Rural Settlement and Habitat in Spain: Characteristics and Evolution

Rural Settlement and Habitat in Spain

a) Rural Settlement

Rural settlement patterns have undergone remarkable transformations. A rural settlement is integrated by population nuclei with under 10,000 inhabitants. Nuclei with less than 2,000 inhabitants are generally considered rural, while semi-urban cores typically range between 2,000 and 10,000 inhabitants. This classification can be imprecise, as some figures include larger rural communities.

Origin and Location

The origin and location of settlements are closely related to natural conditions (e.g., relief, water availability), economic factors, and historical events (e.g., the Reconquista). Settlements have experienced growth or decrease according to the circumstances of each period.

Typology of Rural Settlements

Rural settlement typology responds to two primary models: sparse and concentrated.

Sparse Settlement

In sparse rural settlements, the house is typically surrounded by fields and meadows. Woodlands often dominate in regions like Valencia, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands. Several forms of sparse settlement exist:

• Absolute Scattered: This type does not include any form of concentrated population and is exceptional. It occurs in reduced rural areas based on cattle ranching or specific agricultural holdings (e.g., Pas Valley).
• Loose-Concentrated Clusters: These form hamlets or parishes, often groups of villages around a parochial church.
• Small-Dispersed (Interspersed): Here, houses are surrounded by their own tenements, scattered among a primitive core. This pattern often results from the growth associated with exploiting new fields (e.g., northern peninsula, Mediterranean coast).

Concentrated Settlement

In concentrated settlements, dwellings are arranged side-by-side, independently of their tenements. This model extends across the entire Spanish territory and dominates in small, closely-knit nuclei in the northern interior of the peninsula, reaching its maximum expression in the Andalusian "agrotowns." Two basic types are:

• Linear: Houses are arranged along a single road or path.
• Crowded: Houses are clustered tightly around a central core.

Transformations in Rural Settlements

The internal size of settlements has been reduced due to rural exodus. This is especially true in Mediterranean coastal areas, which are increasingly dedicated to peri-urban leisure zones. Demographic growth will echo nearby nuclei, incorporating more remote areas for residential use.

b) Rural Habitat

The rural habitat consists of the dwellings within rural settlements. Their characteristics depend on several factors:

Traditional Materials and Models

Traditional materials vary significantly by region and house model:

• Stone Houses: These may be rough stone houses (without squaring) or squared stone houses (with or without cement/lime mortar). Stone construction predominates in Galicia, the Basque Mountains, Catalonia, the Leonese Mountains, Extremadura, Valencia, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands.
• Wooden Houses: Intricate wooden houses feature an exposed wooden structure filled with brick or mud (e.g., Segovia, Guadalajara).
• Clay/Earth Houses: Traditional raw clay is used in sun-dried straw-molded blocks (adobe) or large panels of wood and earth (cob).

Floor Plan and Layout

The floor plan is often related to agrarian activities. Common layouts include:

• Active Block Housing: Under one roof, with a ground-level barn where animals and people live, separated by a partition.
• Elevated Housing: In other cases, the house is built at a height above a ground-floor stable.
• Courtyard Housing: Homes made of several buildings arranged around a closed courtyard.

Recent Changes in Rural Habitat

Recent changes in habitat have resulted from the disappearance of traditional rural livelihoods. This has led to the abandonment of some structures or their adaptation to new uses, often impacting the original floor plan.