Evolution of Urban Planning: From Preindustrial to Industrial Cities

The Preindustrial City: Origins and Characteristics

The preindustrial city represents the urbanized core of human settlements from their origins. These cities were defined by several distinct stages and features:

• Defensive Walls: Cities were typically enclosed by protective walls.
• Urban Planning: Plans were often uneven, though radial, linear, and grid patterns existed.
• Plot Structure: Closed plots dominated, featuring low-rise houses with yards and gardens, interspersed with prominent landmark buildings.
• Land Use: Diverse and mixed, combining housing with shops and warehouses.
• Social Stratification: Socially diverse groups coexisted, with the center serving as the elite hub for main public buildings.

Historical Urban Models

• Roman City: Characterized by a regular grid plan derived from military camps, featuring checkerboard streets and two major axes (North-South and East-West).
• Middle Ages: Formed the historic centers of most Spanish cities.
• Muslim Influence: Featured a walled core (the medina) with prominent buildings, irregular layouts, and narrow, winding streets, often including dead ends.
• Christian Influence: Also walled, but with more varied planning styles.
• Renaissance: Introduced new neighborhoods with irregular plans, often linked to the creation of new streets.
• Baroque and Enlightenment: Embellished cities with broad, perspective-driven avenues, large squares, gardens, and promenades.

1.2 The Transformation of the Industrial Age

The industrialization process triggered significant changes in urban landscapes:

Key Urban Changes

• Structural Renewal: Ancient sectors were modified by widening streets and squares and straightening winding paths.
• Infrastructure: Construction of wide roads, fairways, and majestic buildings.
• Tertiary Functions: New functions were installed in buildings, and surrounding streets were renewed.
• Policy Impact: Renewal policies often resulted in the destruction of parts of the old city layout.
• Vertical Growth: The plot density increased as housing was replaced by buildings of 3–5 stories.
• Architectural Style: A mix of historical styles emerged, utilizing new industrial materials like iron and glass.
• Economic Shift: Old buildings were replaced by structures of greater height, volume, and value.
• Land Use and Society: Progressive tercialización (tertiarization) consolidated the old town into shopping and business districts, while social segregation intensified.