Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines 1 (2): 51-60 Page | 51 Disease Metaphors in Urban Planning Júlia Todolí University of València Julia.todoli@uv.es Abstract It is widely assumed that metaphor is a salient feature of discourse, with a two-fold function. Firstly, it helps make complex issues understandable to the public, and secondly, it helps promote and legitimize the ideological viewpoints of particular groups. The main aim of this paper is to look into the Plan for Restoring the Islamic Wall in Barri del Carme (València, 2002) to show how the authors of the plan use metaphors to mystify the reality and to illustrate the discursive resistance expressed by residents and residents’ associations . We will shed new light on how conventionalized metaphors are commonly accepted as natural ways of naming a reality, and therefore function as a powerful device for mystifying the reality. In contrast, (one-shot) image metaphors and less conventionalized linguistic metaphors, are not pervasive in all kinds of discourses, are not natural ways of naming a reality and can lead to discursive subversion. Keywords: disease metaphors, urban planning, mystification, gentrification 1. Introduction As linguist and as resident of an area of the old city which is undergoing a process of gentrification I became interested in metaphors when I realized that they are often used to mystify the impact some redevelopment processes will have upon the affected residents. The Plan for Restoring the Islamic Wall in Barri del Carme’ (Valencia, Spain), for instance, allows to show how disease metaphors function as a powerful device in constructing consensus and masking reality. The project, which was supposedly aimed at restoring the Islamic wall and at the construction of some houses and public facilities, affected 200 people (40% of the population of the area) and included the demolition of 16 buildings and the re-use of 17 construction sites. However, the real goal of the plan was to redevelop a residential area into a tertiary one by getting rid of the residents. The affected inhabitants, who were neither consulted nor informed of the plan while it was being drafted, gathered in associations, organized debates and round tables, launched awareness-raising campaigns for the citizens, wrote press articles and proposed an alternative plan that was sustainable and respectful towards both cultural heritage and neighbourhood. Eventually, in 2004, the plan was withdrawn and a new plan was put forward, which is respectful to most of the existing buildings and spares the population. However, at the moment, the only activity that can be seen in the affected area is that of the real estate agencies, who buy entire buildings, try to throw the inhabitants out through some estate mobbing and resell these buildings for twice or three times the original purchase price. In the following sections I focus on how architects and urban planners try to mystify a reality by means of metaphors. The data for this study consists of the urban project outlined by the technical specialists; opinion articles from