Theme 1: Topic 13
Barcelona, a city in Spain Barcelona, located on the Mediterranean coast, has many features that are typical of a city in Western Europe. Its traditional manufacturing industries have been declining, and are being replaced by service industries and high-tech industrial parks. In the centre of the present city, part of the medieval city still remains, with narrow streets, alleyways and small squares. The area to the south of the medieval city is El Raval. It was the area where factories and high-rise tenement blocks were constructed during the Industrial Revolution but now much improvement is taking place. During the 19th century, the city grew with planned housing development in a gridiron pattern. This connected Barcelona to nearby smaller towns (e.g. Gracia), which became a part of the main city.
Two residential zones
Land use in Barcelona Highest-quality residential in the foothills of Collserola Hills, upwind of the city and away from industry and low-class residential
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To the north, on the slopes of the hills, a number of large villas were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These formed a high-class residential zone. Between 1945 and 1975, large areas of high-rise apartments were built along the major routeways and on the edges of the city (e.g. La Mina) for migrants from other parts of Spain seeking work in the city. In the last 20 years, two major events – the 1992 Olympic Games and the Universal Forum of Cultures 2004 – have led to massive changes. For example, in the Poblenou district, an area of old manufacturing industry, an Olympic village was constructed on an abandoned factory site. Remaining factories and workshops in the Poblenou district are being changed into a zone for new technologies.
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Medieval town of Gracia swallowed by Barcelona’s growth in 1897
CBD Medieval city Low-class residential
llow es fo rout Besos il a r r and he Rive road ft Main valley o and tial the stry d In u s residen s la c low
Low-class residential Middle-class transition High-class residential
Recent high-class residential developments on coastal brownfield sites at the Olympic Village and Diagonal Mar
TASK 1: Study Sources and a Describe the similarities and differences between the Burgess and Hoyt models of urban land use. b Suggest reasons why in a typical MEDC city: ■ high-cost, modern housing is on the outskirts ■ traditional industry is close to railway lines. c Describe two similarities and two differences between the models of urban land use in MEDCs and LEDCs. Suggest reasons why there are differences. TASK 2: Study Source How well does Barcelona fit with the models of urban land use in Source A?
TASK 3: Study Source a Describe the residential zones shown in each of the photographs. b In which zones do you think the photos were taken? Give reasons for your answer. TASK 4 Take photographs of different zones in a town or city you know, or find photographs on the Internet of urban zones in another town or city in your country. Annotate (fully label) each one with details of the land use.