This serious issue calls for a restructuring of the current urban model toward a polycentric system on a suprametropolitan scale, based on urban corridors that are ultra-connected through fast and efficient public transportation. However, this long-term transformation must be complemented by strategies that preserve non-urbanized areas. One solution is the reintroduction of mixed and flexible zoning in already consolidated areas. This mix of uses was an essential feature of cities in the past but was lost with the rise of zoning promoted by the modernist movement. Recovering the mixed-use essence of consolidated urban fabric doesn’t mean deregulating land use, but rather redefining its rules with a clear goal: creating more sustainable and equitable cities that ensure residents’ quality of life and well-being.
One example is transforming large plots of already-built but inefficient tertiary land, located in more or less central and well-connected areas, to densify them with mixed uses. The reintroduction of residential uses in prime locations would help alleviate land shortages and their effects in areas where intervention is difficult. Of course, this densification requires recalibrating green spaces and public services. However, with detailed regulation (including percentages of social housing, affordable rental units, senior housing, and the allocation of space for green areas and public amenities), it would be possible to restore social diversity in certain areas, increase access to housing, expand the rental stock, and improve the quality of underutilized and disconnected areas without losing tertiary uses, but rather rethinking them with a contemporary perspective.
At L35 Architects, we have developed several projects incorporating these strategies in Montigny-lès-Cormeilles and Paridis, both in France, which is leading the way with flexible planning systems based on public-private collaboration. In Spain, the opportunity is still waiting to be seized to mark a turning point in the urban future.
Cristina Anglès Farré
