Rural Utopia and Water Urbanism: The Modern Village in Franco's Spain

During the post-Civil War era in Spain, the countryside was utilized as a symbol for state reconstruction and modernization. The Modern Village in Francos Spain explores the reconstruction of towns devastated between 1936 and 1939, focusing on the hydro-social program of modernizing the countryside. This program involved creating man-made landscapes, including dams, irrigation canals, electric power plants, and new settlements. The strategy of interior colonization resulted in the construction of 300 new villages, designed as rural utopias centered around plazas. In the 1950s and 1960s, a new generation of architects reimagined the pueblos as platforms for urban and architectonic experimentation, seeking an abstracted rural vernacular and an organic urban form merging with the landscape.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 350 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: DOM Publishers

After the Civil War, Spain utilized the countryside as a focal point and emblem for rebuilding and modernizing the nation. The Modern Village in Franco's Spain delves into the reconstruction of towns ravaged between 1936 and 1939. It examines the ideological, political, and urbanistic principles of Franco's hydro-social program of modernizing the countryside by creating man-made landscapes (Kulturlandschaften) consisting of dams, irrigation canals, electric power plants, and new settlements. This innovative experiment in water urbanism resulted in a strategic interior colonization effort, leading to the construction of 300 new villages or pueblos. Each village was meticulously designed as a "rural utopia," centered around a plaza mayor, which embodied a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, representing the political ideal of civil life under the national-catholic regime.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a new generation of architects, including José Luis Fernández del Amo, Alejandro de la Sota, and Antonio Fernández Alba, reimagined the pueblos as platforms for urban and architectonic experimentation. They sought to create an abstracted rural vernacular and an organic urban form that seamlessly merged with the landscape. These architects aimed to redefine the traditional rural settlements and breathe new life into them, fostering a unique blend of urban and rural elements. Their innovative designs and forward-thinking approaches contributed to the transformation of Spanish architecture and urban planning during this period.

Weight: 1198g
Dimension: 215 x 232 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783869225050