The promotion of local welfare systems through the development of social infrastructures: An analysis of the urban agendas in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the extent to which Urban Agendas (UA), as tools at the service of the Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Model (ISUDM), contribute to the development of Local Welfare Systems. In order to analyse this issue and evaluate its impact, the focus is placed on social infrastructures. In addition, this work analyses the possible differences between municipalities based on a series of key variables, such as institutional capacity, socioeconomic characteristics and political context. To achieve this objective, the methodology consisted of analysing a sample of 61 municipalities and their respective UA from a database of 146. The results have shown that variables such as institutional capacity, measured through population size and the economic capacity of the municipality seem to place greater emphasis on local welfare, through the prioritization of social infrastructures, while political ideology would not be introducing significant differences in this regard. A cluster analysis has identified two main groups: larger, wealthier cities that prioritize welfare and infrastructures, and smaller, poorer cities that do so to a lesser extent. The study concludes that, despite diverse socioeconomic and political factors, UA are generally homogeneous, influenced by national and international policies, such as the Spanish Urban Agenda (SUA), the EU Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research highlights the homogenizing effect of national funding, which can limit local flexibility and innovation, and underlines the need for a balance between national objectives and local needs.