All that glitters is not gold.

Jean-Baptiste Harguindéguy (1) , Sergio Argul Arias (2)

1 CEPC - Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales
2 UNED - Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Since the mid-1980s, ecodistricts have caught the attention of the academic world. By concentrating many of the features promoted by sustainable-development advocates, ecodistricts represent an interesting attempt to go beyond the modernist – and unsustainable – vision of the city. In recent years we have witnessed an impressive growth of ecodistrict-labelled projects in European countries, and more specifically in Spain during the recent take-off of the real estate market. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that in many cases, such urban programmes are mere smoke-screens which obscure the financing of traditional housing projects of doubtful sustainable content. In order to explain this phenomenon, we argue that the misuse of the sustainable-development label in Spain is due to a series of institutional mechanisms that ignored middle-term environmental costs.

Mots clés: ecodistricts; eco-neighbourhoods; sustainable communities; urban policy

Domaines: Science politique

Jean-Baptiste Harguindéguy, Sergio Argul Arias. All that glitters is not gold.: Urban sustainability and ecodistricts in Spain. 2002. ⟨halshs-00456375⟩