Green areas and water management in residential developments in the European Western Mediterranean. A case study of Alicante, Spain

Abstract

The intense urbanization of the Mediterranean coast as a result of the development of residential-tourist activities since the 1960s, especially from the mid-1990s to 2008, has generated new urban environments associated with extensive urban typologies. These include gardens linked to houses with outdoor spaces that are shared between all of the residents of the residential developments. The aim of this study is to determine the main characteristics of these new urban green spaces and their effect on domestic water consumption in Alicante (Spain). To do this, we analysed the characteristics that define these types of gardens (surface area, density, plant species and irrigation system) and determined their water needs using the Water Use Classifications of Landscape Species method. The main conclusions are that the increase in paved areas is one of the strategies to reduce water consumption in spaces where turf grass is the most common plant species. This is due to increased water prices and lack of water resources.

Keywords:

• Gardens
• water management
• residential developments
• Western Mediterranean

Acknowledgements

The results presented in this article are part of three research studies. The first, entitled “Urbanisation and water metabolism in the coast of Alicante: Analysis of trends for the 2000-2010 period” was funded by the Spanish MINECO under grant number CSO2012-36,997-C02-02. The second, entitled “Uses and management of non-conventional water resources in the coast of Valencia and Murcia as an adaptation strategy to drought” was funded by the Spanish MINECO under grant number CSO2015-65,182-C2-2-P. The third is part of a PhD research grant funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education. The authors are also grateful for the data provides for the company Hidraqua, Gestión Integral de Aguas de Levante S.A. (Asunción Martínez) and Aguas Municipalizadas de Alicante, Empresa Mixta, S.A. (Francisco Bartual, Antonio Ivorra and Francisco Agulló).