The city and urban area of Valladolid are a clear example of the trends that have characterised the evolution of the urban system and urban planning in Spain in the cycle that includes the last two decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Valladolid has experienced the processes of metropolisation and urban expansion typical of this period, and its urban planning framework has reflected the changes in urban planning legislation and practice. Through this case study, it is concluded that in this period certain balances within the urban planning system – between expansion and reform, between planning and management, and between model and fragments – have been broken and must be recovered in order to face a new cycle of urban development focused on regeneration.
