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The issue of homeownership in the working-class peripheries of post-war Europe has received little attention in planning history. The main reason is probably that public housing built at the time of massive operations of constructing Modernist housing estates in Western and Eastern Blocs adopted tenancy as the predominant form of tenure in almost all cases. In the context of widespread growth of urban homeownership during the second half of the twentieth century in European countries, this paper addresses the singularities of ownership in Francoist Spain. In this case, the main peculiarity is that the working classes that flocked to inhabit the new outskirts were the main protagonists of the intense process of the spread in homeownership. First, the article discusses the ideological roots of the spread of homeownership in Spain as a singular phenomenon. Second, the spectacular growth of homeownership in the peripheral working-class districts of Barcelona and in the municipalities of its metropolitan area is analysed. Then, the paper considers the relationships observed between ownership in the new peripheries and the development of powerful urban movements. A final epilogue places such movements in the Western European context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the location patterns of audio-visual communication firms, a cultural and creative industry that includes activities related to motion picture, video, and television programme production, post-production and projection activities, as well as sound recording and music publishing activities. Firms in the industry tend to agglomerate in the core of large metropolitan areas to benefit from the economies arising from this clustering. Using Mercantile Register data, our results indicate a strong agglomeration pattern at the core of the Barcelona metropolitan area, as well as close inter-industry linkages with other cultural and creative industries. This location behaviour is explained by path dependence processes rather than as the result of cluster-based policies to encourage the concentration of such firms in some areas of the city. In view of these results, policy measures aiming to foster firms' competitivity should be more selective and target the specific areas preferred by audio-visual communication firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current industrial food system is failing in all aspects of sustainability. Alternative Food Initiatives (AFIs) and the industrial green food market (iGFM) both claim that they are building sustainable food models. This study looks into common strengths and challenges of AFIs in relation to iGFM. The research conducted a comparative case study of AFIs in the city of Sant Cugat del Vallès in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) through a combination of qualitative methods. The results show that strengths reside in their socially embedding characteristics with decommodification and commoning aspects, whereas the biggest challenge for AFIs is to manage being competitive while keeping their principles. The paper concludes that AFIs contribute more to building sustainable food models than the iGFM, as the latter only partially green the system for profit. For AFI models to prevail, public sector support to shift the power imbalance of the market is significant. Key Policy Highlights: Alternative food initiatives (AFIs) are socially embedding sustainable food models. AFIs need help to compete within the current industrial green food market. The city government can play a counterbalancing role in favour of AFIs. Examples of city government measures include the cession of public space or providing farmland to AFIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water poverty is a multidimensional concept open to a variety of definitions. In this paper, we focus on the affordability component of water poverty which emerges as the most relevant dimension of water poverty in the developed world where an increasing number of households are unable to afford the price of water. As in energy poverty, this degrades the metabolic flows of an essential resource in households threatening the livelihoods of members. We examine water affordability in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona combining quantitative and qualitative information. Using data from Metropolitan Surveys as well as from specific studies, we depart from quantitative assessments of the impact of water affordability for the subgroup of households defined as "at risk of poverty". We complement the quantitative analysis with data on arrears, accumulated debt, and water disconnections, among other variables. Qualitative analyses are drawn from interviews with affected people attending meetings of a social platform, APE, created to fight energy and water poverty, offer a more precise assessment of the impacts of water poverty in vulnerable households and of the coping strategies by the affected and by APE. While some important achievements must be noticed, especially the Catalan law prohibiting disconnections of essential services to vulnerable households as well as the provision of financial help to pay the bills, important problems remain, above all the accumulated debt and the special case of the growing number of families occupying empty flats with no water connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes location patterns of software, video game, and editing electronics firms (hereafter SVE) in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona using microgeographic data. These industries are mainly attracted by agglomeration economies look to benefit from skilled labor and spillover effects, and tend to cluster in large metropolitan areas. However, less