Compact city theory
Introduction
The compact city is one that: presents a structure and urban fabric of a certain compactness, is socially cohesive, generates spaces for sociability, creates a territory with proximity to services, encourages the meeting of activities and allows the development of community life. This city is recognizable above all in Mediterranean culture, its historical evolution has allowed the creation of a common culture, giving rise to beautiful, creative and functional spaces, cities and towns.
Andalusia is embedded in this structure, since many cities were spaces created, used and converted by different Mediterranean cultures such as: Phoenician, Roman, Islamic. In the Mediterranean, politics and civilization became synonymous with the city, the cradle of the political and cultural institution of citizenship. Without it, modern civilization cannot be conceived.[1]
The territorial structure of Andalusia has been organized around this compact city throughout history.
Andalusian Cities System
The characteristics of the Andalusian city system, based on a network of cities not polarized into one or two main urban centers, gives Andalusia a very rich and varied diversity of urban events. Andalusia today has nine urban complexes at the level of regional centers, complemented by a system of medium-sized cities and population networks in rural areas that ensure a stable population distributed throughout its territory. For this reason, the system of cities of Andalusia constitutes one of its main cultural, social and economic heritage. At the same time, it has defining characteristics that give it a privileged position to adapt its structure to the requirements of urban sustainability, such as its polycentricity, its functional diversity, its compactness and the social diversity of its actors.[2].
diffuse city
This compact city model has been altered in the last decade, since the expansion of the city has been carried out by occupying territory in a disseminated manner, which creates a new diffuse and inefficient city, functionally separating its uses and segregating the population in the territory based on its economic capacity. The process undertaken is increasingly unsustainable and the repercussions on ecosystems increase to the extent that the becomes widespread.