CULTURE, URBANISM AND PLANNING
Heritage, Culture and Identity
Series Editor: Brian Graham,
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster, UK
Other titles in this series
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(Dis)Placing Empire
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Culture, Urbanism and Planning
Edited by
JAVIER MONCLS and MANUEL GURDIA
Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain
First published 2006 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright 2006 Javier Moncls and Manuel Gurdia
Javier Moncls and Manuel Gurdia have asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the editors of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Culture, urbanism and planning. (Heritage, culture and identity)
1. City Planning 2. Cities and towns Historiography
I. Monclus, F. J. (Francisco Javier) II. Guardia i Bassols, Manuel, 1949
307.1216
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Culture, urbanism and planning / edited by Javier Monclus and Manuel Guardia.
p. cm. -- (Heritage, culture and identity)
Includes index.
ISBN: 978-0-7546-4623-5
1. City planning--History. 2. City planning--Social aspects. 3. Cities and towns. 4. Culture. I. Monclus, F. J. (Francisco Javier) II. Guardia i Bassols, Manuel, 1949III. Series.
HT166.C835 2006
307.121609--dc22
2006007774
ISBN-13: 978 0 7546 4623 5 (hbk)
ISBN-13: 978 1 3155 7552 0 (ebk)
Contents
Roque Gistau Gistau, President of Expo Zaragoza 2008
F. Javier Moncls and Manuel Gurdia
Michael Hebbert and Wolfgang Sonne
Robert Freestone and Chris Gibson
Greg Young
David L.A. Gordon
Margarita Gutman
Giorgio Piccinato
Laura Kolbe
John Pendlebury
Alessandro Scarnato
Christopher Silver
Graeme Evans
F. Javier Moncls
Lilian Fessler Vaz and Paola Berenstein Jacques
.
Roberto Segre
Stephen V. Ward
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Roque Gistau Gistau
President of Expo Zaragoza 2008
Javier Moncls and Manuel Gurdia have edited an extensive book entitled Culture, Urbanism and Planning, analysing the interactions between these three concepts, which are responsible for the character and personality of a city, and sometimes even its soul and charm. The chapters all expand upon contributions made by authors in the context of the International Planning History Society Conference, which took place in Barcelona in 2004, under the theme of Planning Models and the Culture of Cities.
Beyond the narcissistic logic of consumption or the urban spectacularisation associated with numerous urban interventions over the last few years, a new form of urbanism has become possible and necessary, focusing on the cultural dimension. Strategic plans and projects adapted to particular, changing and uncertain contexts are becoming increasingly important. This new urbanism is based on a greater degree of sensitivity to the environment and attention to urban landscapes that are undergoing profound changes.
Just as other cities that have entered a new phase of modernity, Zaragoza has been undergoing a substantial transformation over the last twenty years, both in terms of its economic and demographic base, and its social relations and cultural guidelines. Since General Motors set up just 25 km from the city centre in the early 1980s, the urban economy has been experiencing an intense process of diversification. Nowadays, Zaragoza no longer depends exclusively on the automobile and related industries and the city is committed to logistics and other emerging industries. This reorientation of activities, on which recent urban growth is based, is revealed by the arrival of the high speed train service (AVE), the construction of the Pla-Za logistics platform, the recycling industrial group and many other projects.
There has also been a change in the scale of new urban infrastructure and amenities. This new scale has led to a significant change in the role of public spaces, green corridors and in particular the watercourses that should form the backbone of this city: the rivers Ebro, Huerva and Gllego and the Canal Imperial de Aragn. The city has doubled its population over the last 50 years and is currently experiencing a different type of growth; around 10% of its 660,000 inhabitants are immigrants.
The International Exhibition dedicated to Water and Sustainable Development will be held in Zaragoza in 2008, promoted by the society of which I am Chairman. Hosting Expo 2008 is an opportunity to boost growth even further, by working to achieve energy efficiency and the responsible use of water resources, thus making growth compatible with environmental sustainability. Furthermore, Expo will entail the construction of an important cultural, scientific and recreational park, conceived as a new focus of urban centrality capable of promoting the integration of the river Ebro in the city. Post Expo exploitation is therefore a strategic approach that must act as a catalyst for this metropolitan park, providing other plans and projects that are essential for the city.
The actions linked to Expo can be inscribed within this new form of urbanism that is more interested in culture and strategic projects than in traditional zoning. It is a set of exemplary actions to create new significant places, which aim to improve the quality of public spaces. The system of green corridors and the river park itself, in constant interaction with the river and river life, will be a permanent reminder of the importance of river ecosystems for environmental sustainability.
