Urban clearance as an urban regeneration model: The example of Barcelona ciutat Vella

In Turkey, the term of "urban regeneration" is generally demoted the transformation of physical space. However, when we examine the experiences - especially- in Europe, it is possible to see the long-term transformation processes and their social, economic and environmental dimensions. After a 40-year dictatorship period in Spain, Catalonia regain its autonomy (1979) and the new-elected city council of its capital- Barcelona adopted new urban strategies called "Barcelona Model". The transformation of old town (Ciutat Vella district) - which had been a deprived area since the mid 19th century- was one of the main parts of Barcelona Model. As part of it, Barcelona's municipality has introduced a series of urban renewal programmes – PERIs (Special Plans of Interior Reform) – to deal with deprived neighbourhoods of the city centre suffering from poor housing conditions, inadequate services and infrastructure, and decreasing population. The principal intervention method of PERIs was an urban clearance model called esponjamiento. This thesis work, seeks to evaluate this urban clearance model and its social & spatial effects to the region via comparing the biggest urban intervention experiences during Ciutat Vella's transformation process: El Raval (large-scale demolition) and Santa Caterina (micro-scale demolition) neighbourhoods. Keywords: Old town, urban transformation, Barcelona, urban clearance, gentrification.