Asociación Española de Técnicos Urbanistas (AETU)
Spain
ECTP-CEU member since: 1986
Amount of own members: 230
President: Pablo MOLINA
Delegate(s): Ignacio PEMÁN GAVÍN
Contacts: Secretariat
carrer Avinyó 15
08002 Barcelona
Tel. +34 933 043 322
e-mail : aetu@aetu.es
Web: http://www.aetu.es
Annual AETU reports to ECTP-CEU
Spain’s projects presented by the AETU to the ECTP-CEU European and Regional Planning Awards:
2002 – 4th Edition:
• Valladolid – Land Planning Guidelines for Valladolid and its surroundings
Winner
2006 – 6th Edition:
• Sevilla – Integral Plan of the Poligono Sur of Sevilla
Special Mention
• Territorial Plan onf the functional Bajo Deba area
Special Mention
• Asturias Coastal Zone Protection Plan
Winner
• The Basque Regional Strategy
Winner
2008 – 7th Edition:
• Almonte – Almonte’s PGOU (General Plan of Urban Development)
• Sarriguren – Ecocity of Sarriguren
Winner
2010 – 8th Edition:
• Barcelona – Transformation plan of La Mina neighbourhood in the Barcelona Conurbation
Winner
2012 – 9th Edition:
• Castilla y León – PRAU Program: Program for promoting Regional Urban Development Action Plans
Special Mention
• Madrid – Proyecto Madrid Centro
Winner
2014 – 10th Edition:
• Pontevedra – Walking does it
• Lleida – Lleida Agri-Food Science and Technology Park
Country Factsheet for Spain (.es)
ECTP-CEU Stage 2 Draft – Appendix 4 Draft Directory (2012-12-21)
General Country Information
Capital City Madrid
Population 46,662,000
Area (km2) 504 645
Population Density 92 per km2
EU Membership Spain joined what is now known as the EU in 1986.
Spain is a Constitutional Monarchy, composed of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities; the constitution provides to those autonomous entities various degrees of autonomy.
Spain’s Ministry contacts:
(From the Government website)
“Ministerio de Fomento” (Ministry for Public Works):
Paseo de la Castellana, 67
Nuevos Ministerios
28071
Madrid
Phone: 915 977 000
Email: atencionciudadano@fomento.es,
portal@administracion.es
Contact form
Planning as a Regulated Profession in Spain
The regulation is indirectly operated by chambers or administrative bodies of the professions usually responsible for planning.
Professional Title:
The common professional name is “Urbanista”.
EU Database Status:
The profession of “Urbanista” in Spain is not included in the EU Database of Regulated Professions.
National Regulation:
Indirect through the professional bodies of Architecture, Engineering and Geographers.
Regional regulation:
None.
Universities with approved trainings in Spain
The courses leading to the profession of “Urbanista”, or town planner, are Third Level Degree in Planning.
Those courses are provided, in Spain, by:
• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University – Art, City and Territory Department Section of Town Planning
Technical University of Madrid – Higher Technical School of Civil Engineering
Technical University of Madrid – Urban & Regional Planning Department
Example from “ECTP-CEU Draft Stage 2 Study on the Recognition of Planning Qualifications in Europe”:
Master of Urban and Spatial Planning, Technical University of Madrid:
Here it isis a one year course relatively evenly spread over all criteria, but might need to be considered in conjunction with other qualifications.
Town Planning Press of Spain
• Revista de Derecho Urbanistico
• Ciudad y Territorio. Ministerio de Fomento:
• Urban. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura. Madrid
• La Ciudad Viva (LCV). Junta de Andalucía.
• Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles.
• El Croquis
• Arquitectura Viva
• Tectonica
• Materiales de Construccion
• Info Construccion
• EcoConstruccion
• Revista de Arquitectura
• Informes de la Construccion
Country regulation:
SPATIAL PLANNING:
Town Planning matters are divided between the two main competent levels in Spain, providing two kinds of documents:
• “Planeamiento Territorial” (Regional Planning)
• “Planeamiento Urbanistico” (Local Development Planning)
“Planeamiento Territorial” (Regional Planning):
These plans are set on a regional scale, they are general directives, and provide a framework on land and natural resources use. To reach the purpose of regional balance, they classify lands between three categories to specify what sort of use is possible: urban land, land to develop or unsuitable for development. It is then to the municipalities to implement this land classification into their administrative limits.
“Planeamiento Urbanistico” (Local Development Planning):
It represents the integration of the policies made by the regional government on the municipal level. The municipal decisions lie in the “Plan General Municipal” (local development plan), and can be detailed on specific matters in the “Plan de Desarollo” or “Derivado” (Detailed Local Development Plan). This level also includes public infrastructures, services or public spaces, such as parks, coasts, rivers … It is this local level which contributes to a form of legal certainty to the public, by detailing the requirements and the rules.
COMPETENT BODIES:
• Municipalities and Autonomous Communities
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNICATION
Information, consultation and dialogue
A 1994 Law provides to citizens a direct participation in the formulation of Spatial Planning plans in all Autonomous Communities. It details that the public information is guaranteed for a period of not less than two months, when the plan has been drafted. There is a legal obligation to consult and hear the general public.
However, the law doesn’t place any constraints to the participation, which could have implied to take into account the comments and observations made by the public. Therefore, it is to the local authorities to provide effective mechanisms or to force itself to improve the public participation, and thus, enhance the public involvement.
PLANNING LEGISLATION
Main Planning legislation
From Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2008, de 20 de junio -Texto Refundido de la Ley de Suelo-, Titulo Preliminar, Articulo 2:
“(…)
1. Las políticas públicas relativas a la regulación, ordenación, ocupación, transformación y uso del suelo tienen como fin común la utilización de este recurso conforme al interés general y según el principio de desarrollo sostenible, sin perjuicio de los fines específicos que les atribuyan las Leyes.”
(Public policies on regulation, management, occupation, land use change have the common purpose to use this resource in the public interest and to respect the principle of sustainable development, without prejudice to the final purposes assigned to such laws)
2. “En virtud del principio de desarrollo sostenible, las políticas a que se refiere el apartado anterior deben propiciar el uso racional de los recursos naturales armonizando los requerimientos de la economía, el empleo, la cohesión social, la igualdad de trato y de oportunidades entre mujeres y hombres, la salud y la seguridad de las personas y la protección del medio ambiente, contribuyendo a la prevención y reducción de la contaminación (…)”
(Under the principle of sustainable development, policies from the previous paragraph should encourage the rational use of natural resources by harmonizing the requirements of the economy, employment, social cohesion, equal treatment and opportunities for women and men, health and safety of people and protecting the environment, and contributing to the prevention and reduction of pollution)
Websites
Asociación Española de Técnicos Urbanistas:
http://aetu.es/
Ministerio de Fomento:
http://www.fomento.gob.es/
Boletin Oficial del Estado:
https://www.boe.es/
Congreso de los Diputados:
http://www.congreso.es/
Marine Policy and Marine Spatial Planning:
http://www.marineplan.es/
Regulated Profession Database of the European Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/regprof/index.cfm?action=homepage
European Centre for Nature Conservation:
http://www.ecnc.org/