ABSTRACT
Valencia, founded by the Romans in 138 BCE, is a Mediterranean city on the east coast of Spain. With over 1.5 million residents in its metro area, it is the third most populated city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. The most densely populated of its 19 districts (Figure 12.1) are the Cuitat Vella, the historic core of the city, and the districts that surround it. Over its 2,000-plus years of history, Valencia has expanded outwards from the original Roman settlement along the winding west to east course of the Turia river. In Figure 12.1, the old course of the river forms the northern border of districts 7, 3, 1, 2, and 10 on its way to the sea. This is the “old” course of the river because the Turia no longer flows here. This river corridor, once a maritime artery of trade, is now the Jardín del Turia Park, and how it was formed is a story of how a social tragedy spurred the creation of a world-class urban GI amenity.
