The persistence of Muslim urbanism: “young towns” in Melilla and the town planning debate.

Abstract

In Melilla, tension clearly exists between countries, cultures and levels of income. Various calculations estimate that Muslims, who are almost entirely of Spanish nationality, currently make up 40% of the total population of Melilla, which is forecast to rise to 60% in barely two decades. This is a strongly cohesive ethno-cultural collective, under pressure from both Morocco and Spain, that emerges as a citizenry to define the model of society and how it is shaped in the future. When considering town planning, the conflict between the two models is tangible: Muslim tradition and European urbanism. The types of housing and neighbourhoods define the integration and/or assimilation strategies of these two models. Muslims, for example, have demanded that spontaneous settlements, originally made up of sub-standard housing, be legalised and that specific urban facilities be provided. The public authorities, meanwhile, propose social and protected housing as part of town planning programmes loaded with Western values.