Transformation of Growth and Cohesion Models: shifts in Urban Governance in Barcelona and Madrid

Abstract

Analysis of urban governance models not only requires consideration of the structural context but also the specific local conditions of cities. The evolution of the Barcelona and Madrid urban governance models show an extreme complexity and strong particularities for both cases. This study is based on a series of in-depth interviews with public authorities and civil society entities, a literature review and an analysis of secondary sources referred to the evolution of governance and the agenda for competitiveness and social cohesion in Barcelona and Madrid. Results clearly show two different models of urban governance, each with its own characteristics and its specific historical development. Nevertheless, in both cases the accelerated exhaustion of the previous models allowed for new attempts of socio-political and economic proposals in the context of the new urban agenda.