Housing and railways in Spain around the second half of the 20th century

RENFE building alongside the Valencia-Albereda station under construction. Source: AHF. FV-0042

Ever fewer workers, ever fewer railways: housing and railways in Spain around the second half of the 20th century

Authors: Domingo Cuéllar and Aurora Martínez-Corral

Railway business management models, the forms of accommodation for workers and the housing construction types employed underwent transformations in the second half of the 20th century throughout Europe. In the case of Spain, the creation of a nationwide public enterprise (RENFE), the growing concentration of employees in urban or semi-urban settings and the adaptation of the high-rise block model integrated within mixed neighbourhoods, often far from the workplace, are the scenarios confirming this new situation and which we here study between 1941 and 1964, the period of transition from a traditional model based on the development of railway settlements and neighbourhoods, to a new, development policy approach, with housing cooperatives to the fore.

 RENFE building alongside the Valencia-Albereda station in its current condition. Source: produced by the authors.

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The presentation made at the International Congress on Worker Settlements and Factory Towns held in October 2018 may be found here