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Ambitious goals to combat pollution should be supported in policies that discourage the use of private cars, notably old and more polluting vehicles. Price signals, such as a congestion tax, and traffic restrictions, such as low-emission zones (LEZ), are widely used tools among European cities to limit car use. In this paper, we look at the dissuasive effect of the implementation of the Madrid Central LEZ and analyze how traffic intensity has been affected in both the restricted area and in other zones of the city. Although the ultimate policy goal of LEZ is to reduce pollution, the instrument considered is traffic limitations, so it is important to know whether or not traffic intensity has been affected by traffic restrictions. Despite its limited extension and the adoption of long transitional periods, the LEZ of Madrid has been seriously questioned from its inception. The results show that traffic intensity has been reduced in the Madrid Central zone but has unfortunately increased in bordering areas. Previous studies on the effects of Madrid Central have not taken into account this potential substitution effect. The future design of a mobility policy in the metropolitan area of Madrid should address this undesirable outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently approved Spanish Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy obliges each autonomous community to identify and evaluate its own GI. This paper identifies and assesses the GI in the Community of Madrid at regional scale. This entailed, firstly, the identification of GI Principal Areas (GIPAS). This was followed by a spatial assessment of GI on the basis of three indicators: the Contribution to Ecosystem Services, the Combined Biodiversity Index and the Accessibility Index. After that, the correlations between GI assessment values and socioeconomic indicators were explored. The highest GI assessment values were located around the Sistema Central mountain range, and the lowest were in the Metropolitan Area and Henares Corridor. Finally, significant negative correlations were observed between the GI assessment values, population density and gross per capita income. The results of this study could provide useful support for the planning and decision-making required for the spatial definition of GI in the autonomous Community of Madrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades we have seen an increased interest in the use of seemingly unrelated regressions models (SUR) in a spatial context, with compelling case studies in different fields. This upsurge has favoured the development of new and more efficient inference techniques. At present, the user has a basic toolkit to deal with this kind of model, that is, however, in need of improvement. This paper focuses on the question of estimating, quickly and accurately, spatial SUR models. The most popular procedure is maximum likelihood (ML) which guarantees precision at the cost of a high computational burden. This is especially true in cases of large sample size and strong spatial structure. We explore simpler estimation algorithms such as instrumental variables (IV), which expedites calculation at the cost of a certain loss in quality of the estimates. We focus on the importance of sample size and the trade-off between accuracy and speed. To that end, we perform a comprehensive simulation experiment in which we compare ML and IV algorithms, looking for their strengths and weaknesses. The paper includes two applications to the case of Airbnb in the urban area of Madrid. First, we estimate a spatial SUR hedonic model of accommodation prices, using micro-data for three different cross sections à la Anselin, that is, considering temporal correlation plus spatial structure. Then, the data are aggregated by neighbourhoods. We specify a spatial SUR model with two equations (apartments and rooms) also using three cross sections. In both cases, the models are estimated by ML and IV using the spsur R package (Angulo et al. in spSUR: spatial seemingly unrelated regression models. R Package version 1.0.0.3, 2019), with the aim of illustrating its capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility in metropolitan rings is often more car-dependent than in urban cores. Buses are emerging as an efficient option to promote sustainable mobility in metropolitan corridors, although they are perceived as being less reliable than rail or the car. The adoption of real-time information (RTI) tools for passengers can mitigate this issue. This paper aims (i) to explore the potential bus demand in metropolitan corridors, and (ii) to understand how bus passengers use RTI public transport mobile applications. Both aims are oriented to attract more passengers toward public transport. A two-step methodological framework has been established to perform this analysis in the Madrid Region. Data from the 2014 Household Mobility Survey reveal that metropolitan bus potential is three times the current bus ridership, and almost double in transport corridors linked to motorways than in transversal and other metropolitan trips. An ad-hoc survey of bus travelers was conducted in one corridor to capture the use of RTI mobile apps. The results show that multimodal commuters tend to consult several apps, since none of the main apps integrates all the multimodal RTI for their trips. Non-regular bus passengers are more likely to consult a general-purpose app such as Google Maps, while frequent bus commuters prefer to use the official public transport authority app. Improving the multimodal information passengers receive through transit apps could ease their trips and help materialize some of the potential bus demand in metropolitan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and economic geography by identifying factors that determine the attractiveness of a site in a metropolitan area, as the basis for the emergence of high-tech firms' spatial concentration. The econometric model provides distinct advantages over the largely descriptive approaches that have been dominant in the point pattern analysis literature for clusters. We focus on the role of two types of knowledge spillovers on a firm's location choices: (1) those that arise from collocating with other companies from the same industry, and (2) universities' knowledge spillovers. A model is estimated using data on firm births in high and medium–high-technology manufacturing industries, during 2000–2016 in