María José Piñeira Mantiñán

New models of urban governance in Spain during the post-crisis period: the fight against vulnerability on a local scale

ABSTRACT Austerity policies and the bankruptcy of the welfare state in Spain since the crisis of 2008 have mobilized the population to demand new models of urban governance, an improvement of basic services (work, health, education and housing) and the right to the city in a context of democratic deepening. The emergence of new leftist parties, a result of the Indignados social movement, is perceived as an alternative to the economic and social consequences of the neoliberal economic model implemented in Spain from the mid-1980s to 2008. Confronting the situation of economic, social and residential vulnerability in which society is immersed requires collaborative, multilevel and network governance. This paper examines the new urban governance models, reflecting on their objectives and challenges. The cases of Madrid and Barcelona, where mayors of leftist parties are carrying out a new plan of city government, are analyzed with a particular focus on supporting the most vulnerable and promoting more collaborative governance. In the medium term, it remains to be seen whether this new model is sustainable or is simply a post-crisis reaction.Austerity policies and the bankruptcy of the welfare state in Spain since the crisis of 2008 have mobilized the population to demand new models of urban governance, an improvement of basic services...

The New Urban Governance. The Case of Madrid: Between Utopia, Desire and Reality

The article analyzes the degree of success achieved by the municipal governments that came to power in Spain after the 2015 elections. In the face of corruption, vulnerability and the neo-liberal growth model that has prevailed since the mid-1980s, they promote a new model of urban governance based on the principles of efficiency, transparency, equity and citizen participation. Principles that laid the foundations of their electoral programs. After two years, it is time to assess if this desire has been fulfilled. Through the Madrid case study this paper will provide an overview of how local authorities are simultaneously addressing the dual pressures of reducing debt as well as restoring the welfare state and the trust of the population. We will explore to what extent they have managed to fulfill their promises, the main problems they have had, how the opposition perceives their urban policies and if they continue to have the support of associations and institutions that originally endorsed them.