Residential mobility in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region during the present economic crisis

Abstract

Abstract These last few years, the Barcelona metropolitan region has had two main distinct residential mobility flows, each defining their own spatial patterns. On the one hand, there has been one made by Spanish people who, since the late 1970s, have been moving from the dense metropolitan centre towards its periphery where they can find medium-sized towns and small municipalities to which they are attracted. On the other hand, since the early twenty-first century there has also been that of foreigners moving from Barcelona to the neighbouring central cities. This article analyses recent intensity and spatial pattern changes due to the economic and housing market crises. Focusing on the 2009–2012 period, it compares two previous decades from 1988–2008. Our main hypothesis is that in recent years the flows have slightly diminished but they have had a stronger geographic impact as spatial trends existing before the economic crisis have blurred.