Urban Planning Dynamics and City Morphology

Key Urban Agents and Their Roles

Citizens: These are the most important urban agents. They want all their needs covered while minimizing disadvantages. They often modify cities through neighborhood associations.

Public authorities: These include local councils, regional councils, and the State. They are in charge of deciding where to build infrastructure and what form it should take.

Types of Urban Morphology and City Plans

Regarding urban morphology, there are different types of plans:

• Irregular: This is the oldest type, corresponding to the ancient parts of the city. They have a Roman or medieval character, often featuring narrow or dead-end streets.
• Radiocentric (or radial): A central point from which all streets or concentric roads emerge. Advantages: It is easy to reach the center (resembling a spider web).
• Orthogonal (grid or lattice map): It is difficult to move diagonally in these layouts, so diagonal streets are often created.

The Evolution of Artificial Cities

Artificial cities have been created in other forms. During the twentieth century, two specific types emerged:

Garden Cities

Construction began in the late 19th century. The streets were irregular, featuring houses with private gardens or patios. While initially very pleasant, in practice, they often became dormitory towns lacking essential services or equipment.

Functionalist or Rationalist Cities

Devised by Le Corbusier, who believed that traditional homes wasted too much garden space. He designed apartment blocks surrounded by large green spaces. Although the theory was appealing, in practice, these green spaces were often not realized as intended.

Primary Urban Functions

Urban functions represent all the activities people perform every day.

Residential Function

This is present in all cities and requires equipment and services. It is not uniform but divided into specific areas:

• The Old Town: The oldest areas of the city, often inhabited by people with fewer resources, characterized by narrow streets.
• The Eixample: Growth areas from the 19th century. These were prestigious neighborhoods where the bourgeoisie lived, featuring wide streets. Throughout the 20th century, the bourgeoisie began moving to the suburban outskirts.
• Neighborhoods: There are two main types:
  • The Estate: This is where the bourgeoisie moved after leaving the city center. These areas offer a better quality of life, less noise pollution, detached houses, and high-quality buildings with high land value.
  • Working-class neighborhoods: These are often located in less environmentally optimal areas. They have the lowest land value, lower quality construction, and services that are not always adequate.

Commercial and Sales Function

This includes all activities involving the exchange of products and services. Many cities were created specifically through this commercial function. It is not uniformly distributed but is usually concentrated in the city center, between the old town and the Eixample.