Madrid. Our results show that the main source through which firms benefit from knowledge spillovers is through proximity to firms in the same industry and not from universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport scenario building is often used to examine alternative future narratives when there is considerable uncertainty or when business-as-usual is no longer appropriate. However, the potential of scenario-building narratives to achieve a more-effective integration of land use and transport in policymaking remains understudied. This paper analyses groups of factors that influence the effectiveness of scenario-building narratives to trigger interaction processes between planning actors and thus facilitate land use and transport integration. The research uses an experimental approach based on three parallel academically constructed cases -co-creation environments with planning actors tightly controlled by researchers to explore causality. The Henares Corridor in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain serves as case study. The results indicate that higher degrees of land use and transport integration are achieved when the use of scenario-building narratives facilitates complex interactions among planning actors, who employ factors from various deliberation layers (internal, individual, and global). However, the degree of land use and transport integration decreases when scenario-building narratives are paired with simpler interactions, where factors from one or two deliberation layers dominate. The paper closes by examining the implications of the obtained findings for policymaking, including a reflection on the research design validity, its limitations, and potential for application in real-life experiments. • It explores the effectiveness of 2050 narratives to facilitate land use and transport integration. • Three academically constructed cases are used, involving several planning actors. • A multi-layer framework is used to identify factors affecting to the narratives' effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating spatial inequalities using a single walking accessibility measure is quite challenging. In response, the paper proposes combining two accessibility measures (real and potential) to provide additional insights into the identification and mapping of spatial inequalities. The municipality of Getafe in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain serves as a case study. A questionnaire, administered via face-to-face interviews, recorded the resident's walking preferences for reaching in-store retail. A gravity-based model was used to calculate real and potential accessibilities, which were combined to map four accessibility places that originate spatial inequalities: advantageous, moderately advantageous, moderately disadvantageous, and disadvantageous. The results suggest that potential accessibility values are higher than real accessibility values, and the final map shows the city centre residents (mostly seniors) benefit from the advantageous accessibility places. Disadvantageous places are mainly found in the city's periphery, where younger people live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mapping long-term scenarios can be considered crucial in decision-making, its inclusion in planning processes remains a challenge. This paper aims to gain insights into this by showing a participatory mapping method that creates a dialogue and interaction space between stakeholders and experts. The research was based on three 2050 visions, taking as a case study the eastern sector of the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain. The method consisted of conducting a participatory mapping workshop involving urban planners, transport engineers, environmental consultants, and property developers. Those experts mapped transformations in urban land use for each 2050 scenario. The results evidenced differences between the three 2050 scenarios, highlighting the usefulness of the participatory mapping workshop to represent the amount and nature of growth in urban land use and organisation of the transport network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, the excavation of the M-30 ring road located in Madrid and the creation of a green corridor either side of the Manzanares river brought significant change to the metropolitan area. The corridor and linear park which it provided were designed to contribute to the regeneration of the fluvial ecosystem, establish links among residents on each side of the river and promote cultural and leisure activities. This paper provides a sustainability analysis of the excavation of the M-30 (involving the socio-economic and environmental impact) 14 years after its construction. In order to show such an impact, an analysis of the area both prior to the project and after completion, as well as a hypothetical solution that uses improved materials, has been performed. This entails use of the multi-criteria decision-making model named MIVES (initials in Spanish, modelo integrado de valor para una evaluación sostenible). The MIVES method is based on the application of value functions of sustainability indicators selected by socio-economic and environmental criteria, chosen by experts. Results from analysis showed that the excavation of the M-30 considerably improved the sustainability of the area (sustainable index 3.43 and 6.26 both before and after the excavation works). However, use of improved materials in contrast with the application of conventional materials slightly improved the sustainability of the work (Sustainability Index 6.26 and 6.74, respectively, of the conventional materials). