Urban Development of Barcelona and Toledo: A Comparative Analysis
Barcelona
1. The Old Town
A) Position and Location
Barcelona’s coastal location led the Romans to found the city atop an Iberian settlement. Its strategic position facilitated the peninsular conquest. Its main function was defensive. As the capital of Catalonia, one of Spain’s most developed regions, its size and influence are significant, articulating around the Mediterranean axis. This results in specialized urban functions.
B) Analysis of the Plan
The Old Town’s anarchic medieval plan reflects the city’s unplanned, spontaneous growth. Narrow, short, and winding streets contrast with the orthogonal Roman layout. Major transformations include the Paseo de las Ramblas, the city’s widest street (requiring partial demolition of the city wall), and the 1907 Via Laietana, connecting the port with the city’s extension.
C) Analysis of the Building
Initially low-rise, buildings have gradually increased in height. The Old Town houses some of the city’s most important historical structures.
D) Analysis of Land Use
Traditional land uses (residential, commercial, and artisanal) lacked zoning. Outsourcing has led to residential decline due to inaccessibility and high tourist-driven prices. Tourism plays a significant role, influencing land use.
E) Current Issues and Possible Solutions
The Old Town faces physical deterioration of streets and houses, leading to social decline, an aging population, and an influx of marginalized groups, particularly immigrants. This environmental degradation negatively impacts the city’s image. Coupled with land outsourcing due to business hour limitations, policies promoting physical and social rehabilitation were implemented in the late 1980s, including building renovations, green spaces, and residential promotion.
2. The Widening
A) Causes of Urban Expansion
Population growth within the unsustainable walled city led to unhealthy conditions and incompatible land uses. High mortality rates in the 19th century, especially among the poor, prompted the bourgeoisie to build a new, orderly, and hygienic city outside the walls, which were demolished in 1854.
B) Different Areas
Distinct areas emerged as the city expanded.
Toledo
1. The Old Town
A) Location and Situation
Toledo’s hilltop location, semi-encircled by the Tagus River, provides a natural defense. A nearby river ford, reinforced by a bridge, facilitated communication. Toledo’s strategic location on trade routes proved crucial, particularly for routes to the southern peninsula. Its situation has historically benefited from being the sole natural communication hub between the western and eastern zones of the southern sub-plateau. Toledo’s powerful administrative role, as capital of the Visigothic and Christian kingdoms, contributed to its rich tourist heritage. Today, Toledo’s functions are primarily administrative and tourism-focused, the latter gaining prominence since becoming the capital of Castilla-La Mancha in 1983. However, highway construction and industrial relocation to Madrid hinder its regional urban network role. The old town, of pre-Roman origin, has hosted diverse peoples and cultures. After Roman rule, Toledo served as the Visigoth capital, was conquered by Muslims, and later by Christians. The “Imperial City” reached its peak in the modern age. Its walls, with extensive remaining fragments, served defensive, fiscal, and health purposes.
B) Analysis of the Plan
The Old Town’s irregular plan features narrow, winding streets, largely retaining the Muslim layout. Larger squares and avenues reflect later urban reforms from the modern age and the 19th century.
C) Analysis of Building
Traditional buildings are low-rise, with a gradual trend towards verticalization. Remains of historical buildings from different eras and cultures (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian) are prominent.
D) Analysis of Land Use
Traditional land uses were residential, commercial, and artisanal. Residential use is declining due to housing deterioration. Tertiary uses, often related to tourism, are increasing, driven by the area’s urban setting and historical monuments. Historically, diverse races and cultures coexisted in separate quarters, leaving their mark on the Old Town.
E) Current Issues and Possible Solutions
The Old Town faces progressive depopulation due to poor housing habitability, deteriorating historical buildings, and congested office spaces, equipment, and stores. This leads to an aging population. Solutions require morphological and functional rehabilitation policies.
2. The Widening
A) Causes of Urban Expansion
Toledo’s growth, stagnant since the 17th century, revived in the mid-19th century upon becoming the provincial capital and with the arrival of the railroad.
B) Different Areas
Extramural growth occurred through small villages, consolidating after the Civil War: the Santa Barbara core opposite the old station, and the San Antón and Cristo de la Vega neighborhoods. The Reconquista Avenue served as the backbone of this limited expansion, which held little relevance due to the city’s constrained demographic and economic dynamism.
3. The Periphery
A) Causes of Growth
Toledo’s post-Civil War momentum involved renovations and internal expansions within the walls, driven by population growth and Madrid’s congestion in the 1960s.
B) Differentiation of Areas
The periphery comprises distinct areas based on land use:
- Residential areas:
- Northwest: planned urban expansion with varying quality residential areas.
- Madrid road: spontaneously built residential neighborhoods.
- Santa Maria de Benquerencia industrial area: homes surrounding the eastern industrial zone.
- Industrial areas:
- Santa Maria de Benquerencia: a mixed-character estate with diverse industries, including modern sectors like electronics and communications.
- 17th-century armory: now a university campus.
- Peripheral equipment areas: facilities and infrastructure (arena, sports facilities, colleges, schools, health facilities, communication infrastructure, and shopping centers) consuming large spaces unavailable in the city center.