is known about their detailed location patterns inside these areas. We contribute to the empirical literature by identifying how SVE firms are concentrated in some core areas of the metropolitan area. Our empirical application includes using the Nearest Neighbor Index (NNI) and M-functions, as well as local spatial autocorrelation indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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March H., Perarnau J. and Saurí D. Exploring the links between immigration, ageing and domestic water consumption: the case of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Regional Studies. Mediterranean urban environments are increasingly undergoing structural or temporary episodes of water stress, which may lead to decreases in the use of water. Taking the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (MAB) as a case study, this paper argues that socio-demographic factors may also contribute to explain decreases in per-capita urban consumption values. Using a generalized linear mixed model with panel data information for the period 2003–2007 for twenty-three municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, including the ten districts of Barcelona, an attempt is made to examine the role of immigration and ageing in explaining these reduced average consumptions per capita. March H., Perarnau J. et Saurí D. Examiner les liens entre l'immigration, le vieillissement et la consommation ménagère de l'eau: étude de cas de la zone métropolitaine de Barcelone, Regional Studies. Dans les milieux urbains méditerranéens, l'eau est soumise de plus en plus à des efforts pour des raisons structurelles ou à des périodes passagères, ce qui peut amener à une baisse de la consommation de l'eau. Se servant de la zone métropolitaine de Barcelone comme étude de cas, cet article affirme que des facteurs socio-démographiques pourraient aussi expliquer les baisses de la consommation urbaine par tête. A partir d'un modèle mixte linéaire généralisé employant des données provenant d'une enquête à échantillon permanent pour la période allant de 2003 à 2007 sur vingt-trois municipalités de la zone métropolitaine de Barcelone, y compris les dix districts de Barcelone, on cherche à examiner le rôle de l'immigration et du vieillissement afin d'expliquer les baisses de la consommation moyenne par tête. Consomamtion ménagère de l'eau?Immigration?Vieillissement de la population?Zone métropolitaine de Barcelone Modèles mixtes linéaires généralisés March H., Perarnau J. und Saurí D. Untersuchung der Zusammenhänge zwischen Immigration, Alterung und privatem Wasserverbrauch: eine Fallstudie des Großraums Barcelona, Regional Studies. Die Stadtgebiete des Mittelmeerraums leiden immer häufiger unter strukturellen oder temporären Episoden von Wassermangel, die zu einem verringerten Wasserverbrauch führen können. Anhand einer Fallstudie des Großraums Barcelona wird in diesem Beitrag argumentiert, dass soziodemografische Faktoren ebenfalls zu einer Erklärung des Rückgangs des Pro-Kopf-Verbrauchs in der Stadt beitragen könnten. Mit Hilfe eines generalisierten linearen Mischmodells mit Paneldaten für die 23 Gemeinden des Großraums Barcelona (einschließlich der zehn Distrikte von Barcelona) aus dem Zeitraum von 2003 bis 2007 wird versucht, die Rolle der Immigration und Alterung bei der Erklärung des gesunkenen durchschnittlichen Wasserverbrauchs pro Einwohner zu untersuchen. Privater Wasserverbrauch?Immigration?Altern der Bevölkerung?Großraum Barcelona?Generalisierte lineare Mischmodelle March H., Perarnau J. y Saurí D. Explorando las conexiones entre inmigración, envejecimiento, y consumo doméstico de agua: el caso del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona, Regional Studies. Los ambientes urbanos mediterráneos están sufriendo periodos más recurrentes de estrés hídrico que pueden llevar a disminuciones en el uso de agua. Seleccionando el Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) como caso de estudio, el artículo argumenta que algunos factores socio-demográficos pueden explicar también la disminución en el consumo doméstico de agua por capita. En este sentido, mediante el uso de Modelos Lineales Generalizados Mixtos y datos de 23 municipios para el periodo 2003–2007, el artículo examina el rol que la inmigración y el envejecimiento pueden tener en estas reducciones de consumo. Consumo doméstico de agua?Inmigración?Envejecimiento de la población?Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) Modelos lineales generalizados mixtos [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present paper summarizes a research project into integral safety in schools. The aims of this particular research are, firstly, to evaluate the degree of integral safety in schools, secondly, to propose means for improving prevention and integral safety systems and thirdly, to identify the characteristics of safety culture. The field work was undertaken in 20 schools in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Two instruments were applied: questionnaires and the focus group, with a methodological orientation of a qualitative nature. Results show that safety issues involve a high degree of responsibility on which management personnel spend a considerable amount of time, stating that they were less aware of the importance of the issue until they had been involved in school management for several years. Schools address safety issues in a reactive and anything but preventive way, for the most part designing involvement protocols in those schools that have already experienced accidents previously. The results obtained open up new possibilities for examination and should shape perceptions in schools by relating and incorporating the management of integral safety procedures, interpersonal