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KEY WORDS

casero: isolated rural home, or farm, with additional buildings (granaries, stables, etc.), surrounded by fields of crops or pastures rural exodus or rural-urban migration: migration from the country to the city, which leaves many villages semi-abandoned rural tourism: type of tourism in which tourists visit the countryside to enjoy the natural environment

Settlement in Spain
In Spain, urban settlement predominates. 78.6% of the Spanish population lives in cities.

Rural settlement
Dispersed settlement (hamlets, caseros) is characteristic of the north of the Peninsula. Nucleated settlement is predominant in rural areas. However, there are differences depending on the geographical zone: In the Duero river basin and the Ebro valley, villages tend to be small and close to each other. In the south of the Peninsula, the Mediterranean are and the Balearic Islands, villages are bigger and farther apart. Rural settlement in Spain has seen the following changes: Some villages in mountain areas and the interior of the Peninsula, which had become depopulated because of rural exodus, have now been revitalized thanks to rural tourism and the arrival of immigrant families. Villages in coastal areas, which used to be dedicated to fishing or agriculture, have been converted into tourist towns. Many villages close to big cities have taken on urban functions (residential, industrial, services, etc.) and become part of the metropolitan area of the city.

Alcorcn, a settlement near Madrid, was a village in 1959 (on the left) and is now a large city (on the right).

Urban settlement
In the last few decades, there have been transformations in urban settlement. Large metropolitan areas have been consolidated. The main cities of some of the large metropolitan areas (Barcelona, Bilbao, etc.) have lost some of their inhabitants, while nearby population nuclei have grown. City growth is controlled by an urban development plan. Historic centres, ensanches and the most deteriorated urban areas have been restored. Some cities have carried out modernization projects to improve their image, for example, renovation of the Ra de Bilbao, construction of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, etc. Transport has been improved and extended: construction of underground lines, bicycle lanes, transport interchanges, etc.

KEY WORDS
urban development plan: official local government document that regulates land use, construction of buildings, conservation of historic and artistic places, creation of green zones, etc.

ensanche: neighborhood that was


constructed near the historic centre of a city in the 19th century; it has an orthogonal plan with wide streets and good quality houses restore: clean and repair an area or building to return it to its original appearance and condition underground (metro): type of public transport with trains that run underground transport interchange: place where passengers can change from one means of transport to another hypermarket: very large shop that sells a variety of articles: food, clothes, cleaning products, electrical appliances etc.; it is self-service, with long opening hours

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia

In most Spanish cities, we can find the following zones: City center, which consists of: Historic center, including buildings of great cultural and artistic value, commercial and business areas. Residential neighborhoods and ensanches, which were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, and consist of homes for people with high living standards, offices and shops. Former working-class neighborhoods, which have been redeveloped through the creation of green zones, the construction of cultural and leisure centres, etc. Periphery, which includes the following areas: Residential areas with blocks of flats and detached, semidetached or terraced single-family homes. Industrial areas, located near the main access routes to the city. Service areas, which contain hypermarkets and leisure centres (cinemas, theme parks, etc.).

KEY WORDS
services: economic activities that do not produce goods, but provide services to meet the needs of the population; they include economic activities like commerce, transport, tourism, health services, cultural and educational services, etc.

Spanish cities are ranked in a hierarchy according to the following categories: Category
National metropolis

Inhabitants
more than 4.9 million

Functions
multiple: political, economic, cultural, etc. varied: political, commercial, cultural, etc.

Sphere of influence
national and international

Cities
Madrid, Barcelona

Regional metropolis

between 500000 and 1600000

regional, with direct relationship with national metropolis

Subregional metropolis or secondary regional metropolis Mediumsized cities Small cities

between 250000 and 500000

less diversified; but with specialized services

regional

metropolitan areas of Valencia, Alicante, Sevilla, Bilbao, Mlaga and Zaragoza Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Valladolid, Crdoba, etc.

between 50000 and 250000 less than 50000

administrative, commercial, etc. few

provincial

district

Burgos, Albacete, Badajoz, etc. Plasencia, Mieres, etc.

These are the characteristics of the Spanish urban network: The majority of large and medium-sized cities are in coastal areas, although there are some important cities in the interior of the Peninsula. The network is dominated by the metropolitan areas of Madrid and Barcelona.

