The triumph of post-disaster neoliberal planning after the 2021 volcanic eruption in Valle de Aridane (La Palma, Canary Islands)

Abstract

The 2021 volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) demonstrated how existing spatial planning was unable to reduce vulnerability. It also opened up a window of opportunity to change volcanic risk perceptions since specific spatial planning legislation was needed to tackle the recovery and reconstruction of Valle de Aridane. However, more than three years after the start of the eruption, new spatial planning criteria finally adopted failed to take into account the hazards associated with a volcano. This is the main conclusion of a research based on the study of the documentation generated during the spatial planning process in the Valle de Aridane, semi-structured interviews with key actors in the process and the analysis of the local media. It also shows that the original idea of restricting settlement in the areas of greatest volcanic risk and reducing the dispersion of the population was abandoned after a change in the regional government. The dominant neo-liberal urbanism approach among new policy makers and their electioneering, coupled with the prevailing short-term vision of those locals who lost their properties, have led to serious failures in the governance of post-disaster volcanic risk. This perpetuates the vulnerability of future generations of local society to further eruptions. The case study therefore confirms how, once again, social, economic and political factors are highly relevant to understanding the magnitude of catastrophes associated with extreme natural events.