Urban Development Models and City Structures

Old Town

The Old Town developed from the origin of the city until the appearance of the industrial city in the nineteenth century. It provides a series of common features: a flat irregular layout, a compact urban fabric, limited building height, mixed land use, and a blending of diverse social groups. Since the early industrial era, ancient centers have suffered progressive deterioration and degradation, leading to the launch of various rehabilitation and conservation measures.

Business Center (CBD)

The Central Business District (CBD) is the part of the city where highly specialized urban functions are concentrated. These mainly include the directives of the financial and corporate sectors, as well as public and private decision-making services. They are usually located in urban areas with the highest accessibility indexes and experience a gradual loss of resident population, while the impact on land prices is significantly higher. Large cities usually have several CBDs.

Bedroom City

A Bedroom City consists of residential estates built in the metropolitan suburbs to meet the urgent demands for housing caused by rapid rural exodus. These cities are monofunctional residential areas; they are small and often lack proximity to essential services and equipment.

Garden City

The Garden City is an urban design and realization based on the integration of city and countryside, which emerged in the late nineteenth century. The author, Ebenezer Howard, wrote "Garden Cities of To-morrow" in 1898, where he designed a model of a bourgeois city and suburban neighborhoods consisting of single-family homes with gardens. This model spread to Spain in the early 20th century.

Conurbation

A Conurbation is the union or coalescence of two or more cities that form a continuous morphological agglomeration, following the progress of the urbanization process along communication lines. In these areas, there is a degree of functional autonomy and specialization within each city.

Shacks

Shacks represent a model of spontaneous and improvised suburban residential occupation. They are composed of a slum typology lacking even the most basic infrastructure, such as running water, electricity, sanitation, or paved roads.

Ensanche

The Ensanche is an urban design and realization that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, especially through the contribution of Ildefonso Cerdá. It served as an instrument for organizing the strong growth of urban land uses demanded by the industrial city. This new urban space concept is articulated in an octagonal grid with chamfered rectangular blocks, allowing for the rational construction of many homes. These areas are well-connected to the center, feature wide green spaces, are properly equipped with urban services, and were historically occupied by the bourgeoisie.