La demolición a gran escala como técnica de intervención urbana. La apertura de la Avenida de la Constitución de Sevilla (1906-1927)

Abstract

Developed over the first third of 20th century, the opening up of "Avenida de la Constitución" in Seville inherits some of Haussmann's urban strategies carried out in Paris some time before, and presents clear similarities with the creation of Gran Vía in Madrid. It took place at a time when historic urban fabric protection principles were not yet settled upon collective consciousness, thus it was mainly based on a large-scale deletion of the pre-existing plot. Amongst others, two major 16th century architecture samples, such as former Santa María de Jesús College (first home to the University of Seville) and Santo Tomás College, were teared down to enable this urban operation. Confidence upon the wider crosssection benefits and the new architecture style it would bring along was at the core of this envisioning, generating a space that still keeps its role as main gateway to the historic centre of Seville.