Modernisation during Franco’s regime: urban planning, traffic, and social discontent in Madrid (1957-1973)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the demolition of boulevards and the construction of flyovers in Madrid. These two engineering works are part of a concept of modernization based on private transport that was promoted during the 1960’s which resulted in a serious urban crisis. The concept of the “urban” is seen as a global phenomenon embedded in wider historical processes that went beyond the Spanish national background: this transformation was a result of the solutions given by traffic engineering and urban planning. These two branches of international knowledge shared a same tendency to prioritize driver’s interests at the expense of pedestrians, who were pushed out of the streets. Moreover, the reliance on private transport failed to organize communications between the center and the outskirts of Madrid, regarded as a metropolitan area. The local authorities used propaganda to legitimize its idea of modernization. However, a wave of discomfort spread across the citizens and was channeled into open criticism of the flyovers. This unease can be linked to a general rejection of the practical applications of post-World War II urban planning.