SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND NEW INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE MARGINAL AREAS OF CATALONIA (SPAIN). APPROACHES TO TERRITORIAL DISPUTES RELATED TO NEW INFRASTRUCTURE

Josep Coma Guitart, University of Barcelona

Since the 1990's, and with increasing intensity, in Catalonia have emerged various opposition social movements to the construction of new infrastructure or new areas of urbanization. This is a recent phenomenon, with many different aspects as the case (origin, agents, end,…), but that the fund is based in a discussion on the model of use and management of the territory. Thus have emerged a series of territorial disputes, many of them related to the construction of energy, water or transportation new infrastructure.

This social phenomenon, with plenty of territorial implications, is common in developed countries, and especially in urban or more developed areas at the expense of the marginal or rural areas, where these opposition movements are more recent and weak, or non-exist due to various factors.

In Catalonia there are many different kinds of territorial conflicts, with a background or common denominator that is the territorial policies or model. Currently, most new infrastructure in Catalonia, promoted by the government (national and regional governments), generates opposition movements by various causes.

And this happens both in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and the coast, with a territorial model highly urbanised and congested infrastructure (where it is perhaps more justified the emergence of these movements); and in the rural counties, traditionally marginalized by public investment and lack of infrastructure (where theoretically one would assume that the population supports the construction of these).

The construction of a new road, extending a ski resort, creating a wind farm and the construction of a high voltage are the cases of study of this paper. All these cases have generated local opposition movements that have questioned the necessity and feasibility of the same, with such impact, that in many cases, have achieved the withdrawal of the project or limiting their supply.