The process of residential sprawl in Spain: Is it really a problem?

Abstract

This article looks at the residential sprawl process in Spain, defining its particular characteristics in comparison to those in other countries. The rapid growth of housing construction on new land during the 1990s and the social diversification involved are two of the key themes analysed. One of the central issues of this article is why residential sprawl has come to be considered as one of the biggest land-use planning problems in Spain today. To this end, we will look at the environmental impacts and social sustainability of the model and the difficulties involved in its day-to-day management. Finally, we reflect on the impasse reached regarding low-density development in Spain now that the moderate growth of today offers the chance to assess the negative effects brought about by its impact in the past and to design strategies to mitigate its impact in the future.

Keywords:

• urban sprawl
• residential mobility
• housing
• Spain

Notes

1. For general information on trends in urban dynamics in Spain, see the papers by Valenzuela and Salom (2008), Troitiño (2007) and Nel·lo (2004, 2007).

2. According to López-Colás, Spain is the European country with the highest proportion of families with second homes.

3. The ‘Mobility, family solidarity and citizenship in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona’ survey includes interviews with people living on housing developments scattered throughout the 17 council areas of the region. It was carried out in 2005 on a sample of 600 people over the age of 18.

4. The results of the ‘Mobility, family solidarity and citizenship in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona’ survey have been presented in a number of papers, including those by Alabart and López-Villanueva (2007), García-Coll (2007) and Pujadas et al. (2009).

5. This article defines the following social categories – upper: business owners and self-employed with employees; upper-middle: business owners and self-employed without employees, liberal professions, directors and managers of public or private companies, high-level technicians; middle: mid-level technicians, administrative personnel, sales staff and technicians, middle management, skilled workers; lower: unskilled workers (Alabart et al. 2007).

6. The case of the Sant Pere de Ribes council area is a typical example (see Garrido 2007).

7. An exception to this can be found in some cases where the existence of serious deficiencies in the area has led residents to organize themselves to strengthen their demands.

8. Renting is a minority choice in the Spanish residential market. Sociologist Jesús Leal argued that there is a residential model peculiar to southern European countries, characterized by high levels of home ownership, low stocks of public housing, a high number of secondary residences, very low residential mobility, more frequent use of self-build homes and a great deal of recent property activity (Leal 2004).

9. ‘“Llei 3/2009” of 10 March, Regional Government Act to regulate and improve housing developments with planning deficiencies’.