In Retiro's long shadow, 1857-1939 eight decades of urban development of Madrid city Expansion to the East

Abstract

Objective

The area of Madrid to the east of the Retiro Park, perhaps due to its late development, has not provoked the interest of historians or urban planners. The objective is to analyze the urban form in this area in its first eight decades of development, studying the consequences of the position of the Royal Property between this neighborhood and the city center as a distinctive factor with respect to other neighborhoods.

Methodology

The area of Madrid to the east of the Retiro Park, perhaps due to its late development, has not provoked the interest of historians or urban planners. The objective is to analyze the urban form in this area in its first eight decades of development, studying the consequences of the position of the Royal Property between this neighborhood and the city center as a distinctive factor with respect to other neighborhoods.

Conclusions

The position of the studied neighborhood behind the Retiro Park has conditioned the late start of its urbanization process, its planning, its layout and its uses.

The first draft of the city expansion started the urbanization process and is the germ of its layout. During the following eight decades of construction of the city the original design underwent several transformations, mainly due to improvisation.

The Charity architecture was the driving force of the slow growth of the city in this area. In conjunction with industrial architecture, sports and recreational facilities, and aristocratic housing, shaped a diverse urban landscape that has now disappeared.

Originality

This article is derived from an unpublished doctoral thesis. The main lines of research are the urban form and the use of drawing as a research instrument and connects with other recent researches related to the city of Madrid.