Evolution of the administrative entities of urbanistic licenses in the town hall of Madrid: adaptation to the development of the metropolis

This article analyses the evolution of the three principal administrative entities that are currently empowered to process urban planning licenses in the city of Madrid. The article draws from demographic analyses and historical data, initially by comparing them to similar data of other large capitals. It shows that the configuration of Districts is key to understanding the development of the city, and that this responsibility falls within the daily duties of Municipal Boards. This relationship elucidates districts’ prevailing autonomies and their developments, and moreover that these developments are rhythmic in nature as they are associated with the growth of the metropolis. To understand the dynamics of the so-called Greater Madrid Area, and the complex nature of managing authorizations for building projects, it is helpful to have insights into administrative entities with processing power. To attain the latter it is necessary to study the evolution of these entities, i.e. how they have adapted to the complexities of administrating urban rights.