relationships and the training of school managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the role of quality of life in determining the current trends of population location within a metropolitan area. We expect an endogenous relationship between quality of life and population growth, and we question whether the usual assumption that quality of life decreases with population growth holds. To answer this question we propose a simultaneous equation model, which is estimated assuming the spatial dimension of the data. We perform our exercise in a dynamic local framework, the metropolitan area of the city of Barcelona (Spain), in the period 1991-2004. Our results confirm the importance of quality of life in population growth, plus, if any, a positive impact of population growth on quality of life growth. Interestingly we find that spatial lags of the variables are particularly important, as services are not homogeneously provided in the territory. Modelisation de la qualite de vie et de l'accroissement demographique. Le cas de la zone metropolitaine de Barcelone Resume La presente communication s'efforce d'identifier le role de la qualite de la vie dans la determination des tendances actuelles de localisation de la population au sein d'une zone metropolitaine. Nous prevoyons un rapport endogene entre la qualite de la vie et l'accroissement demographique, et nous tentons d'etablir si l'hypothese usuelle, d'apres laquelle la qualite de vie diminue au fur et a mesure de l'augmentation de la population, est toujours valable. Pour repondre a cette question, nous proposons un modele a equation, que l'on estime sur la base des dimensions spatiales des donnees. Nous realisons cet exercice dans un cadre local dynamique, a savoir la zone metropolitaine de la ville de Barcelone (en Espagne) au cours de la periode 1991-2004. Nos resultats confirment l'importance de la qualite de vie dans l'accroissement demographique, plus, le cas echeant, un impact positif de l'accroissement demographique sur l'amelioration de la qualite de vie. Il est interessant de noter que les retards spatiaux des variables sont particulierement importants, car les services ne sont pas assures de facon homogene dans le territoire. Modelizacion del crecimiento de la poblacion y de la calidad de vida. El caso de la zona metropolitana de Barcelona Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar el papel de la calidad de vida en la definicion de las tendencias actuales de la localizacion de la poblacion en una zona metropolitana. Esperamos una relacion endogena entre la calidad de vida y el crecimiento demografico, y cuestionamos el supuesto habitual que afirma que la calidad de vida disminuye con el crecimiento demografico. Para responder esta pregunta proponemos un modelo de ecuaciones simultaneas, que se estima asumiendo la dimension espacial de los datos. Realizamos nuestro ejercicio en una estructura local dinamica, la zona metropolitana de la ciudad de Barcelona (Espana), en el periodo comprendido entre 1991 y 2004. Nuestros resultados confirman la importancia de la calidad de vida en el crecimiento demografico, ademas, si alguno, el efecto positivo del crecimiento demografico sobre el aumento de la calidad de vida. Curiosamente, encontramos que los desfases espaciales de las variables son especialmente importantes, porque los servicios no se prestan de manera homogenea en el territorio. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, I propose an analytical approach to describe the institutional trajectory of metropolitan authorities by using theory-based institutional models that, like 'ebbs' and 'flows', alternate over time. By employing a comparative, qualitative case-based approach, I empirically validated this analytical approach by reconstructing the divergent institutional trajectories of the metropolitan authorities in Barcelona, Spain and Milan, Italy over a period of 70 years. Furthermore, I examine to what extent the different institutional trajectories of both metropolitan authorities have had an indirect impact on land-use patterns by comparing longitudinal datasets (1950s-2010s) at different territorial scales. Results show that the different institutional models characterizing both metropolitan authorities cannot be clearly associated with a higher or lower proportion of urbanized areas. Rather, findings suggest that it is the inter-mediating role that metropolitan authorities routinely perform that can promote efficient land-use development and sustainable use of land as a scarce resource (equifinality). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most European countries, local governments must provide waste collection, transportation and treatment services. However, the form of production for delivering the service chosen by local governments differs from one city to another. The decision on how to provide the service has usually been approached in a simple way, by either public or private production. However, solid waste services are becoming increasingly complex, and governing this complexity has become a challenge for governments and practitioners. Here we discuss the case of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, where a new and ad hoc intergovernmental agency has been created to manage the complexity. Since this metropolitan area includes a huge geographical agglomeration around Barcelona, this becomes a complex management system that makes this case study of great interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of methods for the strategic assessment of ecological connectivity, specially for fast growing metropolitan areas. This paper presents a new geographic information systems (GIS) methodology with this aim. It allows the diagnosis of the connectivity of terrestrial landscape ecosystems, on