''En el último decenio se han construido en España tantas viviendas como en Alemania, Italia, Gran Bretaña y Francia juntas''
In the last decade as much housing has been built in Spain as in Germany, Italy, Great Britain and France combined''.
Sociologist José Miguel Iribas stated at the University of Navarra that development urban planning "must be sustainable and respond to real needs".
"In Spain there is not enough market to repeat the real estate expansion of the last decade, when as many houses have been built as in Germany, Italy, Great Britain and France put together". Sociologist José Miguel Iribas made these statements at the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra, where he gave a lecture lecture.
José Miguel Iribas indicated that in previous crises "it seemed that we were going to rethink the models of development, but the good intentions were forgotten when activity resumed. However, this recession is going to be longer and more painful, so we will have a longer period to reflect".
Although he indicated that it is not possible to avoid urban development , he stressed that this"must be sustainable and respond to real needs, which is a requirement core topic to make good architecture". He also insisted that actions "cannot be limited to peripheral aggregations; the regeneration of the city's dead spaces and rehabilitation are becoming increasingly important. In the last 35 years, urban planning has been bad: people live badly in the suburbs".
Regarding Pamplona, he commented that it has overcome this discussion of urban continuity: "Its large developments are no longer aggregations in 'onion layers'. Mendillorri or Sarriguren, for example, are compact interventions, but far from the city".
Changing the concept of tourist activity
On the other hand, José Miguel Iribas referred to the effort that many capitals have made in recent times to gain tourist attractiveness. He mentioned that this is a booming sector, especially in developed countries, which, he said, occupy the top positions in tourism income statistics. As an example, he mentioned that in New York, this item accounts for 16% of GDP income, and in London, culture and tourism account for more than 20%.
In his opinion, efforts should not be limited to concrete constructions, but should be prolonged over time."Sometimes it is thought that the construction of a space is enough of a claim, but it is not enough to make an icon: you have to retain people in the city," he explained.
Thus, he bet on changing the concept of tourist activity: "The 'fetish' has to appeal to the protagonism of the experience: the person cannot be a mere receiver, since this produces only an instantaneous emotion. Time contents are needed for travelers to stay in the place and enjoy it".