Suburbanization: Urban Growth and the Creation of Rural-Urban Areas

The Suburbs

In the 20th century, particularly between the 1950s and 1980s, urban growth led to the creation of vast suburban outskirts adjacent to historical cities. These areas were subject to characteristic zoning laws that segregated them into residential, industrial, and service-sector zones.

Residential Zones

Residential zones vary based on residents' buying power, resulting in social segregation: slums for disadvantaged or marginalized groups; tower block neighborhoods of varying sizes and qualities for the middle and lower classes; and exclusive single-family housing developments for the upper classes.

Industrial Zones

Industrial zones house factories that have relocated from city centers, as well as new industries seeking lower land prices and suitable infrastructure and services. They primarily consist of industrial estates for traditional industries; business parks housing industries and offices; and technology parks for high-tech industries.

Service-Sector Zones

Service-sector zones provide services that benefit from the abundance of affordable land, good connections to the city, and the presence of consumers in suburban neighborhoods. These zones are primarily used for large retail stores, shopping centers, hospitals, and other services.

In Mediterranean cities, suburban growth was compact or vertical, with collective high-rise buildings constructed in most neighborhoods. In contrast, cities in English-speaking countries experienced sprawling, horizontal growth, covering vast areas with low-rise, single-family homes with gardens.

The Rural-Urban Area: Urban Sprawl

Since the 1980s, demographic growth in European and Spanish cities has plateaued. However, residential, industrial, and service-sector zones have continued to expand beyond the contiguous urban area, creating extensive transition areas between the countryside and the city known as rural-urban areas. This pattern of discontinuous, low-density growth has given rise to the term 'urban sprawl'.

Initially prevalent in Anglo-Saxon cities, urban sprawl eventually spread to most other European countries, including Spain. The outer fringes of urban areas connect with former rural centers, which have transformed into dormitory towns where the majority of residents commute to the city for work.