Improvements to the Grand Place from the 14th century onwards would mark the rise in importance of local merchants and tradesmen relative to the nobility. As he was short on money, the Duke transferred control of mills and commerce to the local authorities. The city of Brussels ordered the construction of a large indoor cloth market, similar to those of the neighbouring cities of Mechelen and Leuven, to the south of the square. At this point, the Grand Place was still haphazardly laid out, and the buildings along the edges had a motley tangle of gardens and irregular additions. The city expropriated and demolished a number of buildings that clogged the square, and formally defined its edges.