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The way towards land consumption: Soil sealing and polycentric development in Barcelona

Author

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  • Luca Salvati

    (Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura (CRA-RPS), Italy)

  • Margherita Carlucci

    (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy)

Abstract

This paper concerns the debate on polycentric development and land consumption in growing urban regions. The aim of this study is to verify if urban morphology reflects the transition from a mono-centric and hyper-compact form centred on Barcelona (Spain) towards a polycentric agglomeration based on subcentres functionally distinct from the head city. The spatial distribution of impervious land by municipal unit has been investigated under three spatial domains (province, metropolitan region and metropolitan area of Barcelona). Soil sealing indicators have been analysed using descriptive, inferential and multivariate statistical techniques. Sealing intensity and diversification decreased with the distance from the centre of Barcelona, while per-capita sealed land was low in the central city and much higher and stable in peripheral municipalities. Our results shed light on Barcelona’s long-term expansion, providing evidence in favour of settlement scattering instead of a genuine polycentric structure. The article finally debates the use of soil sealing indicators for the assessment of polycentric or scattered urban development in the Mediterranean region.

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Salvati & Margherita Carlucci, 2016. "The way towards land consumption: Soil sealing and polycentric development in Barcelona," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(2), pages 418-440, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:53:y:2016:i:2:p:418-440
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098014563486
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Lanfredi, Maria & Egidi, Gianluca & Bianchini, Leonardo & Salvati, Luca, 2022. "One size does not fit all: A tale of polycentric development and land degradation in Italy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    3. Sofia Pagliarin, 2018. "Linking processes and patterns: Spatial planning, governance and urban sprawl in the Barcelona and Milan metropolitan regions," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(16), pages 3650-3668, December.
    4. Kaveckis Giedrius, 2017. "Greenest Capital of the Baltic States – A Spatial Comparison of Greenery," Baltic Journal of Real Estate Economics and Construction Management, Sciendo, vol. 5(1), pages 160-176, November.
    5. Francesca Mariani & Ilaria Zambon & Luca Salvati, 2018. "Population Matters: Identifying Metropolitan Sub-Centers from Diachronic Density-Distance Curves, 1960–2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    6. Zambon, Ilaria & Serra, Pere & Grigoriadis, Efstathios & Carlucci, Margherita & Salvati, Luca, 2017. "Emerging urban centrality: An entropy-based indicator of polycentric development and economic growth," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 365-371.
    7. Roberta Fontan Pereira Galvão & Andrea Yuri Flores Urushima & Shoichiro Hara & Wil De Jong, 2020. "Analysis of Land Transition Features and Mechanisms in Peripheral Areas of Kyoto (1950–1960)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Pagliarin, Sofia, 2022. "Supra-local spatial planning practices and suburban patterns in the Barcelona and Milan urban regions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    9. Apostolos Lagarias, 2023. "Impervious Land Expansion as a Control Parameter for Climate-Resilient Planning on the Mediterranean Coast: Evidence from Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-25, September.
    10. Alessia D’Agata & Daniele Ponza & Florin Adrian Stroiu & Ioannis Vardopoulos & Kostas Rontos & Francisco Escrivà & Francesco Chelli & Leonardo Salvatore Alaimo & Luca Salvati & Samaneh Sadat Nickyain, 2023. "Toward Sustainable Development Trajectories? Estimating Urban Footprints from High-Resolution Copernicus Layers in Athens, Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, July.

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