Evolution of urban renewal policies in areas of integrated renovation in Spain (1978-2012)

The aim of this article is to study the evolution of urban intervention policies through Areas of Integrated Renovation (known by the acronym ARI in Spanish) implemented in Spain between 1978 and 2012. The analysis explores the birth and consolidation of the concept in national housing policy from Royal Decree 3148/1978 to the 2009-2012 Housing Plan. It also studies the 'integrality' of interventions in urban areas by analyzing twenty representative study cases. Integrated interventions are those that include not only urban planning but also urban design and local environment, building and socio-economical dimensions. The work is based on results extracted from previous research on the analysis of national and European policies on urban regeneration and district renovation conducted for the Ministry of Economic Development under the auspices of an agreement signed with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (ETSAM, UPM) in 2011.