Ciudad Universitaria de Madrid: Status and Challenges of a Historic Campus

Abstract

Due to its history, its central urban location, its campus size, the population size and the
importance of the universities and the non-university entities present within it, the Ciudad
Universitaria de Madrid offers an object of unique interest within the framework of Spanish
campuses. In this paper we will focus on the urban setting of this historic campus and its links to
the city of Madrid, and we will consider the challenges it is facing 90 years after its creation. We will
describe how the land is being used by the university and by the entities present, the population
data, and the problems and responsibilities involved in managing the space and the city’s public
services. We will then consider the need to reconceptualize the purpose and functions of the Ciudad
Universitaria and provide some theoretical and practical elements to address the challenge of
integrating it into its 21st-century urban and social setting. But before that, in the first few pages,
we provide an account of the history of the Ciudad Universitaria, a knowledge of which is essential
to understanding the current situation and the challenges of the future.