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of road transport, Advanced Traveller Information Systems represent a relevant tool to manage road traffic, improve drivers' utility and make a more efficient use of transport infrastructure. Due to the growing sources of en-route information available nowadays, it is crucial to understand better its influence on drivers' behaviour, particularly with regard to route choice. Previous research in this field has mainly focused on the provision of en-route information in toll-free environments. However, few researches have explored its influence when a tolled alternative is available. This paper is aimed at exploring the influence of variable message signs (VMS) information on drivers' route choice, made between a free highway and a competing tolled alternative. To that end, we develop a binary logit analysis based on empirical data from the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain. Results show that the type of information provided to drivers through VMS panels significantly influences their route choice when one of the alternatives is tolled. Furthermore, some combinations of messages, such as adding travel time estimates together with incident messages, greatly increase the diversion rate to the tolled route. The research also offers evidence that the influence of the information provided changes according to the type of day, which may be related to traffic conditions, and to the different types of user characteristic of weekday and weekend mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse whether the evolution of NO2 and PM10 emission levels in the Madrid metropolitan area with heavy traffic are affected by business cycles (comprised of a boom, recession and recovery). Therefore, we explore if economic developments act as automatic environmental stabilizers in an urban context in order to provide guidelines for environmental policymaking in large cities. Considering the continuous nature of the particles that this paper analyses, functional data have been used and the most suitable statistical method has been applied to this information’s typology. The aim is to capture the behaviour of NO2 and PM10 particles throughout the booming years (2001-2005), the recession (2008-2012) and the recovery (2014-2018) periods. The results obtained through the Kendall’s functional Tau statistic have revealed that the similarities and differences found between the booming years, the recession and the recovery prove the effect of the economy’s cyclical fluctuations on pollution levels. This is due to the fact that the negative and close to zero correlations obtained through these periods represent a sign that pollution levels regarding these two particles are significantly different during the phases of business cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NO 2 Protocol of Madrid establishes vehicle restrictions in the event of high pollution episodes. • We analyze travelers' behavior of a commuting corridor when restrictions are applied. • Modal choice in suburban trips is influenced by the mobility restrictions. • The impact on promoting a modal shift from private to public transport modes is scarce. • Stronger policy measures are needed to foster more environmentally-friendly transport modes. With the increasing concern about environmental problems in metropolitan areas, policy-makers are establishing restrictions on private vehicles in city centers to mitigate air pollution levels. Like many other European cities, Madrid fails to fulfill repeatedly the legal limits on pollutant concentrations established by the European Commission. Accordingly, in order to comply with acceptable air quality levels, Madrid City Council passed a protocol to address high NO 2 pollution episodes. This paper aims at gaining deeper insight into how emission abatement plans foster a more sustainable mobility in suburban trips. To that end, a discrete choice analysis is conducted to explore the influence of the different restriction stages on modal share in a commuting corridor. Based on traffic counts and transit entrances, two multinomial grouped logit models are calibrated. Moreover, differences across trip frequencies are studied in order to determine to what extent a modal shift from private vehicles to more environmentally-friendly modes of transport occurs. The paper concludes that modal choice in suburban trips is influenced by the mobility restrictions adopted. Nevertheless, this effect shows to be fairly limited in the case of the Madrid NO 2 Protocol. Therefore, more severe measures should be implemented to achieve a greater modal shift towards more sustainable transport modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of transfers in urban transit trips plays a key role when choosing an appropriate design of a public transport network for a given city, as there are lines structures that involve significantly more connections than others, e.g. hub-and-spoke or feeder-trunk. Besides additional walking and waiting, a transfer involves the interruption of a trip, whose value, called pure transfer penalty (PTP), has not received the same attention from a behavioral viewpoint. In this paper we contribute to find whether there is an equivalency with as general validity as walking and waiting regarding in-vehicle time. We do this by reviewing available evidence – all in relatively large cities - and by estimating the PTP in the very small Spanish city of Vitoria adapting a generic methodology that has been applied only to a metropolitan area (Madrid). Although Vitoria is much smaller in size, with fewer shares of multimodal trips, harder climate and shorter trip distances, results reveal that PTP is perceived as an increase of 18.4 Equivalent-In-Vehicle-Minutes (EIVM) when it does not rain or snow, very close to the values obtained in Madrid (15.2–17.7) and other reported meta-analysis (17.6). This figure drops when bad weather happens, which yields a weighted annual average of 13.9 EIVM. We propose 13–18 as a reasonable equivalence range for planning purposes. • The Pure Transfer Penalty (PTP) – the value of trip disruption – has received comparatively less attention than waiting and walking, although it is a key parameter for transit design. • The literature shows evidence of PTP values that have been obtained in relatively large cities. • The small Spanish city of Vitoria is studied obtaining a weighted average of 14 Equivalent in Vehicle Minutes (EIVM) considering weather conditions. • A range between 13 and 18 EIVM for the PTP is proposed for planning purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expanding presence of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in urban and suburban regions could potentially lead to increased instances of human aggression towards this species. We studied 10 deceased red foxes that were submitted by law enforcement agencies in the metropolitan area of Madrid in 2014–2022 because of suspected abuse. Forensic autopsies were performed to establish the cause and manner of death. In 4 of the 10 cases, the cause of death was deemed unnatural, involving blunt-force trauma (n = 2), asphyxia resulting from hanging (n = 1), and firearm injury (n = 1). Among the remaining cases, most had succumbed to natural causes (n = 4), often marked by severe emaciation