UNNOTICED URBAN VULNERABILITY. THE CASE OF THE CITY OF VALLADOLID AND A METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR ITS DETECTION

Inequality between spaces exists in most cities around the world. In Spain, the concept of "urban vulnerability" is often used to address this issue. Failure to intervene in areas where some of the inhabitants are worse off than in surrounding areas can unbalance the urban complex. Public administrations occasionally carry out interventions aimed at improving disadvantaged areas and, consequently, the quality of life of their residents. Accurate identification of these spaces is essential, as a possible error can exclude certain citizens from the process. With the aim of enriching existing location processes, we review standard methods and develop the idea of ​​"unnoticed vulnerability," referring to vulnerability that is not recognized in studies on the subject, which are mainly quantitative. Its possible causes are analyzed, its presence in the city of Valladolid is confirmed, and its spatial consequences are shown. Once the problem has been posed and demonstrated, an alternative solution is defined using a qualitative methodology, an approach rarely used for delimitation purposes. It is implemented in three cities in Castile and León, revealing their disadvantaged environments, some of which cannot be detected statistically.