Urban Evolution: Pre-Industrial City, Renewal, and Ensanche
The Pre-Industrial City: The Old Town
The pre-industrial city, or old town, is the urbanized core dating from the city’s origin until the beginning of industrialization (mid-19th century). It occupies a small surface area relative to the current city and holds great cultural value.
Transformations During the Industrial Era (19th Century to Mid-1960s)
The pre-industrial city underwent notable modifications resulting from industrialization between the 19th century and the mid-1960s. These transformations include:
A) Internal Reforms and Renewal
Deep reform and renewal policies were implemented, affecting sectors that were either valued or undergoing morphological and social deterioration. Key internal reforms (19th and early 20th centuries):
- 1st Phase (19th Century): Correction and alignment of roads, and the opening of new streets and squares. This task was favored by the confiscation of ecclesiastical buildings, which were then put into circulation.
- 2nd Phase (Mid-20th Century): New squares and roads were built. Tertiary functions were installed in buildings, often becoming the city’s main streets, thereby increasing the value of nearby land.
- 1960s Renewal: Political renewal aimed at maximizing urban land use. Part of the former urban core was destroyed to open new streets or amend existing routes.
B) Increased Building Density (Plot Thickening)
To maximize space, ecclesiastical buildings were reused for other functions. Single-family homes were replaced by collective, high-rise buildings. Initially, these adopted a historicist style, mixing various historical elements. Buildings constructed after 1960 adopted verticality and a modern style. However, in some cities, imposed conservation policies prevented such reforms.
C) Land Use Changes: Progressive Outsourcing
Land use saw progressive outsourcing (shift to the tertiary sector). By the first third of the century, tertiary buildings were installed, requiring accessibility, architectural prestige, and high land prices to ensure a return on investment. By 1960, outsourcing consolidated the old center as the primary hub for trade and business, resulting in the displacement of residential uses.
D) Social Impact
These changes significantly increased the social segregation within the old town.
Post-Industrial Era: Problems and Transformations
Complex urban areas currently face several issues:
- Traffic and Layout: The layout is inappropriate for current traffic (pedestrians and automobiles), causing saturation and the disappearance of public squares and spaces. Solution: Pedestrianization of streets, widening of roads, and landscaping of squares.
- Building Deterioration and Housing: Some buildings are deteriorating, contrasting with historic neighborhoods. Many houses lack modern living conditions and are occupied by low-income residents. Conversely, new or rehabilitated high-priced housing is occupied by high-income groups who value the prestige of historic buildings and proximity to culture, work, or leisure. Historic buildings are often rehabilitated and repurposed for new uses.
- Land Use Reduction: Multifunctionality has been replaced by a progressive reduction in floor uses, leading to the degradation of neighborhoods where traditional uses are lost. Renewed sectors specialize in tertiary uses. Rehabilitation policies promote new uses.
- Social Polarization: The traditional social mix of the old centers has been replaced by progressive social polarization.
The Industrial City: Expansion Areas (Ensanches) and Neighborhoods
Industrialization attracted large rural populations, leading to the expansion of cities and the growth of smaller regions. The Ensanche Burgués (Bourgeois Expansion) was a new urban space designed to meet the needs of the growing bourgeoisie, reflecting their ideals of order, hygiene, and profit.
- Initial Ensanche Characteristics: The Ensanche adopted a regular layout with wide, rectilinear streets and low plot density. Buildings were typically low-rise, featuring bourgeois villas with gardens, often in a historicist style. Land use was primarily residential, characterized by high prices affordable only to the bourgeoisie. The first Ensanches were the most dynamic in major regions (e.g., Barcelona, Madrid).
- Later Modifications: The Ensanche underwent modifications. Plots were built up, blocks became denser, and verticalization occurred (e.g., attic construction). Land use shifted to include tertiary functions.
- Current Status: Today, aging Ensanche zones are modernized, often appealing for specialized tertiary activities.
Worker and Industrial Neighborhoods
Worker and industrial neighborhoods offered a stark contrast to the Ensanche. Industrial installations were located on the urban periphery, near access routes and railway services, where land valuations were low. Emigrant workers settled in marginal neighborhoods surrounding the Ensanche.
These areas were often developed through disorganized private planning, resulting in closed, dense plots and housing with poor dimensions and quality (workers’ housing, warehouses, etc.). With current urban growth, their central location has led to revaluation of the land.