The newspaper Mediterráneo, widely distributed in the province of Castellón, contains a section called “LAS TERTULIAS DE CAFÉ 56” in which, in a relaxed and informal way, it invites professionals from different fields to discuss topics of general interest, while enjoying of a meal. The last gathering has been dedicated to the evolution of urban planning in the city of Castellón in recent decades and to speak about it, the guests were three architects with extensive experience: Consuelo Leal Jiménez, Ignacio García Campá and Víctor García Gil. The printed edition of February 21, 2023 summarizes the most relevant of the conversation they had, characterized by the conviction that the city is today much more humane, accessible and comparable to other provincial capitals that have taken advantage of recent years to renew and correct a scenario of performances that are not always well planned.
The case of Castellón, a city that lacks a perceptible and well-preserved historic center and where urban chaos was the hallmark for decades, well illustrates the efforts that must be implemented to overcome the heavy burden inherited from a society that has lost control of it. respect for the built city and temporized with the degradation of the urban scene and the consecration of vulgarity. Fortunately, society is advancing, the premises of new developments are different today and the transformation of a small provincial capital, such as Castellón, currently offers solutions comparable to similar actions undertaken in other cities around us.
Urban rehabilitation and regeneration become, in a case like that of Castellón, a basic pillar of the actions necessary to transform the city. And this type of intervention, which will necessarily require the replacement of many buildings of very low building quality and poor integration, are very difficult to put into practice and can only prosper when all the actors (neighbors, owners, technicians, developers, builders and Public Administration) push in the same direction.