Spain's Urban Hierarchy and Development Strategies

Urban Hierarchy in Spain

The urban hierarchy is based on two pillars: people and economic activities. This hierarchy can be categorized as follows:

• National Metropolises: Cities with international projection.
• Regional Metropolises: These also have international projection in some cases, such as Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, and Bilbao.
• Second-Order Regional Metropolises: Cities with populations between 200,000 and 500,000 inhabitants, including Murcia, Alicante, Palma, Granada, Valladolid, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Santander, Oviedo, Cordoba, A Coruña, Jerez de la Frontera, and the Bay of Cadiz.
• Medium-Sized Towns: Mostly provincial capitals, with populations between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants (e.g., Salamanca, Girona, Castellón, Cadiz). This category also includes some non-capital cities like Vigo, Gijón, Cartagena, and Algeciras.

Understanding Urban Phenomena

The urban phenomenon has been developing intensively, as humanly shaped agglomerations slowly form, concentrating large populations. These agglomerations encompass not only the city itself but also its surrounding urban spaces. These agglomerations and municipalities can give rise to the phenomenon known as conurbation, which signifies an expansion that joins other cities.

We can distinguish two forms of urban agglomeration, one of which does not exist in Spain:

• Metropolitan Areas: An urban agglomeration formed around a central hub that, in its expansion, absorbs surrounding cities, leading to a permanent exchange of population and functions. This is the most prevalent form in Spain and relates to the urban hierarchy mentioned above.
• Megalopolis: (Not present in Spain). The union of cities that leads to a giant human agglomeration spanning hundreds of miles and tens of millions of inhabitants. This scale necessitates specific urban planning legislation due to its complexity and extension.

Evolution of Urban Legislation in Spain

In Spain, significant urban legislative developments have occurred since the mid-20th century, starting with the approval of the first Land Law in 1956. This law had a minimal impact because urban development in the 1960s was largely negative, leading to the loss of cultural heritage and uncontrolled spatial expansion in the periphery.

In 1975, a new law was approved whose reform's main novelty was the introduction of the General Plan. This plan established different legal figures for both protection and urbanization, categorizing land as urban land, developable land, and programmed land. It also allowed for the appropriation of land by municipalities for public use (e.g., streets, squares, gardens).

A new reform of the Land Law was enacted in 1990, aiming for greater general benefits and imposing stricter regulations on building heights.

In 1998, the Land Valuation Act was approved, simplifying the legal categories of urbanization (urban, urbanized). However, it allowed private initiative to drive development, with municipalities playing a secondary role. This law was accompanied by specific laws in the autonomous communities (CCAA). The final result has been serious urban decay with a negative impact on the environment of affected cities, on many people, and especially on Mediterranean coastal areas.