Los retos de la ciudad compacta desde la perspectiva de los cascos históricos con fuerte actividad turística. El caso de Toledo

Historical centres represent the traditional form on which the paradigm of the compact, dense and diverse city has been built and, more broadly, the sustainable city model. However, the extent to which the current problems and challenges faced by these spaces guarantee sustainable urban development is questioned. At the same time, what are the challenges and how can we move towards sustainable development in compact urban forms such as historic centres with strong tourist activity? Answering these questions is the primary objective of the research. For this, we employ a hypothetical-deductive methodology and resort to literary revision and the use of data from different sources, including field work and direct observation. In the results, we review the main frameworks and approaches in which the intervention in historic centres in Spain has been carried out and point out the most important dynamics in progress, contrasting them with the Toledo case study. Two conclusions stand out: the mismatch between the sustainable nature of the spatial model and the emergence of an unsustainable model in the functional and socio­economic plane and the need to reverse this mismatch through greater coordination between administrations and sectoral policies and better regulation and control. We consider that the main practical application of this research is to contribute to the under­standing of historic centres in the present.