In Spain, fifteen cities have been declared World Heritage Cities by UNESCO. This implies a responsibility to conserve all the heritage wealth of these places. However, what is the point of heritage if it cannot be known and visited? In order to be able to do this for all people, in equal and inclusive conditions, it is essential to consider Accessibility and Universal Design principles. This is a challenge that requires a personalised study in places that were precisely built with the idea of being inaccessible. In particular, the study of the urban fabric and pedestrian itineraries are the determining spaces that this article develops. The aim of this study is to determine the keys and possible guidelines for the definition of urban accessibility indicators in the routes of historic city centres. For this purpose, significant routes have been sought in historic centres from the accessibility point of view: areas of high pedestrian traffic (in many cases for tourist reasons). Thus, six of the fifteen historic quarters of the World Heritage Cities in Spain have been selected for the study, with examples of good accessibility practices and difficulties that can be identified in their itineraries. For this analysis, an initial study of the existing documentation on the subject (secondary information sources) is carried out, in addition to a direct analysis (primary information source) of the graphic documentation compiled in each of these places. Subsequently, a complementary analysis will be made of some examples of good practice in pedestrian routes in historic city centres in cities in other countries. On the basis of this preliminary analysis, a comparison will be made to establish common points and singularities among the different case studies first, and then with other cities. This diagnosis provides results that are identified as “keys to consider in the intervention on pedestrian routes in historic centres”. These keys not only address issues of mobility, but also location, orientation, understanding, etc., thus addressing a holistic consideration of accessibility as a fundamental principle for all people, and in particular for the elderly sector, which is one of the groups that is clearly growing and which, without necessarily having to have a severe or recognised disability, needs an accessible environment that is easy to use. As a main conclusion, it can be said that the results of this study do not only have an internal application for these cities but can be perfectly extrapolated as a basis for the elaboration of specific indicators for any historic city centre in any city in the world, considering the necessary adaptation to the specific characteristics of each city.

A lo largo de la historia el espacio público de pueblos y ciudades se ha caracterizado por acoger y favorecer tanto los encuentros e intercambios culturales como las revoluciones y cambios sociales. En el caso de Occidente, éstas han fomentado la expansión territorial de la democracia. Pero ¿qué ocurre cuando la reivindicación, lucha o incluso revolución de plazas y calles sirve para revertir todos los avances democráticos alcanzados? En este artículo se analizan las demandas independentistas en los entornos urbanos vascos durante los años de 1969-2011. Para ello, se emplea una metodología de revisión bibliográfica de las acciones realizadas los núcleos urbanos mediante las manifestaciones artísticas relativas al independentismo y terrorismo vasco. Hasta lograr así, mermar la neutralidad del espacio público hasta apropiarse de él. De esta forma, se expone la evolución del independentismo y terrorismo vasco mediante las perspectivas ciudadanas a través de sus pintadas, murales y carteles.

Most of Madrid is covered by an extensive train network that allows thousands of people to commute by train daily. However, some collectives with either permanent or temporary disabilities, may find obstacles that limit their access to the station, the carriages, or both. By studying the information available on graphic maps, which is the common source for passengers to know whether a station is accessible or not before reaching it, the number of accessible stations, and how they have evolved from 2009 to 2020, has been studied. The study has analyzed the degree of inclusiveness that Madrid’s train network provided in the aforementioned period regarding complete accessibility, partial accommodations, and whether the carriages of the arriving trains were accessible. As a result, both the map analysis and quantitative data collection have shown that although the total number of accessible stations increased over the studied period, their irregular variations may reflect the modifications in public regulations. Thus, Madrid can be an example of how to study the level of accessibility in the train network in order to determine the consequences of sprawl in urban accessibility, and how this can hinder full access for all people to every point of the city.

Cities reflect the social, political, and technological evolution of humanity. The implementation of new technologies in urban areas facilitate these changes. For that reason, decision-making processes in urban management have changed significantly in recent decades. At present, artificial intelligence and the supporting data infrastructures represent a new urban paradigm where city governance must attend to proper urban development while considering its citizens' opinions. However, AI requires continuous data collection to feed the algorithms. Collecting this data may raise privacy issues that vulnerate citizens' rights and personal data. Even if Europe and its member states possess highly protective privacy laws, this is still a significant concern for many citizens in urban decision-making processes. This chapter collects the European legal framework regarding AI data infrastructures and the European Green Deal to measure their potential impact on urban transformation. Also, the relationship between fundamental urban principles and the city-governance are analysed.

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