Madrid

Barcelona

Activities
l Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false
ones. a) In Spain, rural settlement is more important than urban settlement. b) In the Duero river basin, villages are usually small and close together. c) Many villages in coastal areas have been converted into tourist towns.

4 Look at the photo and answer the questions.

Look at the photo. Read the description and write the mistakes that you can see. Use these words: traditional, village,
wood, narrow, houses, old woman, stick, bucket.

Madrid a) Which urban zone does the photo show? Candelario (Salamanca) b) What functions does this zone normally have and what types of building can we find there?
c)

3 Read the text and answer the questions.


From San Francisco Square, in the center of Jan, we walk over

Describe the buildings in the photo with these words: tall,


modern, steel, glass, floors.

to Cervantes Square, whose arches remind us of the old city prison


that was here before. On Los Caos Square, we stop and admire the Carnicera Building and the ancient fountain. At the end of Milln de Priego Street, we come across part of the old city wall; following the wall, we come out on Magdalena Square. From there, we can enjoy some wonderful views of the castle.

d) What do you think is inside the buildings? e) What is the tallest building you have ever visited? How many floors does it have? Where is it? What was the reason for your visit?

www.aytojaen.es a) Which part of the city is described in the text? b) What types of tourist attractions or monuments are mentioned? c) Have you ever visited Jan? Would you like to? Explain why I why not.

5 Complete the chart.


Category National metropolis Regional metropolis = = Example Madrid, Barcelona

Sub-regional metropolis = Medium-sized city Small city = =

Settlement

Identify the mistakes in these sentences. Correct them. a) The construction of skyscrapers became possible thanks to the use of wood and titanium. b) Population growth in the 19th century made the construction of skyscrapers impossible. c) In the year 1875, the tallest building in New York was the Singer Building. It was 118 m tall. d) The island of Manhattan did not have the right physical conditions for the construction of skyscrapers. e) The Singer Building was the head office of a company that manufactured cement.

6 Write a short description comparing the photos of


a village and a city.

f) The Singer Building, constructed in 1911, was 187 m tall.

Correct the names of these urban spaces.

a) Nurbactiono b) Galpomelois c) Trolimeponat raea

3 Complete the definitions below of the urban spaces in


activity 2. Use these words: main, joining, several, smaller,

close, and continuous.


a) urban area formed by a ________ city, called a metropolis, and other ____________ nearby urban nuclei b) large, almost _______ r urban area, formed by the ___ of two or more cities that are to each other, but in which each city maintains its administrative independence. c) large urban area formed by joining _________ conurbations Now match the urban spaces to the definitions.
Village and City

4 Are the following statements true or false? Correct the


false ones. a) The largest part of the world population lives in rural settlements. b) The majority of the Spanish population Iives in cities. e) An urban plan is a graphic representation of the distribution of built-up areas and open spaces. f) Most villages in mountain areas in Spain are uninhabited now. e) There are two cities at the top of the hierarchy of Spain's urban network.

What are the differences between dispersed and nucleated settlements? Where in Spain can we find each type?

8 Which part of a modern Spanish city does this photo

7 Read the text and answer the questions.


Rural homes in Spain
In Spain we can distinguish different types of rural homes, depending on the materials they are made of: Stone houses (slate, granite, etc.) are mostly found in the mountainous periphery of the Peninsula and in some mountainous areas of the interior. Mud or adobe houses are characteristic of the center of the Peninsula and the vegetable garden regions of Valencia and Murcia. Wooden or mixed houses (wood and stone or mud) can be found in the rural areas of the Montes Vascos, Sistema Central and Sistema Ibrico. a) Look up these materials: slate, granite, mud, adobe. b) Why do you think stone houses are characteristic of mountain areas? c) Describe the house in the photo with these words: roof, walls, adobe, straw, small, pointed, white.

illustrate? Do you recognise the city?

9 Listen and complete the description of the photo


There is a large Gothic _______, possibly a cathedral, in the city centre, with pointed _________and many arches. At the front, to the left, we can see a _________ There are some cars on the square. Behind the square there are lots of __________ , though they don't have many ______ .

A typical adobe house (barraca) in the Comunitat Valenciana

Pag. 3.2.


Pag. 6.9.

This photo shows a modern, wide street in a city. The houses are made of bricks and concrete and they all have three or more floors. There are some shops as well. There is a young man walking down the street, carrying a shopping bag. square floors towers blocks of flats church

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