Territories at Risk of Depopulation in Andalusia. Heritage Protection and Urban Territorial Planning in the North of Huelva

Abstract

This paper aims to identify some of the critical factors that have motivated the recent evolution of the cultural districts of Sierra de Aracena and Andévalo from the perspective of urban-territorial planning and heritage protection. Located in the north of the province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain), these regions are facing population loss. The study parameterises the demographic evolution experienced by their municipalities while analysing the different urban and territorial planning instruments. This study also includes environmental management plans, given the number of protected natural areas that characterise this region. Nevertheless, real demand for urban growth inexorably conditions the need to draw up an urban planning instrument and so the demographic data has been compared with the urban growth experienced by these municipalities. On the other hand, the heritage legacy may represent a crucial resource for the economic and social development of these territories in keeping with the relevance of the cultural heritage that precisely characterises these districts. In this sense, the research evaluates the additional protection provided by urban planning instruments compared to those deployed by the cultural administration. The research has found that both districts face an added complexity as it is necessary to align different administrative contexts due both to sectorial heterogeneity and diverging municipal interests. Thus, this study seeks to generate solid knowledge capable of serving as the foundations for future guidelines on preserving, managing, and enhancing these territories.