The Evolution of Urbanization from Pre-Industrial to Modern Times
Pre-Industrial Urbanization
DSD understands the origins of cities at the beginning of industrialization in the 19th century. During this period, urbanization was modest. The average size of cities was around 5,000-10,000 inhabitants, while those exceeding 25,000-100,000 were rare.
The factors that favored development were strategic military, political and administrative, economic, and religious.
In pre-industrial urbanization, three stages can be distinguished:
A) Origins of Urbanization
In Spain, one cannot properly speak of cities until the Phoenician and Greek colonization of the Mediterranean coast in the 9th and 8th centuries BC. These peoples created trading factories on the coast to exploit mineral resources, agriculture, and crafts. In the rest of Spain, settlements of indigenous cultures can still be described as proto-cities.
Romanization led to the founding of many cities, which explains why many Spanish towns of some importance have a Roman origin (Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, Zaragoza). Their functions were military-political, administrative, or economic. Moreover, the Romans created an urban network connected by roads (driveways) that had commercial and military purposes.
The decline of Roman power and the Germanic invasions led to a phase of de-urbanization from the third century. Many cities disappeared or became rural settlements.
B) Urbanization in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, there was a new developmental stage in two different spaces: Muslim and Christian.
The Muslim space comprised almost the entire peninsula between the southern and northern mountains. In some cases, Muslims founded new cities such as Madrid, but more often they exploited previous settlements (Zaragoza, Cordoba, etc.) that revived as strategic centers for administration, economy, religion, and culture. With the advance of the Reconquista, Muslim cities came under Christian domination, and their inhabitants were expelled or segregated into separate neighborhoods (Moorish).
In the Christian urban living space, expansion was limited. However, from the 10th century with the Reconquista and repopulation of the territory, new municipalities were created based on towns that were either newly established or reconquered from Muslims. From the 12th to the 13th century, the reactivation of trade generated a process of redevelopment along major trade routes.
C) Urbanization in the Modern Age
Urbanization in the modern age experienced fluctuations depending on the demographic and political economy of the moment.
- In the 16th century, there was continued urban growth due to population increase and economic growth based on trade with America and the military-political power of the Habsburgs.
- In the 17th century, growth stagnated due to demographic and economic crises and significant territorial losses.
- In the 18th century, with the new Bourbon dynasty, the urbanization process revived, thanks to the strengthening of royal power and demographic and economic recovery.
Industrial Urbanization
This phase encompasses industrial development from the mid-19th century to the economic crisis of 1975. During this stage, the rate of urbanization experienced significant growth because the urban population increase exceeded that of the rural population. The factors involved in this growth were socioeconomic and administrative.
Four stages of industrial urbanization can be distinguished:
A) Early Industrialization
In the mid-19th century, the concentration of population in cities was small. The weakness of industrialization primarily affected urban growth in cities chosen as provincial capitals in the new administrative division.
B) Growth Post-Civil War
From the mid-19th century until the Civil War (1936), the growth of cities was evident, with the urbanization rate nearly doubling (40%). At this time, industry caused the greatest increases, attracting a growing population from rural areas to industrialized cities.
C) Civil War and Postwar Period
The Civil War and postwar years (1936-1959) slowed growth due to deterioration and supply issues affecting cities. Furthermore, the regime did not favor urban growth. Autarkic policies promoted basic sectors of the economy and contributed to the growth of cities where they were established. Thus, the triangle of industrial urban development began to form in the Northeast (Cantabrian, Barcelona, and Madrid).
D) Developmental Stage in the 20th Century
The developmental stage marked the largest economic and urban growth of the 20th century. The main cause was the expansion of industry, which attracted a large workforce to industrialized cities. This fact, coupled with high natural growth of the urban population, led to a 30% increase, mainly in the northeastern triangle. Tertiary activities played a prominent role in the development, although they were also growing in the metropolitan areas of large cities, including modern tertiary activities in Mediterranean resorts and islands, as well as some provincial capitals that were not as industrialized.