Landscapes of Pressure

Essay, Kathrin Golda-Pongratz, Low Density, Middle Density, Politics and economics, Territory and mobility

Abrera, Alcorcón, Barcelona, Built environment, Built landscape, Contemporary metropolis, Cornellà, Dormitory satellite, El Molar, El Prat, Essay, Eurovegas, Gavà, Getafe, Landscape, Landscape planning, Leganés, Madrid, Metropolis, Montcada i Reixac, New suburbanism, Notes towards a History of Urbanism, Paracuellos del Jarama, Political jurisdiction, Politics, Rural environment, Sant Boi, Satellite town, Spain, Speculation, Suburbs, Terrassa, Territory, Torrejón de Ardoz, Urban sprawl, Valdecarros, Viladecans

This text is a shortened version of the essay published in the book “Landscapes of Pressure” by the author in 2014.

What turns landscapes into landscapes of pressure is, in the first place, a map—a scaled register of the territory in which the simulacrum of an envisioned project is set. What matters for the project, its promoters and its investors is the territory’s location: the coordinates, proximities, political context, municipal boundaries and infrastructures previously set in it.