Urban Development and City Systems in Spain
Spanish Urban Hierarchy Model
Spanish urban areas are divided into:
- National Global Metropolis: Madrid and Barcelona function as centers, concentrating population, institutions, and a large network.
- Regional Metropolis: Valencia, Seville, and Malaga serve extensive regions with good communication.
- Subregional Metropolises: These are small metropolitan areas, like Murcia and Valladolid, that have specialized services such as hospitals or universities.
- Medium Cities: Play an administrative role for the population, such as Santander and Segovia.
- Small Towns: They have basic equipment and infrastructure.
Spanish Urban Axes
Madrid Area: The country’s largest urban agglomeration with strong influence.
Mediterranean Axis: Includes Barcelona and Valencia.
Cantabrian Axis: Highly urbanized and industrialized areas, like Bilbao.
Other axes include the Ebro Valley Axis, the Atlantic Galician Axis, the Andalusian Axis, and the Archipelagos, each with its political influence.
Leipzig Charter
The Leipzig Charter is a policy that tries to engage developed urban areas at the government level. Its objectives are:
- To promote economic prosperity through the creation of space and the modernization of public networks and infrastructure.
- To promote social equilibrium, paying attention to marginal neighborhoods.
- To develop and protect the cultural heritage of European cities.
Twentieth-Century Industrial City
Expansion continued uninterrupted, thanks to high birth rates and immigration. Many families were forced to migrate, accelerating in 1950. This caused a spatial imbalance and uncontrolled growth. The urban population increase led to the densification of old cities and extensions. Another part of immigration caused growth in the metropolis and other nearby cities, eventually merging to create large metropolitan areas. Industrial estates and zones also emerged, requiring infrastructure planning.
Nineteenth-Century Industrial City
Artisanal production gave way to industrial production through the use of machines and a salaried workforce. Factories had a remarkable architectural and urban impact on cities. The industry required a large workforce, generating a significant rural exodus and initiating the process of urbanization. The city experienced a rapid expansion process, and to meet the incessant demand, transportation plans were developed, along with extensions. Two urban social classes emerged: the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. In 1930, two cities stood out with a large population: Madrid and Barcelona.
Roman City
Rome created a dense and hierarchical urban network. This network was connected by roads, with Tarraco as a notable city. Roman cities usually had an orthogonal structure and paved roads, drinking water pipes, theaters, and temples. Political power was delegated by Rome, and military power resided in the legions.
Medieval City
The Arabs established a number of cities. Around 1000, there were many large population centers. In the Islamic world, economic activity was centered in the city, with craft and commercial trade lines. A century later, most of the northern mainland cities began to recover their population; Toledo, Burgos, and Valladolid stood out. Similarly, great economic and cultural splendor began. Under the protection of the king, guilds emerged, and a new middle class of merchants and craftsmen formed to govern the cities alongside the nobility. Many cities grew.
Modern City
Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, cities lost political power due to the process of state centralization. Urbanization was significant in the peninsular center. Madrid stood out as the headquarters of the court, as did Valladolid, attracting the Spanish nobility. By the seventeenth century, a new dynamic of urban growth began, gradually focusing on the Mediterranean coast, while Castilian cities lost population as a consequence of the crisis and the subsequent decline of the kingdom.