Dysfunctions in the territorial form: the case of Valencia

Abstract

[EN] It is possible to associate the idea of territorial harmony with the idea of territorial function. The perception of a territory with distributed uses that allow the observer to identify its functions and a landscape, urban and territorial, appropriate to the uses, generates a sense of harmony or order of “things”, uses, in the territory. To the contrary, when, for example, people observe a natural space or resource as agricultural lands, where other external uses are located, such as industrial installations or transport infrastructures, the observer perceives a disorderly, degraded and dysfunctional landscape. This idea can serve as a basis to analyze the territorial forms. This article aims to analyze the territorial dysfunctions that have occurred in the process of transformation of the metropolitan area of Valencia and propose actions to manage the territory to sustainability. In metropolitan areas, such as the case of Valencia, there are usually spaces of great environmental value that give an environmental service as an ecological pantry for the population. However, in recent times, many of these spaces have undergone processes of urban sprawl that have produced a collapse of territorial harmony. In addition, mature metropolitan areas have low or no population growth while the artificial territory continues to increase. It is necessary to promote positive initiatives to identify and manage the green infrastructure. This implies a structural review of territorial management processes to achieve sustainability.