On suburbanization and peri-urbanization. Conversation with Oriol Nel-lo

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.20242311124

Keywords:

Suburbanization, Periurbanization, Urban dispersion, Metropolitan governance, Territorial planning, Residential segregation

Abstract

Oriol Nel·lo is a prominent geographer and expert in urban studies and spatial planning, whose career has left a significant mark on these fields. Educated at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he obtained a doctorate in geography, and the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, where he completed a master's degree in international affairs, Nel·lo has had a prolific academic and political career. In the conversation with Nel·lo, the issues of suburbanization and periurbanization are addressed from a comparative and historical perspective. Reflections are shared on urban dispersion, the particularities of the Spanish context, and the challenges of metropolitan governance. Nel·lo analyzes urban dynamics influenced by globalization and American models, emphasizing the importance of multi-scalar territorial planning to balance sustainability, social cohesion, and spatial equity. Phenomena such as residential segregation and green gentrification are also discussed. Finally, strategies such as strengthening urban networks and integrating landscape policies to mitigate the negative effects of urban dispersion are explored.

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Author Biographies

  • Javier Monclús, Universidad de Zaragoza

    Javier Monclús Fraga (1951) is a Professor of Urban Design and Emeritus Professor at the University of Zaragoza. He was the Director of the Department of Architecture (UPA) at the School of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Zaragoza (2009-2016). Previously, he was a Professor of Urban Design at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1980-2005), Director of the Accompanying Plan for the Zaragoza Expo 2008 Consortium (2005-2009), and a consultant in urban planning and design projects. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal Planning Perspectives and the Director of ZARCH. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. He has been the President of ISUF-H (Hispanic International Seminar on Urban Form) since 2021. He has participated as a guest or visiting professor in courses and seminars at several Spanish and foreign universities. He is the co-director of the reference research group "Urban Landscapes and Contemporary Project" (PUPC). He has published numerous works on the theory and history of urbanism, urban projects, and landscape urbanism. His publications include: La ciudad dispersa (editor, 1998); International Exhibitions and Urbanism: The Zaragoza Expo 2008 Project (2009); Urban Visions. From Planning Culture to Landscape Urbanism (co-editor, with C. Díez Medina, 2017); and Ciudad de Bloques. Retrospective and Prospective Reflections on Housing Estates (co-author, with C. Díez Medina, 2020), ¿Qué hay de nuevo? Conversaciones con urbanistas contemporáneos (in press, Asimétricas).

  • Raimundo Bambó, Universidad de Zaragoza

    Raimundo Bambó Naya (Huesca, 1975) is an architect from the University of Navarre (2000) and holds a Doctorate in Architecture from the University of Zaragoza (2016). He is an Associate Professor of Urban Design at the School of Engineering and Architecture (EINA), University of Zaragoza. He has been a guest professor in international seminars and workshops at TEC de Monterrey (2006), IUAV di Venezia (2015), ETSA de Barcelona UPC (2017), and Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, Brazil (2023). He is the coordinator, on behalf of the University of Zaragoza, of the CICES International Design Workshop in Dakar (2020). He has been a member of the Institute of Heritage and Humanities and of the PUPC research group since its creation in 2010. He is also the coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in New Territories in Architecture. He is the Principal Investigator of the R&D+i project "Strategic Peri-Urban Areas in Transition: Eco-Cultural Challenges in Urban Regeneration Processes in Spanish Cities," funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, in collaboration with Carmen Díez Medina. In parallel, he developed his professional career at IDOM between 2000 and 2013. His work has received several awards from prestigious institutions, including the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, the São Paulo Biennial of Architecture, the European Biennial of Landscape, the Caja de Arquitectos Foundation, the Higher Council of Architects of Spain, and the Official College of Architects of Aragon. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7792-6192

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Published

2024-12-26

Issue

No. 23 (2024): Peri-urban landscapes

Section

Conversations

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Copyright (c) 2024 ZARCH. Journal of interdisciplinary studies in Architecture and Urbanism

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Monclús, J., & Bambó, R. (2024). On suburbanization and peri-urbanization. Conversation with Oriol Nel-lo. ZARCH. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, 23, 184-197. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.20242311124

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