Key Demographic and Urban Planning Concepts
Life Expectancy: Demographic indicators that express the average number of years a population in a particular place is expected to live. It varies according to sex (typically greater in women than in men) and the degree of development of the country or area. In developed countries, it is over 70 years, with the highest being in Japan (80) and Spain (73 for men, 81 for women).
Real Growth: The consequence of the effects of natural increase over the effects of migration. To calculate this, it is necessary to know the birth rate, mortality rate, and net migration in the country. Real growth of a country is expressed in the number of people.
Population Pyramid: A graphic representation of the structure by age and gender of the population of a country or region. It is based on a frequency histogram in which each interval represents an age group, representing half the male population on the left and half the female population on the right.
Unemployment Rate: The rate of the population unemployed over the total active population. In Spain, this rate began to increase after the 1975 crisis. There are major differences in this rate between men and women.
Urban System: The set of relations established between different cities in the same territory. The hierarchical relationships between cities exist because some have more influence than others. Therefore, the urban network is a term that refers to a nested set of cities that make up a territory or state. The Spanish urban network is very uneven because most of the most populated cities are in the periphery and landlocked, except Madrid, which is the city with the highest number of inhabitants.
City Center: The oldest part of a city, which may maintain vestiges of native or Roman urbanization, but mostly retains its medieval features. It has symbolic value and heritage. Over time, the center has changed significantly to suit the changing needs of circulation, hygiene, or use. In general, it has become less dense, with taller buildings, and in some cases, has been converted into tourist areas, losing its residential, commercial, and administrative functions.
Metropolitan Area: An urban area formed by a major city and several nearby, very dynamic areas, which, through their influence, grow further. It must have legal recognition that provides for planning and coordinating certain services and works.
Eixample District: A new creation raised in numerous cities throughout the nineteenth century, when cities could not absorb the population attracted by industrialization. It is a planned response to the disordered growth of the city. The extensions were designed as areas of residence intended primarily for the bourgeoisie, were built with flat grids and high qualities, the old town separated by the “rounds” (wide streets that take the place where previously was the wall) and the widening of Barcelona or Salamanca district of Madrid. In other cases, the expansion is radial, as in Palma de Mallorca.
General Urban Plan: These are the formal instruments used for planning the growth of Spanish cities. They are used to decide where you can build in each municipality in the country. Municipalities are responsible for the General Plan, as they are in charge of drafting it according to the law of the land, they are exposed to the public, building grant licenses, approve the plans and their modifications, indicate its urgency, undertake expropriations, and cooperate with territorial agencies responsible for carrying out successfully the General Plan.