Geography education, critical thinking and territorial citizenship in Spain: evolution of the project ¡Nosotros Proponemos! (2016–2026)

Abstract

The Spanish case of the project ¡Nosotros Proponemos! shows that Geography education, when oriented towards interpreting local socio-spatial problems and producing evidence-based proposals, fosters critical thinking and functions as a device for territorial citizenship. The project is supported by stable local governance (university–municipality–school) and a progressive teacher education pathway (Problem-Based Learning → citizen science → Service-Learning). This article analyses its evolution in Spain between 2016 and 2026 through a qualitative longitudinal case study based on institutional documentation, teacher training programmes and associated academic production. The findings are structured into four interrelated dimensions: disciplinary, institutional, methodological and formative. Three evolutionary phases are identified: an initial territorialisation stage (2016–2019), centred on the problem–proposal model and the implementation in Ciudad Real with the systematic inclusion of Primary Education; a digitalisation and sustainability phase (2020–2022), shaped by adaptation to the COVID-19 context and the consolidation of the city as an environmental laboratory aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11; and a methodological maturation phase (2023–2026), characterised by the integration of citizen science, Design Thinking and Service-Learning. The study concludes that the articulation of disciplinary coherence, institutionalised local governance and sustained professional development constitutes the structural foundation for consolidating Geography education oriented towards the critical interpretation of territory.