Arquitectura Nº 387 (Territorio)

The Arquitectura magazine addresses the territorial issue through various formats: projects and constructions, interviews, and discussions with stakeholders—both public and private—involved in the urban transformation, or essays and opinion articles, among other materials that will account for the territorial transformation—trans-scalar (not exclusively associated with large-scale)—that the cities are experiencing.

The Madrid metropolitan area forms the second largest city in the European Union, following Paris. Moreover, among the major European cities with over 1 million inhabitants, Madrid will be the only one to grow by more than 20%, increasing its population by nearly 1.5 million in 25 years. This transformation presents significant opportunities but also poses substantial territorial challenges. These encompass both infrastructural issues—providing clean air, water, and energy, among others—and considering a territorial mosaic that includes food supply or biodiversity conservation. Such profound demographic growth necessitates the creation of an urban fabric that encourages citizen interaction, creating public spaces, facilities, and quality housing at affordable prices.

This issue of Arquitectura magazine aims to study exemplary practices in Madrid that can demonstrate how the city's infrastructural and ecological dimensions should permeate all scales so that, starting from the territorial dimension, it reaches through all layers to the everyday lives of citizens.