Evolution of Spanish Cities: Pre-Industrial to Post-Industrial

The Evolution of Spanish Cities

Pre-Industrial, Industrial, and Post-Industrial Stages

The evolution of Spanish cities can be divided into three stages: pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial.

The Pre-Industrial City

The pre-industrial city includes the development of cities from antiquity until the installation of the industrialization process.

Ancient Times

The first cities of the Iberian Peninsula arose in the era of Phoenician, Punic, and Greek settlements (7th century BC). These people founded merchant factories. The Roman age saw increased urbanization in the peninsula. Their legacy materialized in the emergence of new Roman colonies, some built on pre-existing populations, such as Tarraco (Tarragona), Carthago Nova (Cartagena), and Italica (Seville).

Among the contributions of Rome to city organization was the implementation of a grid plan, where two main axes intersected perpendicularly: the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus. In the central place, the forum, public buildings were located. If the city held an important strategic position, it was crossed by the Via Augusta.

Middle Ages

The 10th century witnessed a resurgence of cities, favored by the opening of the Camino de Santiago and the intensification of the Reconquista and repopulation process. There were two types of city models:

1. Christian Cities: Played a military and strategic role, hence their somewhat anarchic layout. The church stood in the center.
2. Muslim Cities: Were founded on earlier settlements. They were often located in strategic locations for defensive purposes (Granada, Toledo, Cordoba, etc.). The most representative feature of this type of city is its street layout, which includes winding paths and dead-end streets called adarves. The Islamic city center was the medina, and the outskirts were organized into arrabales.

Modern Era

The Renaissance and Enlightenment were times of prosperity, resulting in population growth and intensification of the urbanization process. This led to improved urban infrastructure and a reshaping of the road network. Ancient Islamic layouts underwent regularization. After a brief economic crisis in the 17th century, Spanish cities experienced a new stage of flourishing during the 18th century. Major urban reforms were carried out, including the construction of avenues and bridges.

Industrialization and Urban Transformation

With industrialization, the urban population increased as never before, leading to the growth and transformation of cities. Urban reforms initiated in the 18th century continued into the 19th century. Public works development increased, along with industrial development (iron and steel industry in the Basque Country and the textile industry in Catalonia). The development of the railway in Malaga was decisive for the growth of cities.

Cities were transformed to adapt to the new urban lifestyle. Walls were torn down, and cities were equipped with lighting and water supply systems. Internal reform projects, known as Haussmannization, involved the opening of new streets or the alignment of existing ones to adapt to new circulatory needs. Examples include Madrid and Granada. Major plans were intended to facilitate the widening of streets and the construction of housing, leading to rising rents and urban growth.

Consequences of the Urbanization Process

• Rural depopulation and concentration in cities.
• Sociodemographic consequences, including changes in the behavior of the urban population.
• Environmental consequences, such as landscape contamination and degradation.