The rural question: an inquiry as to the urban production of rural space

Abstract

An overall picture of the present day state of the rural question as within Spanish urbanistic practice is undertaken. An analysis of this is made by means of a disection of the sociocultural bases on which rural space is being put to new land uses but not in the light of its original socio-economic purpose. A close scrutiny is made of those socio-economic, political and ideological factors as might lead to an understanding of who, in fact, constitute such as might be called consumers or market producers of rural artifacts or space. Likewise, the day-to-day practice governing the urban planning of the rural context, along with the confusing legal-cum-spatial mare's nest, breeding ground of so much dubious definition, are both gone into in depth. The work moves on from the above mentioned considerations with the object of making a game attempt at understanding all space as a socially vital urban-rural continuum marked by specifying shades of definition. It puts forward new forms of government and public intervention methods based on positive cultural, economic and urbanistic planning. The work's suggestions, like its findings, spring from the data brought to light by the rediscovery and close study of this shadow zone so far ignored and thus hitherto undefined urbanistically.