ABSTRACT
The recognition of new urban realities for the design of more efficient territories is becoming a pressing need in the current post-crisis context of developed countries such as Spain, where dense and complex urban spaces coexist with extensive unpopulated regions with a clear rural dimension. The above-mentioned post-economic crisis context is characterized, among other corollaries, by the deepening of imbalances both between regions and within each of them. This approach takes on special relevance in those regional areas which, due to their geographical situation or historical evolution, suffer from structural problems that have hindered their ideal development in the new global framework of economic relations.
Our contribution addresses, from a holistic approach, the evolution of the small-town system (considering urban settlements with a size between 5,000 and 50,000 inhabitants) in Spain from the mid-20th century (980 small towns) to the present (when their number exceeds 1,250), their current components and functionality, the territorial role of small towns, the urban properties that are inherent to their size and territorial layout and how, based on the recognition and strengthening of these, they can facilitate a more rational organisation of the national territory. The aim is also to identify and outline a characterization of small towns according to their recent demographic trends and functions.
