Urban Planning and Sustainability in the Cities of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain): Current Challenges

The concept of sustainability has recently become a key matter of concern in urban planning, especially in the context of ever-increasing populations in urban spaces, as noted in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11, “Sustainable cities and communities”. In this study, we analyze the policies that are shaping the transition toward urban sustainability in the Spanish context. We focus on the evolution of such policies since the end of the last century, from Local Agenda 21 to the current sustainable development strategies. The territorial scope of the study covers the five provincial capitals of the region of Castilla-La Mancha (Albacete, Toledo, Guadalajara, Ciudad Real, and Cuenca). The research question posed herein is: “Have the policies that have been applied made these cities more sustainable?”. The methodology for answering this question is based on bibliographic analysis and analytical analysis, achieved by the qualitative method of interviewing the agents involved in the ISUDS, and conducting an applied analysis of the main actions developed in each of the cities, for which collaboration with the city councils has been key. Synthetic analysis has been used to conduct research using geographic information systems. The key findings relate to the progress made in achieving urban sustainability in these medium-sized cities, and the success of the urban planning process. We identified the following variables in the current ISUDS actions: new uses for unused urban lots, new building construction programs, street rehabilitation, building rehabilitation, and neighborhood regeneration.