city structure
It has its origins in 1985 when the economic crisis was abandoned, being a year of recovery. The price of housing and land begins to rise due to demand and in many cases exorbitantly. In Madrid and Barcelona between 1984 and 1988 the price of housing increased by 200%. The factors that explain this increase are: greater demand for both housing and offices due to the increase in business buildings and the growth in the income of Spaniards, the entry of foreign capital that becomes widespread with the entry of Spain into the EU. It is also explained by speculation and the absence of regulations that would put an end to it.
There is a revaluation of the city center and the growth of the cheaper periphery.
Within the urban morphology we distinguish the center, expansion, suburbs, residential neighborhoods and peripheral residential areas.
Historic centers are identified with spaces built before industrialization. It accumulates overlapping elements corresponding to different historical eras. Many of these helmets have their origin in the Middle Ages, especially with Muslim morphology in the south and Christian in the north.
The evolution of these centers will have a main factor in the 19th century with the expansion and from here on the nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie abandon the center to live in the expansions, leaving the center isolated and deteriorating. In the first years of the 20th century the center began to be cleaned up.
The 1960s were the “construction boom” which meant the deterioration or destruction of historic centers replaced by high-rise office or residential buildings, losing their cultural and historical identity, although there were exceptions that were covered by the Law for the Protection of Artistic Heritage. With democracy, citizen groups were concerned about living conditions, there was environmental deterioration due to traffic, a lack of leisure places, a shortage of equipment and a policy of rehabilitation of historic centers was implemented, which would be a set of actions aimed at enhancing the socioeconomic, historical, cultural, environmental and functional values of the centers in order to raise the quality of life of the urban center and its inhabitants. Madrid stands out in 1980, Vitoria, Salamanca or Palma de Mallorca. The law that promoted it was the Historical Heritage Law of 1985 with the coordination of urban growth with the protection of historical monuments. Following the evolution we highlight three features:
The expansions emerged from the 19th century due to the expansion of the city due to industrialization. Cerdá's projection in Barcelona stands out, seeking rational distribution, large open spaces and the presence of urban parks. This was altered by economic interests that prioritized the space, densifying it, and the spaces near the center were monopolized by the most favored social groups. The expansions have suffered the same problem as the urban centers although they maintain their residential function. There has been a phenomenon of outsourcing and the replacement of housing by commercial offices. The middle/upper classes are settled in the expansions. As a result of this, the most favored classes have gone to residential neighborhoods on the outskirts.
The suburbs have their origin with the arrival of immigrants to the city, with marginal neighborhoods and came into contact with existing population centers and makes a crown that surrounds the periphery of the city. Vallecas stands out in Madrid. The closer they are to the city and the more communication they have, the more expensive they will be.
Residential neighborhoods have their origins in the second third of the 20th century with single-family homes. At first they are occupied by middle/lower classes. Starting in the 1960s, these areas were revalued because they began to be attractive because it meant a low-density doubling with open spaces and wooded areas.
The peripheries form a discontinuous space around the city that advances along the communication routes. It is one of the most complex spaces. From a morphological point of view, there are several types of settlements: polygons, neighborhoods, residential complexes in which the morphology can be open or high and there are also low-density areas.
Promotion has occurred, with officially or publicly promoted buildings with the interest of eradicating shanty towns and private promotion with greater heterogeneity. The functions alternate between residential uses, industrial estates, large commercial areas, green areas, leisure...
From a social point of view, there is a separation between more prestigious sectors with greater environmental quality and other more disadvantaged groups that settle in less favorable nuclei or dormitory spaces.