was offered for horticulture, but where attention was also paid to social facilities such as schools, shops and community centers. However, this idea was already undermined by the Catholics in 1922 by organizing a system of premiums that was supposed to stimulate the acquisition of property. This dampened fears that these garden cities would become red strongholds. In addition, a worker or servant who had a house to pay off would be more docile.

In 1922 the city of Aarschot joined the NMGWW and the CV Samenwerkende Bouwmaatschappij voor Goedkoop Woningen was founded. The construction of the garden city began in 1923 under the liberal mayor Daels.

Jan Rymenams