Evolution of urban regeneration policies in Madrid (1994-2018)

From preferent regeneration areas (PRA) to the strategic urban regeneration plan Madrid Recupera

Abstract

Urban rehabilitation policies in Madrid City have been relatively successful both in the historic center and in the peripheral neighborhoods. However, after the 2008 crisis, a debate began, which continues, on the exhaustion of the model and its adaptation to new urban needs. Thus, from the Preferential Rehabilitation Areas (ARP), begun in 1994, to the Madrid Recupera Plan (MAD-RE Plan) in 2018, three different intervention models have been applied. The differences between them can be grouped into four sections: 1) with regard to the comprehensive nature of the interventions, can be focused on the refurbishment of homes or include, for example, simultaneous actions in public spaces, green infrastructures, etc; 2) in the emphasis on new content, for example, the importance that energy rehabilitation and other aspects related to urban sustainability have acquired; 3) in the governance of processes and the application of new methodologies for citizen participation in them. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the importance of inter-administrative collaboration, it has been changing during these years; 4) with regard to the fundamental financing mechanisms, where the role of public or private investment has varied considerably depending on the models applied; and finally, 5) the most significant variations occur in the instruments used for the application of this type of urban policies. In this sense, the MAD-RE Plan, due to its comprehensive and holistic approach to rehabilitation problems, has become a benchmark strategic planning instrument in the Spanish context.