Several thousand villages have been abandoned in Spain, half of them in Galicia and every year many more suffer this fate. Research indicates that current rejuvenation attempts have typically not focused on supporting the predominantly elderly remaining residents in these rural villages.

In response, this thesis explores topics including the causes of abandonment of Galician villages, the spatial organization of Galician villages, and diverse revitalization approaches amongst other topics. It culminates in the development of a comprehensive masterplan for an existing abandoned village called Paradela. The Masterplan revitalizes Paradela, by rejuvenating the architectural heritage of the site, introducing an economic dynamism that can sustain the village in the future, as well as efficiently providing more services of support and care for the elderly residents in this and surrounding villages.