Urban Policy as a Main Key towards Sustainable Built Environment of Popular Neighbourhood: Case Study of “El Cabanyal” Valencia Spain

Abstract

El Cabanyal, a popular neighbourhood and old fishermen’s village, in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain, is a very explicit example on how popular neighbourhoods can be drastically transformed in line with urban policies’ evolution. This neighbourhood -that has a strong cultural identity expressed by its vernacular architecture, local art and social life-kept resisting gentrification during the last 30 years. As a result, this neighbourhood has shown a great deal of deterioration as a price that had to pay in order to keep its own identity within the Mediterranean city of Valencia.This paper demonstrates the evolution of local and popular neighbourhoods according to adopted urban policies by taking the neighbourhood of El Cabanyal as a case study. Therefore, it will firstly scrutinize the proposed urban policies/strategies by the regional government in order to develop this neighbourhood. Secondly, it will shed light on the participatory design solutions based on the local community involvement, to develop the area without destruction and getting use of its potentials. Finally, it will propose a diagnostic tool and ecological urban solutions that can be elaborated in order to tackle such complex problems.We believe that the change of urban policies can give different spectrums to sustainable development strategies by addressing social problems and heritage conservation questions. The delicacy of the issue is a typical 21st Century problem encountering different contexts. It can be an obstacle for sustainable urban/social development if not addressed correctly. This is why it must be integrated in the strategies proposed by urban policies’ decision makers.