Urban Development in Spain and Catalonia: A History
The Urban Phenomenon in Spain and Catalonia
The urban phenomenon in Spain and Catalonia: The urban phenomenon in Spain has developed significantly in the last 100 years. Currently, there are two large metropolitan areas, Madrid and Barcelona, and other smaller metropolitan areas such as Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Malaga, Zaragoza, Oviedo-Gijon, Elche-Alicante, Murcia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Vigo, and Palma.
The Pre-Industrial City
Many of our cities have ancient origins. Rome created a network of cities interconnected by pathways. These cities shared a common structure: a reticular plan divided into two main streets, the north-south Cardus and the east-west Decumanus. These streets intersected at the forum. Tarraco (Tarragona) and Emerita Augusta (Merida) were the two largest cities of Hispania Romana.
The medieval city was surrounded by walls, marking the boundary between city and countryside. Cities were commercial centers for trade and exchange. The resulting wealth led to the construction of large buildings, both religious and civic, often commissioned by the bourgeoisie.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, cities began to lose importance as power became centralized. In 1561, Madrid, a relatively undeveloped area, was chosen as the capital of Spain. At that time, Andalusia was the most urbanized region due to trade with the Americas. The center of the peninsula was also quite urbanized, while the north and the Mediterranean regions were less so. However, this trend changed after the 17th century.
The Industrial City
The Industrial Revolution and urbanization were closely connected and inseparable. This process began in the 19th century and concluded in the 20th. Handicraft production was replaced by industrial production in factories, which had a significant impact on society and architecture. This change was particularly pronounced in Catalonia, with its textile factories, and the Basque Country, with its iron and steel industry. Industrial production was primarily concentrated in these two regions.
Factories required a large workforce, leading to a rural exodus as people migrated from the countryside to the cities. Cities grew rapidly, necessitating the demolition of walls and the creation of new avenues and expansion districts (Eixample). This period marked the beginning of conflict between two social classes: the bourgeoisie and the emerging proletariat (workers). Before this, the bourgeoisie and workers lived together, but after the demolition of the walls, social segregation by neighborhood began. The bourgeoisie lived in suburban areas, while the working class lived in neighborhoods further away.
By 1930, two Spanish cities, Barcelona and Madrid, had reached a million inhabitants. This growth continued until 1975. Between the 1950s and early 1970s, there was intensive migration, leading to the depopulation of the countryside. This urban growth was often uncontrolled, with cities expanding without order and neighborhoods and suburbs filling with older populations.