Urban crises require rethinking city models beyond just housing, prioritizing public space and street life for community connection.
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Major cities like Madrid, London, and New York face crises not only in housing but also in their urban models, which have created segregated environments and diminished public space. The problem stems from post-Francoist development in Spain and 21st-century trends that treat streets merely as thoroughfares rather than centers of urban life. The text argues that solving the housing crisis requires rethinking the city model, as housing is part of a complex web of social, economic, and cultural relationships. Historically, urban planning, influenced by functionalist ideas, prioritized separation and car use, leading to fragmented, car-dependent, and poorly connected cities. To remedy this, the focus must shift to the street as the basic unit of the city, recognizing it as the primary stage for daily life, community interaction, and local commerce. Concepts like Jane Jacobs’ emphasis on mixed-use areas and Paris’s “15-minute city” demonstrate that urban vitality comes from mixing activities and people. Furthermore, the solution lies not just in building more housing, but in developing more city—prioritizing the rehabilitation, densification, and regeneration of existing areas, as seen in examples like Vitoria-Gasteiz and Barcelona’s projects. Ultimately, tackling the housing crisis requires comprehensive urban policies that treat housing as part of a broader system, aiming to create connected, diverse, and socially rich urban environments.
