Repositori URV

Identifier: imarina:9366643

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9366643

Authors:
Morcuende-González, AFrago-Clols, L

Abstract:
The increasing complexity of urban phenomena demands a reassessment of the traditional center-periphery dichotomy, surpassing the traditional objective criteria employed to delineate peripheral areas. In pursuit of this objective, the Zona Franca neighborhoods in Barcelona serve as a the study case. By employing a periodization approach to examine their socio-spatial development, this analysis aims to unravel the evolution of their peripheral nature, thus substantiating the transition from an objectively defined periphery to the formation of peripheral subjects. The four historical periods considered are as follows: a) 1850-1901, characterized by a prevailing rural landscape and incipient industrialization; b) 1901-1950, marked by the advent of the Free Trade Zone project; c) 1950-1993, witnessing a second wave of industrialization; and d) 1993-present, encompassing industrial crises, tertiarization, and the rise of logistics. By scrutinizing both peripheral aspects, such as distance, poverty, and marginality, and non-peripheral aspects, such as investments, central activities, and a diminished residential dominance, the case study reveals the subjective nature of peripheral conditions while concurrently providing insights into contemporary urban processes that are polymorphic, multiscale, and differentially nuanced.