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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 1d

Neude Library, Utrecht; formerly the main post office. Built 1917-1924 to a design of the Amsterdam School by Joseph Crouwel. Statuary by Hendrik van den Eijnde.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 2d

Former police station, Leiden; designed in the style of the Amsterdam School by Jan Neisingh in 1927.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 2d

I spent a wonderful day exploring the 'hofjes' (courtyard almshouses) of Leiden. I'll post more fully on these later in the week.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely. That might have been worth mentioning in the abstract though it would undermine the author's apparent attempt to generalise.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 2d

The 17th century Dutch Renaissance-style City Hall in Delft and Saturday fabric market

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 3d

Genuine question: do they make themselves believe this stuff or do they say it simply for the clicks and attention or to further a political agenda? Anyway, to Americans and others, it's complete and utter bollocks.

American in video saying 'The crime and immigration is out of control (in London), nobody feels safe.'

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Reposted by Municipal Dreams

The Past and other Places @pastandotherplaces.bsky.social · 3d

Jean Payton Reid, architect and town planner (1917-97). Liberton Kirkyard, Edinburgh. Thought to have been Scotland's first female town planner. Family monument - pink granite obelisk.
#31DaysOfGraves day 12 notable women. #herstory
thepastandotherplaces.wordpress.com/2023/01/14/a...

Greek-style tall pointed obelisk in polished pink granite standing in a kirkyard. Most of the other gravestones are smaller and grey. The tower of the Kirk is prominent in the background. There are green shrubs and several bare-branched trees in the background.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 3d

By the way, we visited Rotterdam a couple of years ago and took a proper look at the 20th century architecture and planning.

Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 3d

The one on the left is Delft. The second is from the house we're staying in in the Hague. We're probably doing all the touristy things but very much enjoying our visit.

Reposted by Municipal Dreams

Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 4d

1/ Contrasting posts on interwar housing this week. The first looked at the attempt to promote modernist designs to the middle class in the 1934 Modern Homes Exhibition in Gidea Park.
municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/g...

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 3d

Dutch domestic

View from window of canal, housing and church

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 4d

2/ The second looked at the more traditional 'neo-Georgian' style favoured in Lancaster's council housing of the era:
municipaldreams.substack.com/p/interwar-c...

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 4d

1/ Contrasting posts on interwar housing this week. The first looked at the attempt to promote modernist designs to the middle class in the 1934 Modern Homes Exhibition in Gidea Park.
municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/g...

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 5d

2/ Saw this too ...

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 5d

1/ Den Haag/the Hague: the Old City Hall built in Dutch Renaissance style in 1565 and the New City Hall, designed by Richard Meier and completed in 1995.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 5d

2/ ... and they're deciding who to vote for in a general election on 29 October where the omens are not so good.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 5d

1/ Greetings from den Haag/the Hague where they seem to do medium rise, high density pretty successfully.

Back of houses and distant view of point block

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 New on Substack, my post on Interwar Council Housing in Lancaster: ‘Wait till I show my husband this house, it’s lovely’
municipaldreams.substack.com/p/interwar-c...

Addison Act semi-detached council housing

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 7d

👍

Reposted by Municipal Dreams

Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 New post: The Modern Homes Exhibition, Gidea Park, 1934 - a (failed?) attempt to 'combine the most modern British homes, as exemplified here, with the ideas of the public' ...
municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/g...

Contemporary photograph of flat-roofed, white-walled house built for exhibition.

Another contemporary photograph of flat-roofed, white-walled house built for exhibition.

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 7d

Quite.

Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 7d

Yes, absolutely.

Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 7d

This is a really important point from @robfordmancs.bsky.social. Local government should be a source of and focus for local pride. It should be doing bold, visible stuff that enhances and reflects community. Instead, currently, it is almost literally reduced to ambulance work.

It is deeply unhealthy to have local governments who don't provide many visible/valuable services for most residents (because they lack the resources). Encourages distrust and populism - 'what am I paying my council tax for? The council does nothing for me.'

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 New post: The Modern Homes Exhibition, Gidea Park, 1934 - a (failed?) attempt to 'combine the most modern British homes, as exemplified here, with the ideas of the public' ...
municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/g...

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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 9d

It's striking how many young German men were working in the British commercial and industrial sectors before 1WW.

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