and a high burden of parasites, primarily Sarcoptes scabiei. In 2 cases, death was undetermined given the poor preservation of the carcass. The growing prevalence of wildlife species in urban areas, particularly red foxes, may require forensic veterinary investigation of deaths potentially related to abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary urban sprawl and urban functional centrality at the regional scale have made the classical urban-rural dichotomy no longer valid. Instead, urban development generates a range of peri-urban transitional areas in which urban and rural uses are mixed in a fragmented land mosaic. The main objective of this paper is to detect opportunitites for the revitalisation of peri-urban agriculture based on an analysis and comparison of its evolution in two different regional contexts in Spain. The peri-urban space is delimited according to density, topography and perceptual criteria. Aerial images and cartographic bases are used to identify land quality and land use changes in the areas, concluding that peri-urban agriculture has suffered both urban occupation and internal changes in crops and agricultural uses, experiencing a process of decline. Innovative initiatives performed in these spaces are also explored as opportunities for revitalisation from a multifunctional approach, linking urban population to peri-urban agriculture, organic farming or landscape management. This analysis serves as a prerequisite to develop new policies for the planning of peri-urban agriculture at local and regional scales, based on a deep understanding of the territory and its evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of emission abatement measures to effectively reduce high ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations in urban areas is very complex. In addition to the strongly non-linear chemistry of this secondary pollutant, precursors can be released by a variety of sources in different regions, and locally produced O3 is mixed with that transported from the regional or continental scales. All of these processes depend also on the specific meteorological conditions and topography of the study area. Consequently, high-resolution comprehensive modeling tools are needed to understand the drivers of photochemical pollution and to assess the potential of local strategies to reduce adverse impacts from high tropospheric O3 levels. In this study, we apply the Integrated Source Apportionment Method (ISAM) implemented in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ v5.3.2) model to investigate the origin of summertime O3 in the Madrid region (Spain). Consistent with previous studies, our results confirm that O3 levels are dominated by non-local contributions, representing around 70 % of mean values across the region. Nonetheless, precursors emitted by local sources, mainly road traffic, play a more important role during O3 peaks, with contributions as high as 25 ppb. The potential impact of local measures is higher under unfavorable meteorological conditions associated with regional accumulation patterns. These findings suggest that this modeling system may be used in the future to simulate the potential outcomes of specific emission abatement measures to prevent high- O3 episodes in the Madrid metropolitan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scenario-building has proven useful in situations marked by considerable uncertainty in the context of land use and transport policymaking, additional research is needed to develop adaptive and dynamic scenario-building schemes. To address this gap, the present paper conceptualises an adaptive scenario-building approach that would facilitate adaptive policy responses by using exploratory scenarios as intermediate tipping points. An empirical research design is also conducted following a participatory approach, with a case study of the Henares Corridor in the Metropolitan Area of Madrid, Spain. Three exploratory scenarios are assessed as experimental tipping points for the basic policy pathways initially adopted by regional and local governments. The use of such tipping points suggested different adaptive policy responses: (i) preserving policy responses when exploratory scenarios are strongly aligned with the basic pathways; and (ii) transforming policy responses when significant deviations are perceived between the exploratory scenarios and the basic pathways. The paper also discusses the real-life application potential of this adaptive scenario-building approach, further research steps, and future horizons for scenario-building. • It is proposed a conceptual framework for an adaptive scenario-building approach. • Exploratory scenarios are used as intermediate tipping points. • A proof-of-concepts is conducted in the Henares corridor (Spain). • Different adaptive policy responses are defined and discussed for the case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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After decades of sprawl and car-dependent urban developments, especially on the peripheries of metropolitan areas, new policies are being oriented towards more efficient and sustainable mobility. In the process of change towards more sustainable mobility patterns in peripheral areas, commuter railways must play a predominant role because of their capacity and speed. The main aim of this paper is to analyse commuter rail stations' catchment areas (SCAs) to identify typologies of these nodes in large metropolitan areas as a key step in proposing strategies for making mobility much more sustainable, both in the medium and proximity scales, by promoting soft mobility towards stations, a strategy that will facilitate commuters' use of daily rail transport. The method proposed is based on a twofold clustering analysis. The first is to consider urban-planning variables to detect consolidated stations; the second is to use both public space and land-use variables to characterise the quality of the urban environment for walking/cycling. These methods are applied in the metropolitan area of Madrid and offer some key insights. The results show that different typologies are found – from consolidated, dense and mixed-use SCAs, with large residential developments, to low-density SCAs in sprawl areas or low consolidated mixed-use SCAs with large parking spaces, following the park-and-ride model, among others. This identification of SCAs' typologies is key for policy makers to propose different strategies, which could be