Spanish City Development: From Medieval Walls to Industrial Urbanism

The Historical Evolution of Spanish Urban Centers

The Early Medieval and Islamic City

The appearance of the barbarians during the early Middle Ages provoked the ruralization of the population, a societal shift that extended until the entrance of the millennium.

The Islamic City (Al-Andalus)

The Islamic city was a prominent urban center during the Spanish Middle Ages. Cities under Muslim rule were able to maintain important commercial activity, which is clearly reflected in their urban layout.

• These were unplanned cities, characterized by mazes of streets and alleyways with barely open spaces.
• They featured an irregular plan, centered on a walled core where the mosque and the zoco (market) stood.

The Christian Medieval City

The commercial development of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, combined with the military function cities had played in the upper half of the Middle Ages, contributed to Spanish Christian cities extending beyond the boundaries of the Castilian walls.

Urban Organization and Layout

In these cities, multiple nuclei were grouped, organized independently around a parish and a common wall. The main streets left the central core in a radial direction.

The Renaissance City

The Renaissance city was similar to the medieval city but subject to slight changes imposed by the ruling classes. This era saw a series of laws forcing the council to build politically authorized town halls (ayuntamientos).

The Baroque and Neoclassical City (17th–18th Centuries)

The 17th century experienced demographic stagnation due to successive economic and political crises. The medieval town had remained small and eventually had to expand beyond its walls during the Neoclassical era.

Neoclassical Urban Achievements

The Neoclassical era in Spain is identified with the urban achievements of Carlos III in Madrid. It is important to clarify that this monarch primarily beautified the city without changing the existing urban plot.

Good examples of 18th-century residential sites are retained, such as:

• La Granja (Segovia)
• Aranjuez
• Royal sites like Zarzuela (whose construction marked the beginning of the era).

The Industrial City and Modern Urbanization

The Industrial Revolution in Spain did not develop until late in the century. The transition from the pre-industrial to the industrial stage involved a profound transformation in the urban landscape. Industrial urbanization extended from the early nineteenth century until the global economic crisis of 1973.

Industrial Landscape and Labor

Manufacturing was the new defining element of the urban industrial landscape. The first factories were installed on the outskirts of the city, alongside reliable communication lines to facilitate the transport of production. Working-class neighborhoods arose around these sites, driven by the presence of abundant labor.

Responses to Industrial Growth: Utopian Solutions

Faced with rapid industrial growth, two main solutions were proposed. The Utopian Solution involved ideas detached from the reality of city problems, making them almost unattainable. However, some utopian concepts, such as the Garden City idea, influenced projects like the Ciudad Lineal.