Urban Structures and Morphology: A Comprehensive Overview
Urban Areas and Forms
Metropolitan Area
A metropolitan area is characterized by a central city of significant size and complexity, attracting workers from surrounding areas. Key features include commuting patterns, geographic proximity of municipalities, and a well-developed transportation and communication system connecting the central city with its sphere of influence. Examples in Spain include Madrid, Barcelona, and Murcia.
Suburban Area
The suburban area extends around the city, its size varying depending on the city’s dimensions and age. Situated close to the city limits, it interacts dynamically with the urban center.
Old Town
The old town represents the historical core of the city, dating back to its origins and spanning up to the 19th-century industrial era. While occupying a relatively small area within the modern city, it holds significant historical and artistic value, showcasing elements from various periods.
Central Business District (CBD)
The CBD is the commercial hub, housing businesses in central or easily accessible locations. It often features landmark buildings and skyscrapers, such as Madrid’s Campo de las Naciones.
Bedroom Communities
These primarily residential areas house inhabitants who work in the central city, returning after their workday. Their main function is to provide housing.
Linear City
Inspired by the garden city movement, the linear city model features a main transportation artery with urban elements distributed along both sides. This includes housing and landscaped areas.
Conurbation
A conurbation forms when two initially separate cities expand and physically merge while maintaining independent administrations. Larger conurbations can develop into clusters or even metropolises. An example in Spain is San Sebastián de los Reyes and Alcobendas.
Shantytowns
Shantytowns arise from unplanned, illegal land occupation. Dwellings are typically self-built with inadequate foundations and materials, lacking essential services like water and electricity. Their growth is often linked to mass rural exodus and insufficient housing supply for impoverished populations.
Urban Expansion (Ensanche)
Urban expansion occurs outside the old city due to land scarcity and increased housing demand from the bourgeoisie and working class during industrialization. This phenomenon was prevalent from the second half of the 19th century to the mid-20th century in cities like Cartagena, Barcelona, and Madrid.
Urban Functions and Habitat
Urban Function
Urban functions encompass the activities of city inhabitants, often specialized economic activities serving businesses and the public. These functions cater not only to the city itself but also to regional, national, and sometimes international markets. They can be categorized into primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors.
Habitat
Habitat defines the basic unit of settlement.
Dispersed Habitat
- Absolute Dispersed Habitat: Characterized by the absence of dense population centers, as seen in the Catalan Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains.
- Clustered Dispersed Habitat: Combines scattered housing with concentrated service centers like markets or churches, common throughout the country.
Urban Hierarchy and Morphology
Megalopolis
A megalopolis is a vast urban agglomeration with high population density, an efficient transportation system, and significant economic and political influence. It encompasses numerous traditional cities within its boundaries, such as Barcelona.
Metropolis
Metropolises are at the top of the urban system hierarchy, with populations exceeding 250,000. They offer specialized and diverse services, primarily in the tertiary and high-tech sectors, and have a wide area of influence. Examples include Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga.
Urban Morphology
Urban morphology refers to the physical appearance of a city, influenced by its site (the specific location), situation (relative position within a broader geographical area), and the combination of flat areas, buildings, and land use.
Urban Plans
- Radial Plan: Streets radiate outwards from a central point, often intersected by concentric circles. They may be enclosed by a defensive wall, with urban expansion occurring along the arterial roads.
- Irregular or Disordered Plan: Lacking a specific form, these plans result from spontaneous growth or historical urban development patterns, such as those found in Muslim cities.
- Orthogonal Plan: Characterized by streets intersecting at right angles.
Settlements
Settlement
A settlement represents the form and outcome of human occupation and establishment in a given territory.
Rural Settlement
Rural settlements are small communities with populations under 10,000, primarily engaged in primary sector activities. They are undergoing significant transformations due to changes in rural society, migration patterns, and economic shifts.
Concentrated Rural Settlement
Characterized by small size and scattered buildings with various uses.
Urban Settlement (City)
According to the INE (National Institute of Statistics), urban settlements are municipalities with populations exceeding 10,000. Defining a city involves considering size, inhabitant activities, and population density.