Urban and Rural Landscapes: A Global and Spanish Perspective
**Southern Countries**
Southern cities are continuing demographic growth, motivated by both high birth rates and immigration to the area. This strong city population has emigrated due to economic resources and is located near cities. These same people are the ones who build their homes. The materials used are pieces of wood, metal, etc. These neighborhoods are provided with minimal infrastructure or equipment. In the center of the city is the business and commerce center and the historic center. On the periphery lie the residential areas where the leaders, members, and staff of the multinational government live.
The Primary Sector
The primary sector includes agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing, and mining. Agriculture and illegal livestock are becoming the basis of the primary sector in agrarian space. A large part of the world’s population is dedicated to the primary sector.
2.1. Neolithic
The passage from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic is marked by the discovery of agriculture and childbearing in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), from which it extended to Europe around 6000 BC. It was also native to China, India, and parts of America. This revolution determined a series of important changes, such as the sedentarization of tribes, the increase in population, the specialization of labor, and the emergence of new activities linked to agriculture, and as a direct consequence, social hierarchy. At the same time that agriculture developed, so did livestock. It remained in Europe until the 18th century.
**The Urban Landscape in the World**
Urbanization can be defined as the percentage of a country’s population that lives in urban towns. However, urbanization is not the same worldwide. Most industrialized countries have a high rate of urbanization.
**Northern European Countries**
European cities’ urban structure is the result of their history. The map of these cities is the result of growth over the centuries to reach the present. The European city has a historic center with a cathedral surrounded by old buildings of political decision-making in the Middle Ages. The streets are narrow and impede the traffic of vehicles. It also has administrative activity since it houses the municipal government headquarters. There are suburban neighborhoods that grew in the 18th and 19th centuries outside the walls as places of residence for the lower classes. The suburbs embody the homes of the bourgeoisie. The suburbs are, firstly, residential areas for affluent classes, and secondly, dormitory neighborhoods for workers. The rest of the suburbs are slums. In addition, industrial estates are constructed.
- Residential areas: They have two or three floors of houses, usually one house, surrounded by a garden.
- Bedroom Neighborhoods: Polygon composed of units of housing arranged in a uniform geometric shape.
- Industrial estates: On the periphery of urban spaces intended for the location of industries.
Modern cities are also the result of a historical process, with accumulated urban experience, which means that many cities are planned. These cities began in the 18th and 19th centuries and have no historic district; we can only speak of old Boston and Santa Barbara. They stretch over many kilometers and have a nucleus, called the CBD or business center, where the main commercial and financial activities are carried out.
**The Urban Area in Spain**
- State Metropolis: Madrid and New York are the two largest cities by population and size, exerting their influence over the entire national territory and relating to other cities worldwide.
- Major Regional Cities: Medium-sized cities, regional capitals of the state, are related to metropolises and have extensive influence on other areas of a regional character (Valencia).
- Capitals of Province or Region: The capitals of provinces are related to the nearest town (Burgos).
- Metropolitan Area: A space formed by a highly urbanized core and contiguous municipalities with which it has created close economic and social relationships (Barcelona).
- Municipalities: These two cities were born separately but have joined over time due to their growth, although each maintains its autonomy (Vilaseca, Tarragona).
**Catalan Urban Space**
Barcelona has a medieval old town built on the ancient Roman city. In 1859, the first Ildefonso Cerdà plan was introduced to build a suburb for the city. It was proposed to build only two or three sides of each island and leave the rest as landscaped areas. Finally, the project was not respected, as the constructed space was increased, more height was built than expected, and green areas were avoided. The growth of the city absorbed the towns of Gracia, Sant Andreu de Palomar, Sants, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, Sant Martí de Provençals, Les Corts, Sarrià, and Horta. The arrival of immigrants between 1950 and 1970 led to the rapid and disordered growth of the city, and shantytown neighborhoods appeared. On the periphery, housing estates were built that did not meet the minimum conditions of quality or equipment and are considered bedroom neighborhoods.