Spanish Urban Evolution and Industrial Growth

Industrial Development and Urbanization Stages

The industrial development covers the period from the beginning of industrialization until the economic crisis of 1975. Its features include a strong growth in the rate of urbanization, driven by administrative and economic-social factors.

Key Phases of Urban Growth (1850-1975)

The stages of development are divided into four periods:

• Mid-nineteenth century: The concentration of population in cities remained small.
• Mid-nineteenth century to the Civil War (1936): Urban growth was revealed, and the urbanization rate almost doubled.
• The Civil War and postwar (1936-1959): These years slowed down urban growth.
• Development stage (1960-1975): This period saw the largest urban and economic growth of the century.

Post-Industrial Urbanization and Structural Changes

The post-industrial development began after the crisis of 1975, which introduced changes to the urbanization process. This new stage, known as post-industrial urbanization, applied specifically to Spain. The rate of urbanization slowed its growth due to reduced natural growth, the cessation of the rural exodus, and the restructuring of the productive system.

Shifting Factors in Urban Development

Urbanization factors changed significantly: industry lost weight as a primary factor, while tertiary activities gained importance.

Defining the Metropolitan Area and Agglomerations

The metropolitan area is an agglomeration consisting of a major city and several surrounding towns with important socioeconomic relations.

Characteristics of Metropolitan Zones

The features of these areas include:

• They are chaired by a major city whose economic activity projects outward.
• Social and economic relationships are established between the central city and the nuclei.
• A transport and communications network is essential for connectivity.
• Socially, these municipalities show a predominance of urban lifestyles with a young population and social variety, ranging from the lowest classes to the most affluent.

Conurbations, Urban Regions, and Megalopolises

Other types of urban agglomerations include:

• The conurbation: An urban agglomeration formed from the continuous parallel growth of two or more cities that join.
• The urban region: An agglomeration comprising discontinuously dispersed cities.
• The megalopolis: A supra-regional extension of a conurbation, consisting of various urban elements with different functions that form a discontinuous urban area without significant fractures.

The Production and Management of Urban Space

The production of urban space involves several stakeholders:

• Landowners: They claim that urban growth should be directed toward their land to benefit from the revaluation of rural land conversion to urban land.
• Real estate promoters: They try to create urban land to achieve the greatest possible buildability.
• Employers: They often find themselves in conflict with landowners who prefer residential uses.
• Citizenship: Organized in associations to defend interests such as affordable housing and equipment.
• Political power: Intervenes through urban planning and the resolution of conflicts between social partners.