the basis of ecological functional areas and a cost-distance model that includes two compound indices: one for the barrier effect, and another for ecological connectivity, with three variations for the latter, designed for different applications. We applied this model to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (Spain) assessing the identification of the direct and cumulative impacts on ecological connectivity within this area, resulting from the current artificial barriers, the planned urban growth, and a high-speed train project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study delves into the explanatory factors of the walking patterns of residents in metropolitan regions, who tend to be pressed for time when travelling to their daily destinations or activities. We particularly focus on the effects of the commuting distance on the amount of walking that can be achieved, which has health, socioeconomic and environmental implications. This study confirms the potential benefits of using smartphone tracking data to examine walking patterns. To enable this, a smartphone tracking application was developed to obtain accurate mobility data from a group of adults (n = 93) residing in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (Spain) and have to commute to a suburban university campus that can only be reached by using motorized transport modes. The results highlight the commuting distance and employment status as strong determinants of the amount of walking time achieved by this study group. Moreover, it was determined that among transit users, the commuting distance of male commuters was negatively associated with walking when compared with female transit users, whereas explanatory factors for private transport users bore insignificant results. Smartphone devices proved their potential as an effective and useful source of data in transportation and health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel behavior of the present generation of youths is being increasingly explored due to their relevance in shaping future accessibility needs and mobility habits. The present study offers an original perspective on this topic by identifying territorial disparities that emerge in youth mobility patterns in rural and urban areas. Unlike most previous research, we propose taking a global view on mobility by analyzing all trip purposes and transportation modes. This is conducted by analyzing a comprehensive mobility survey in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, which provides data on mobility engagement, trip purposes, modal split, travel times and territorial differences. In general, youngsters account for larger daily travel times than older adults, present a higher attachment to public transportation and walk less on a daily basis. These differences are enhanced in rural territories, where while older adults overcome accessibility issues with higher use of the private vehicle, youngsters are more likely to invest larger travel times on transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most relevant seismic vulnerability and risk analysis methods are discussed and compared in this article using, as a pilot urban area, the city of Barcelona, Spain, where risk studies have been carried out over the last 15 years in the framework of different research projects. Most of the buildings in Barcelona, which have unreinforced masonry structure or reinforced concrete structure with waffled slab floors, show a high degree of vulnerability to earthquakes. The physical seismic risk but also the socio-economic implications of risk are considered in the article. The robustness of the innovative holistic approach, based on indicators related to the physical exposure, the social fragilities and the lack of resilience of urban area, is also proved. Using a geographic information system (GIS), the seismic risk results are described by means of scenarios of expected losses, but also as scenarios of probabilities of occurrence of predefined damage states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of satellite cities within large metropolitan areas cannot be captured by an exponential function. Cubic spline functions seem more appropriate to depict the polycentric pattern of modern urban systems. Using data from the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, two possible population satellite city delimitation procedures using cubic spline density functions are discussed: one, taking an estimated derivative equal to zero; the other, a density gradient equal to zero. It is argued that a delimitation strategy based on derivatives is more appropriate than one based on gradients because the estimated density can be negative in sections with very low densities and few observations, leading to sudden changes in estimated gradients. It is also argued that delimiting satellite cities using a second derivative with a zero value permits the capture of a more restricted area than using a first derivative zero. This methodology can also be used for intermediate ring delimitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of two studies recently carried out on the supply and demand for business services, the fundamental aim of this article is to analyse business service location strategies in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) and to demonstrate the existence of tendencies similar to those in other developed urban areas. Three conclusions clearly emerge: a growing and progressive externalisation of business services; the tendency towards the urban concentration of these services, especially the most innovative and strategic ones; and the need for a high degree of co-operation between business service customers and suppliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]