Can variations in the nature of a border modify the landscape? Evaluation of landscape changes in the Eastern part of the Cross border Catalan Space (1950–2009)

Abstract

Border landscapes share certain features that distinguish them from other landscapes due to the fact that they belong to two different States and are crossed by a political institution, i.e. the border. These features are accentuated when the nature of the border changes. In the present article, we analyse the evolution of the border landscape at the far east of the Franco-Spanish border on the basis of land use and cover for three time periods, from the 1950s to the present day. The aim is to compare the dynamics of the landscape on each side of the border and determine how the de-bordering process of the internal borders of the EU has conditioned the aforementioned landscape dynamics. The methodology used to obtain land cover and use is based on photointerpretation and the digitisation of aerial photographs and orthophotomaps of the area. In addition, we also propose an adaptation of the regional approach posited by Guichonnet and Raffestin (1974) to determine how the border and changes in its nature affect the landscape. The results of the research reveal the existence of real effects of the border on the landscape. These translate into differences in local landscapes, derived from the different political decisions taken by the political-territorial administrations on each side of the border. In turn, the results also allow us to identify how the de-bordering process of the Franco-Spanish border contributes to accelerating certain landscape dynamics, especially those related to urban and infrastructure growth.