The Economic Crisis and Vulnerability in the Spanish Cities: Urban Governance Challenges

Abstract

The consequences of the socio-urban economic crisis and so-called post-crisis policies (or austerity) are transforming daily life in Spanish cities. There are impoverishment processes, increased vulnerability and social segregation, which translates into a new spatial order. The first public responses to the crisis were dominated by the impulse of neoliberal policies, which aggravated the socio-urban inequalities. In response to this scenario, certain social movements were erected in influential political opposition media and have become the voice of the upset citizens in recent years. Some of these platforms ran in the municipal elections of 2015 under different political banners. The electoral turnaround has been remarkable. A significant number of large cities are governed by these new parties or movements, including Madrid and Barcelona. Although an analysis in perspective is necessary, drastic changes in models of urban governance are anticipated. In this context, the article has a double objective. On the one hand, to study the socio-urban consequences of the crisis and post-crisis urban policies in terms of vulnerability and social exclusion and on the other hand, to analyse the governance strategies driven by new political collectives in the context of the crisis. The territories of study are the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, headers of the Spanish urban system which are also governed by political parties from civic platforms.