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Urban sprawl in Spain: differences among cities and causes

Author

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  • Fernando Rubiera Morollón
  • Victor M. González Marroquin
  • José Luis Pérez Rivero

Abstract

Urban sprawl has a major impact on the environment, public health and the socio-economic evolution of cities. The causes are numerous, being mainly related to the generalized use of the automobile in modern cities. Urban sprawl has been especially relevant in US cities since the 1950s, rapidly spreading to other cities in the rest of the world. This paper studies the case of Spain using recent data. Spanish cities have grown rapidly over the 90s and 2000s. The country has completed the process of urbanization and has suffered the effects of a major real estate bubble. In this context, we are interested in measuring and explaining where and why urban sprawl has appeared in Spanish cities. Digital mapping carried out around the year 2000 providing full coverage of Spain is used to calculate an Urban Sprawl Index. It is applied to all urban areas and municipalities throughout the country, providing an objective, comparable measurement of sprawl and identifying which areas are most affected by this phenomenon. A second stage of analysis is conducted in an attempt to explain the causes of the differences in sprawl among Spanish cities with a regression model based on the literature. We have found that the cases most affected by sprawl are the latest urban developments on the Mediterranean coast as well as certain areas in the vicinity of large cities: the mountains to the north of Madrid and the coastline near Barcelona and Valencia. In some cases, urban sprawl is starting to become a problem for the environment and urban sustainability, with important consequences for the future evolution of the affected cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Rubiera Morollón & Victor M. González Marroquin & José Luis Pérez Rivero, 2016. "Urban sprawl in Spain: differences among cities and causes," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 207-226, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eurpls:v:24:y:2016:i:1:p:207-226
    DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2015.1080230
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fernando Rubiera-Morollón & Ruben Garrido-Yserte, 2020. "Recent Literature about Urban Sprawl: A Renewed Relevance of the Phenomenon from the Perspective of Environmental Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Luis Alfonso Escudero Gómez, 2021. "Land at the Service of the Regional Growth Coalition: Projects of Special Interest in the Region of Castilla–La Mancha (Spain)," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Zhanqi Wang & Hongwei Zhang & Ji Chai, 2018. "Differences in Urban Built-Up Land Expansion in Zhengzhou and Changsha, China: An Approach Based on Different Geographical Features," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Laura Varela-Candamio & Fernando Rubiera Morollón & Gohar Sedrakyan, 2019. "Urban sprawl and local fiscal burden: analysing the Spanish case," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 46(1), pages 177-203, February.
    5. Fernando Rubiera Morollón & Víctor M. González Marroquín & José L. Pérez Rivero, 2017. "Urban sprawl in Madrid?," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 205-214, July.
    6. de Abreu e Silva, João & Correia, Marcos, 2023. "The main drivers of urban sprawl in Portuguese medium cities between 2001 and 2011," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    7. Irene Sánchez Ondoño & Francisco Cebrián Abellán & Juan Antonio Garcia-Gonzalez, 2021. "The Cadastre as a Source for the Analysis of Urbanization Dynamics. Applications in Urban Areas of Medium-Sized Inland Spanish Cities," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-23, April.
    8. Qixuan Li & Ying Xu & Xu Yang & Ke Chen, 2023. "Unveiling the Regional Differences and Convergence of Urban Sprawl in China, 2006–2019," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.

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