Abandonment in the periphery and peri-urban landscape of Bilbao

Abstract

The urban restructuring of Bilbao has turned its back on its industrial past, but there are neighbourhoods distant from the centre where companies have been closing steadily and there has been no intervention. This article approaches the issue of ruin and abandonment in the landscape, putting it in relation to socioeconomic facts, in this case, belonging to the peri-urban environment and periphery of the town of Bilbao. For this purpose, all abandoned elements in these areas are inventoried and valued: they may be more or less scattered, impact differently on the landscape, or be observed by most of the inhabitants of the city or by anyone. But what will happen to these abandoned elements or landscapes? In a changing world where the cores of the cities are being transformed and their surroundings extended without stopping (while resources exist), this study analyses whether Bilbao chooses to rehabilitate, convert in something new or just keep these landscapes of abandonment.