Description and analysis of the consequences of the housing Boom in Asturias using Geographical Information Systems, 1996-2006

The period between 2000 and 2007 was a period in which Spain was growing in a bubble around the construction sector driven by the boom in real estate and the high growth rate of public infrastructures. The macroeconomic consequences of this unbalanced growth of the construction are well known but the consequences for urban planning have been less studied. Although Asturias is one of the Spanish regions with the lower real estate bubble is clear that this region has participated with the national trend. The characteristics of this region make it particularly interesting for analysis due to the development of a polycentric conurbation in the central area and to the coexistence of different types of urban development in a small space. This paper proposes a methodology based on the description and analysis of information contained in the referenced digital cartography. Through the classification and interpretation of the píxels of the ortho-photos for Asturias we can identify how is the urban expansion distinguishing between industrial and urban uses of the new urban land. Applying statistical analysis with models that include spatial dependence of the information we can identify the causes of urban growth and describe the different patterns that were followed. We identify the sources affected by processes of real estate bubbles and the urban morphology that is consolidated as a result, among other things, of a reduce coordination between the municipalities of the asturian central area.