small projects oriented towards improving public spaces promoting soft mobility, or deeper changes that require a re-densification process in the stations' surroundings, breaking with the rigid definition of transit-oriented developments and adapting the decisions taken to each context. • We identify typologies of commuter rail stations' catchment areas (SCAs) in the metropolitan area of Madrid. • This is a key step in proposing strategies for sustainable mobility. • A twofold clustering analysis is proposed, considering first, urban planning and then, public space and land-use variables. • We found typologies such as dense and mixed-use SCAs or low consolidated SCAs following the park-and-ride model. • The identification of SCAs' typologies is key for policy makers, breaking with the rigid definition of TODs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of emission abatement measures to effectivly reduce high ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations in urban areas is very complex. In addition to the strongly non-linear chemistry of this secondary pollutant, precursors can be released by a variety of sources in different regions and locally produced O3 is mixed with that transported from the regional or continental scales. All of these processes depend also on the specific meteorological conditons and topography of the study area. Consequently, high-resolution comprehensive modeling tools are needed to understand the drivers of photochemical pollution and to assess the potential of local strategies to reduce adverse impacts from high tropospheric O3 levels. In this study, we apply the Integrated Source Apportionment Method (ISAM) implemented in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQv5.3.2) model to investigate the origin of summertime O3 in the Madrid region (Spain). Consistent with previous studies, our results confirm that O3 levels are dominated by non-local contributions, representing around 70 % of mean values across the region. Nonetheless, precursors emitted by local sources, mainly road traffic, play a more important role during O3 peaks, with contributions as high as 25 ppb. The potential impact of local measures is higher under unfavorable meteorological conditions associated with regional accumulation patterns. These findings suggest that this modeling system may be used in the future to simulate the potential outcomes of specific emission abatement measures to prevent high-O3 episodes in the Madrid metropolitan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the growing interest in enhancing the academic understanding of the relationships between e-shopping and transport, a key element remains underexplored – the impact of e-shopping on spatial accessibility to in-store retail. The paper studies variations in multimodal accessibility to in-store retail between e-shopper groups and the associated spatial effects. The research is based on a face-to-face questionnaire, administered in the city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain), which provides data on socio-economic characteristics, e-shopping habits, and travel time preferences to reach in-store retail. Clustering techniques serve to identify three e-shopper groups: occasional e-shoppers with a car, infrequent e-shoppers with a car, and frequent e-shoppers without a car. A comparison of e-shopper distance-decay functions to reach in-store retail is made, revealing significant differences between the three e-shopper groups for car and public transport for any time interval. However, for walking such differences are limited to time intervals between 10 and 40 min. Distance-decay functions are processed through a gravity-based model, identifying five categories of multimodal accessibility places that provide information on how in-store retail locations may be affected by e-shopping habits. The paper closes with concluding remarks on policy-making and a few pathways for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper combines the classification of hedgerows in relation to surface soil moisture with the consideration of drivers of change (environmental, demographic, and policy) affecting the areal extent of hedgerow land cover in central Spain. These landscapes have a high cultural significance and functionality that needs to be preserved and improved. The hedgerow network of a continental Mediterranean mountain was mapped and different levels of surface soil moisture were estimated utilising images of the satellite Sentinel-2. In addition, we analysed the areal extent of hedgerows from 1956 to the present in relation to slope, surface soil moisture and distance from the metropolitan area. In the last 70 years there has been a decrease in the surface area of hedgerows in central Spain. In the study area in particular, this decrease represents 48.26% of the total hedgerow network identified in 1956. 51.62% of abandoned hedgerow areas demonstrate a low degree of surface soil moisture and are usually located on slopes greater than 5%. As a result, driest hedgerows -less fertile, accessible and productive- have lost their functionality in many cases. In addition, urban expansion and the proximity to Madrid Metropolitan Area are processes that have caused the loss of 9.33% of the hedgerows in the study area since 1956. We integrated an overview of European, national and regional policies related to hedgerow functions involving biodiversity, cultural heritage, rural development and spatial planning. This paper contributes to the knowledge of changing Mediterranean hedgerows and the current status of their protection within the different legislations. We conclude there are legislative tools at a European level of interest for the hedgerow landscape, however its identification and management at regional level are scarce. • A classification of hedgerow networks in the Mediterranean region (Central System, Spain). • An inventory of European, national and regional policies related with hedgerows. • The analysis of the evolution of hedgerows area from 1956 to the present time. • Conservation of the hedgerow landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) air pollution provides valuable information for quantifying NO x (NO x = NO + NO 2) emissions and exposures. This study presents a comprehensive method to estimate average tropospheric NO 2 emission strengths derived from 4-year (May 2018–June 2022) TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) observations by combining a wind-assigned anomaly