The History of Urban Planning in Spain, Portugal and Morocco: Muslim and Christian Traditions

This book includes a historic overview of urban planning in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco from 700 AD until the 20th century.

Under Muslim rule, there was an urban sophistication which was unfamiliar in the Christian world. The conquest of Granada and the discovery of America was seen as the beginning of a new era but this book presents a different view of Spain and Portugal which does not equate with the glamorous picture usually painted. Chapters detail the untold story of Muslim refugees, who founded towns in Morocco, and how the conflicts between Morocco and Spain started not only politically but also in terms of town planning, when Spain took over the Moroccan north. The history of Islamic city planning shows more consistency compared to the Christian equivalent, which became dominant worldwide, whereas the Islamic approach is mainly forgotten. Despite this, the change from Islamic to Christian cities was extremely slow regardless of the power of the church and the wealth which came from abroad. In tracing this history, this book seeks to highlight the past in order to learn from it and move towards building a future of livable cities.

This book will be of interest to students and instructors of planning history, urban planning and human geography and to people who are generally interested in history and cities.

Carmen Hass-Klau is Academic Advisor at Trondheim University in Norway. She previously worked at the consultancy she founded, Environmental and Transport Planning, and as Academic Advisor at Stavanger University.