approach and a machine learning (ML) method, the so-called gradient descent algorithm. This combined approach is firstly applied to the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh, as a test site, and yields a total emission rate of 1.09×1026 molec. s -1. The ML-trained anomalies fit very well with the wind-assigned anomalies, with an R2 value of 1.0 and a slope of 0.99. Hotspots of NO 2 emissions are apparent at several sites: over a cement plant and power plants as well as over areas along highways. Using the same approach, an emission rate of 1.99×1025 molec. s -1 is estimated in the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain. Both the estimate and spatial pattern are comparable with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) inventory. Weekly variations in NO 2 emission are highly related to anthropogenic activities, such as the transport sector. The NO 2 emissions were reduced by 16 % at weekends in Riyadh, and high reductions were found near the city center and in areas along the highway. An average weekend reduction estimate of 28 % was found in Madrid. The regions with dominant sources are located in the east of Madrid, where residential areas and the Madrid-Barajas airport are located. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the NO 2 emissions decreased by 21 % in March–June 2020 in Riyadh compared with the same period in 2019. A much higher reduction (62 %) is estimated for Madrid, where a very strict lockdown policy was implemented. The high emission strengths during lockdown only persist in the residential areas, and they cover smaller areas on weekdays compared with weekends. The spatial patterns of NO 2 emission strengths during lockdown are similar to those observed at weekends in both cities. Although our analysis is limited to two cities as test examples, the method has proven to provide reliable and consistent results. It is expected to be suitable for other trace gases and other target regions. However, it might become challenging in some areas with complicated emission sources and topography, and specific NO 2 decay times in different regions and seasons should be taken into account. These impacting factors should be considered in the future model to further reduce the uncertainty budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In orbit since late 2017, the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) is offering new outstanding opportunities for better understanding the emission and fate of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) pollution in the troposphere. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of TROPOMI NO 2 tropospheric columns (TrC-NO 2) over the Iberian Peninsula during 2018–2021, considering the recently developed Product Algorithm Laboratory (PAL) product. We complement our analysis with estimates of NO x anthropogenic and natural soil emissions. Closely related to cloud cover, the data availability of TROPOMI observations ranges from 30 %–45 % during April and November to 70 %–80 % during summertime, with strong variations between northern and southern Spain. Strongest TrC-NO 2 hotspots are located over Madrid and Barcelona, while TrC-NO 2 enhancements are also observed along international maritime routes close the strait of Gibraltar, and to a lesser extent along specific major highways. TROPOMI TrC-NO 2 appear reasonably well correlated with collocated surface NO 2 mixing ratios, with correlations around 0.7–0.8 depending on the averaging time. We investigate the changes of weekly and monthly variability of TROPOMI TrC-NO 2 depending on the urban cover fraction. Weekly profiles show a reduction of TrC-NO 2 during the weekend ranging from - 10 % to - 40 % from least to most urbanized areas, in reasonable agreement with surface NO 2. In the largest agglomerations like Madrid or Barcelona, this weekend effect peaks not in the city center but in specific suburban areas/cities, suggesting a larger relative contribution of commuting to total NO x anthropogenic emissions. The TROPOMI TrC-NO 2 monthly variability also strongly varies with the level of urbanization, with monthly differences relative to annual mean ranging from - 40 % in summer to + 60 % in winter in the most urbanized areas, and from - 10 % to + 20 % in the least urbanized areas. When focusing on agricultural areas, TROPOMI observations depict an enhancement in June–July that could come from natural soil NO emissions. Some specific analysis of surface NO 2 observations in Madrid show that the relatively sharp NO 2 minimum used to occur in August (drop of road transport during holidays) has now evolved into a much broader minimum partly de-coupled from the observed local road traffic counting; this change started in 2018, thus before the COVID-19 outbreak. Over 2019–2021, a reasonable consistency of the inter-annual variability of NO 2 is also found between both datasets. Our study illustrates the strong potential of TROPOMI TrC-NO 2 observations for complementing the existing surface NO 2 monitoring stations, especially in the poorly covered rural and maritime areas where NO x can play a key role, notably for the production of tropospheric O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of studies designed to detect the most important areas for bat conservation. In this context, areas of high bat activity have been rarely considered in the delimitation of protected areas for bats, which are generally focused on the protection of roosting sites. This has been due to the difficulties of sampling the distribution of these nocturnal animals when moving at night. This methodological constraint has been overcome by the development of bioacoustic sampling, which allows mapping the occurrence of active bats over large areas. In this study, we use bat detectors to sample the distribution of bat activity in central Spain. This region is under the environmental effects of a mountain range (Guadarrama Mountains) and the urban encroachment of the city of Madrid. The occurrences provided by the detectors were used to produce species distribution models of which the resulting layers were arranged to detect the most suitable areas for bat richness and rarity indices. We performed a gap analysis to explore whether the areas most commonly used by active bats are covered by the current network of protected areas. The results showed that the best areas of high bat activity are located at the piedmont of the mountains and that most of these areas overlap with the existing network of protected areas. The best areas for bats excluded the most urbanized areas and within a similar urban gradient, protected areas tended to be located within the best sites for conservation. These results suggest that bats currently benefit from a network of protected areas initially aimed to protect birds and habitats (Natura 2000). In addition, monitoring areas of high bat activity could complement roosting site protection in the conservation of bat assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to derive methane (CH 4) emissions from three landfills, which are found to be the most significant CH 4 sources in the metropolitan area of Madrid in Spain. We derive CH 4 emissions from the CH 4 enhancements observed by spaceborne and ground-based instruments. We apply satellite-based measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) together with measurements from the ground-based COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) instruments. In 2018, a 2-week field campaign for measuring the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases was performed in Madrid in the framework of Monitoring of the Greenhouse Gases Concentrations in Madrid (MEGEI-MAD) project. Five COCCON instruments were deployed at different locations around the Madrid city center, enabling the observation of total column-averaged CH 4 mixing ratios (XCH 4). Considering the prevalent wind regimes, we calculate the wind-assigned XCH 4 anomalies for two opposite wind directions. Pronounced bipolar plumes are found when applying the method to NO 2 , which implies that our method of wind-assigned anomaly is suitable to estimate enhancements of trace gases at the urban level from satellite-based measurements. For quantifying the CH 4 emissions, the wind-assigned plume method is applied to the TROPOMI XCH 4 and to the lower tropospheric CH 4 / dry-air column ratio (TXCH 4) of the combined TROPOMI + IASI product. As CH 4 emission strength we estimate 7.4 × 10 25 ± 6.4 × 10 24 molec. s -1 from the TROPOMI XCH 4 data and 7.1 × 10 25 ± 1.0 × 10 25 molec. s -1 from the TROPOMI + IASI merged TXCH 4 data. We use COCCON observations to estimate the local source strength as an independent method. COCCON observations indicate a weaker CH 4 emission strength of 3.7 × 10 25 molec. s -1 from a local source (the Valdemingómez waste plant) based on observations from a single day. This strength is lower than the one derived from the satellite observations, and it is a plausible result. This is because the analysis of the satellite data refers to a larger area, covering further emission sources in the study region, whereas the signal observed by COCCON is generated by a nearby local source. All emission rates estimated from the different observations are significantly larger than the emission rates provided via the official Spanish Register of Emissions and Pollutant Sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While commerce is one of the key activities in cities, its spatial description still requires further attention, especially by considering the different dimensions of commercial space: physical, economic and socio-symbolic. The latter is becoming more and more important in an era where consumption is at the centre of social relations. Further, although data availability has been an enduring obstacle in commercial research, we are witnessing the advent of new data sources, and social-network big data is an opportunity to unveil the places to which consumers attribute prestige or symbolic capital, at the extent of entire metropolitan areas. This paper compares the physical, economic and socio-symbolic dimensions of commercial spaces through the analysis of three different commercial data sources: cadastral micro-data, business register and social-network big data. For the case of Madrid Metropolitan Area, the three databases are compared with correlation analysis and density maps, coming out as partly redundant and partly complementary. Getis-Ord's hotspot statistics integrated into a cluster analysis enable a comprehensive understanding of commercial environments, enriching previous spatial hierarchies. The spatial distribution of symbolic capital unveils a relation with socio-spatial segregation and paves the way to new reflections on the spatiality of consumption as a social practice. Unlabelled Image • 'Old' commercial data and social big data come out as only partly redundant. • The integration of old and new databases results in a comprehensive commercial space typology. • Social big data enables the analysis of metropolitan symbolic capital spatiality. • Consumption-related symbolic capital spatiality is related to socio-spatial segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) represents a technological innovation with the potential to revolutionise the urban mobility paradigm, triggering a societal shift towards more sustainable travel behaviours. Successful implementation of these novel mobility solutions will largely rely on travellers' adoption of MaaS mobile-technologies. As with any new technology, the qualitative, user-centric research approaches focusing on the individuals' point of view may be significantly beneficial for the initial stages of development. Within this context, the paper explores which services should be offered by MaaS technologies to provide travellers with tailored mobility solutions that satisfy their daily needs. To that end, six Focus Groups were conducted in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). We examined the services expected by travellers when adopting MaaS and compared them with those already identified from a comprehensive literature review. Our analysis revealed six new services that had not been recognised previously, including route optimisation and the provision of real-time information on the following five categories: passenger crowding, pollution levels, route facilities, vehicle conditions, and urban security. Overall, our results also highlighted the relevance given to the availability of information on environmental and health implications of travel behaviours. We believe that our findings provide valuable guidelines for the development of successful MaaS mobile-technologies. The incorporation of the travellers' perspective enables a more thoughtful design of these innovations and, thus, maximises their potential for addressing the limitations of our complex mobility-systems in meeting urban sustainability goals. • Understanding travellers' expectations is key for designing successful MaaS technologies. • MaaS technologies should provide travellers with services that satisfy their daily needs. • Six Focus Groups are conducted to explore travellers' perspective in Madrid (Spain). • Travellers demand information about the environmental and health implications of their behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to and use of the built environment is a basic human right, recognised globally in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a f undamental objective in an increasingly ageing society. Spanish legislation, acknowledging that challenge, has mandated built environment accessibility 'subject to reasonable adjustment'. This paper formulates a methodology to assist policy makers and urban planning authorities to clarify what, in the context of small establishments, is meant by reasonable adjustment which, further to international policy recommendations, is a strategy implemented by public authorities to enforce accessibility requirements as opposed to privately instituted litigation. Unlike other contributions, the new methodology proposes characterising statutory reasonable adjustment on the grounds of an analysis of municipal records (120 dossiers for Madrid and metropolitan area) and the variables associated with the term. The results included flexibility requirements, accessibility adjustments, economic viability by activity involved and factors affecting overall accessibility. Research has confirmed that regulatory development, urban planning and enforcement by public authorities favour improvements in accessibility. The difficulties involved in complying with requirements revolve around wheelchair users, even today. In the present case study, investments in accessibility comprised about 0.5% of property values. • Assessment methodology for the decision-making process in small establishments • Explanatory variables based on the concept of reasonable adjustment • Accessibility solutions, economical viability and overall accessibility are evaluated. • Validation of flexibility in the accessibility requirements set out in technical codes • Reference for public policies to promote accessibility in built environments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial Analysis has been used since the 1990s for hedonic cadastral models of urban areas in large cities. This research aims to apply spatial analysis to zoning a district in Madrid located in the central part of the city in order to estimate urban housing prices. In doing so, the necessary data have been gathered, both vector and raster, as found on the official government website and private company websites. This was done firstly to analyse the characteristics and then for the objectives of the study because it is helpful to use these types of analyses based on vector and raster data along with interpolation methods that obtain regular structures and attempt to avoid the subjective component inherent to traditional procedures. The essence of the work consisted of studying the minimum parameters that influence housing appraisals to resolve the problem. Normally, cadastral appraisal work fulfils the Official Technical Regulations in each country considering a greater number of parameters and corrective coefficients. The importance of this work consisted of lowering and prioritising the number of basic parameters necessary to set urban housing prices. The conclusions section confirms a high likelihood of successfully reducing the number of parameters to achieve an appraisal value that is similar to the one obtained using official methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the local determinants of destination choices of foreign immigrants to the Madrid metro area using data for 2005 and 2009 from the Spanish annual municipal-level registers of inhabitants. Taking advantage of the equivalence relation between conditional logit and Poisson, we estimate a location-choice model using the Poisson fixed-effects estimator. Origin-destination fixed effects are incorporated to account for the persistent spatial structure of the immigrants' settlement patterns and to control for potential violations of the independence of irrelevant alternatives ( IIA) assumption. The Poisson regression model is estimated for seven different groups of immigrants according to world regions or countries of origin. Our modelling strategy has important empirical implications, with magnitudes and/or signs of the estimated coefficients changing in the expected directions. It is found that newly arriving immigrants tend to settle in low-to-middle-income locations in the suburban reaches of the Madrid metro area. Moreover, the effects of the size of local communities of established immigrants are found to be insignificant and even negative in several instances, reflecting hetero-local settlement preferences and/or the saturation of local networks causing in-group job rivalry, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overbank and stream sediments have been studied in the Community of Madrid. Four vertical profiles have been sampled corresponding to Guadarrama, Jarama, and finally Manzanares River, where two profiles have been studied upstream (El Pardo profile) and downstream (Rivas profile) Madrid city. Sieved samples (<63 µm) were subjected to total (ICP-MS/ICP-OES and INAA) and partial analysis (ICP-MS). AMS radiocarbon dating techniques revealed a young age (170 ± 40 years BP) at 2.40-2.65 m depth for Rivas profile. It has not been possible to detect pristine or pre-industrial overbank sediments, since in the rest of the studied profiles, anthropogenic wastes were found even in the lower levels. Three main sources of sediment have been detected in the area. Granitic and arkosic geology, located in the northern part of Madrid (U, Th, W, K, Na, or rare earth elements); clays located in the southeast of Madrid (Ni, Cr, or V), and finally an anthropogenic source has been identified (Au, Ag, Pb, Zn, or Sb) in Rivas profile. The influence of the anthropogenic activity has been established based on the contents distribution of contaminant elements in the profile. This can be associated to the growth of industrial activities and population in the city of Madrid during the last decades. The comparison of the profiles by a k-means cluster analysis showed some similarities for these samples that could have analogous sources (anthropogenic and geological). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]