Barcelona Metropolitan Region Research Articles

THE EXTRACTION OF URBANIZED AREAS THROUGH IMAGES OF HIGH RESOLUTION NIGHTTIME LIGHTS

Abstract. Satellite nocturnal images of the earth are a useful way to identify urbanisation. Nighttime lights have been used in a variety of scientific contributions, including studies on the identification of metropolitan areas as well as landscapes impacted by urbanization. However, the study of urban systems by nighttime light imagery has had a fundamental limitation to date: the low spatial resolution of satellite sensors. Although the DMSP Operational Linescan System (OLS) has been gathering global low-light imaging data for over 40 years, its 2.7 km/pixel footprint has limited its use for in-depth studies of urban development. The 2011 launch by NASA and the NOAA of the Suomi National Polar Partnership (SNPP) satellite, with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on board, has led to a significant improvement. This instrument has better spatial resolution (742 m/pixel), on-board calibration, a greater radiometric range, and fewer saturation and blooming problems than DMSP-OLS data. However, it still has considerable limitations for the in-depth study of the area and internal structure of urban systems.The launch of Luojia 1-01 in June 2018 has increased expectations. LJ1-01 is a nano satellite that can obtain high-resolution nocturnal images (130 metres/pixel). The aim of this paper is to analyse, and compare with previous satellites, the new instrument’s capacity to delimit the urbanised area and its efficiency in identifying types of urban landscape (compact, dispersed and rurban). The study cases are Barcelona Metropolitan Region (Spain) and Shenzhen City (China).

Utopia and Idiocy: Public Art Experiments in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

AbstractThis article presents public art experiments that have taken place in cities of the metropolitan region of Barcelona, Spain. Some of these experiments were commissioned with the purpose of fostering social cohesion, but instead, they have made social dissent visible. I analyze these public art experiments through two terms that have been often used to question them: utopia and idiocy. I argue that both terms are important in understanding the politics of aesthetics in these experiments. My final objectives are first to assess if these experiments can help us better understand their urban and cultural context, and second if the politics of aesthetics is a good framework to analyze public art experiments.

640. Renta salarial, desigualdad y segregación residencial en las ciudades medianas de Cataluña

Este trabajo presenta los resultados de un proyecto de investigación sobre las condiciones socioeconómicas en las ciudades medianas de Cataluña. Estas ciudades, que caracterizan el sistema policéntrico catalán y también el europeo, han recibido menos atención que las ciudades grandes y globales. A partir de una estimación de la renta salarial media para cada una de las 41 ciudades seleccionadas, se analiza la relación con la desigualdad y la segregación residencial por ingresos y de la población inmigrante. Durante el periodo analizado (2001-2011), se observa una reducción de la renta salarial acompañada de una reducción de la desigualdad y de la segregación de las rentas altas y de un aumento de la segregación de las rentas bajas y de la población inmigrante. Esta tendencia general presenta variaciones importantes entre las nueve ciudades más grandes, capitales provinciales y capitales comarcales localizadas en la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona y las 22 que no son capitales comarcales, algunas localizadas en la RMB y otras fuera de ese ámbito.

Economic and distributional effects of different fare schemes: Evidence from the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

• Individuals are more sensitive to changes in quality than in prices. • Subsidies have a moderate progressive effect explained by the higher use of public transport by low-income groups. • Changing the fare structure has a relatively small effect on modal-split, while the effect on revenue can be higher. • The distributional profiles of alternative pricing strategies are very similar. • Suppressing the integrated fare system has a regressive effect but of limited magnitude. This paper assesses the ability of alternative fare system designs to change the modal-share of public transport use, as well as their corresponding impact on company revenues. Specifically, we provide evidence for how switching from flat to distance fares or from integrated to non-integrated tickets affects both the ridership and the financial situation of public transport companies. Secondly, because distributional concerns are at the heart of the policy debate, we evaluate the impact of the alternative fare schemes on equity. We distinguish between commuting and personal travel purposes. Focusing on the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, our analysis shows that different pricing structures have only a moderate effect on ridership, while the potential for revenue changes is higher. Regarding equity, our results reveal that the distributional profiles of alternative pricing strategies are quite homogeneous. However, there appears to be a mild regressive effect when an integrated fare system is removed. Our results may help to guide policy decisions related to public transport pricing strategies.

Women’s safety perception assessment in an urban stream corridor: Developing a safety map based on qualitative GIS

Perceived safety influences women’s use of green environments (GE) for physical activity with considerable implications on health. In order to address gender inequality in GE use, the effects of physical and social environmental factors on women’s perception of safety must be assessed. To achieve this, a pilot study designed and implemented a safety map based on a qualitative Geographic Information System (qGIS) methodology, in an urban stream corridor of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. Fourteen in-depth interviews with women users of the stream corridor were conducted to identify influencing environmental factors (i.e., lighting, vegetation density, visibility, and presence of streets, residential areas, industrial areas, parking areas, green areas, abandoned areas and discotheques, for the physical; and presence of truck drivers and vandals, and user density, for the social). These factors were translated into four spatial indicators (visibility, vegetation density, lighting, and land use) to allow for generation of safety index values. The safety map combined the safety index values with individual perceptions. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods served to compare and contrast micro-scale individual perceptions with general perceptions of safety at the GE macro-scale. The safety map pointed out the importance of providing “eyes on the GE” and provided a nuanced understanding of how perceptions are mediated by women’s background (patriarchal vision of public space, criminal stereotypes and vulnerability of women) and everyday practices (recurrent use of GE). The map identified the areas that merit decision-makers’ attention to develop strategies for reverting gender inequality in GE use.

Day-to-Day Mobility and Modal Changes in Low-Density Urban Areas. Case Study of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

The current researech deals daily mobility in urban low-density welfare society areas in order to identify pioneers in modal shift. Qualitative methodology was used; semi-structured interviews were conducted in a sample of residents in the municipality of Matadepera (Barcelona Region). The results show the prominence of the car in the daily life and the low permeability of the new mobility practices (active and shared) that similar social groups begin to practice in dense urban areas. The urban morphology and the design of a public space biased for the use of the private vehicle make difficult the modal change. Public policies are needed to make it possible to create proximity and redesign the public space to generate the conditions for modal change.

Temperature and Rain Moderate the Effect of Neighborhood Walkability on Walking Time for Seniors in Barcelona.

Walking is the most accessible form for seniors to engage in daily light or moderate physical activity. Walking activity depends on both individual and environmental factors, the latter including how walkable a given setting is. Recent papers have pointed at the relevance of also considering meteorological conditions in relation to the walking behavior of older adults. This paper explores the combined effect of neighborhood walkability, temperature and rain on daily walking time among seniors residing in Barcelona. Daily walking time was extracted from 7-day GPS (Global Positioning System) devices and accelerometer data of 227 seniors residing in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (Spain). Temperature and rain data were extracted from official governmental weather stations. Mixed-effects linear regression models were adjusted to test the combined association between weather and walkability on daily walking time. Neighborhood walkability is positively associated with walking time among seniors, while rain generally deters it. Additionally, this study demonstrates that temperature and rain modify the effect of residential walkability on senior walking activity: low temperatures are particularly associated with lower walking activity among those residing in low walkable areas, while the presence of rain presents a negative association with walking time in high walkable environments. The combined effect of walkability and weather should be considered both in design actions that aim at improving walking infrastructure and also in prevention programs aimed at encouraging daily walking among seniors.

Air temperature in Barcelona metropolitan region from MODIS satellite and GIS data

The metropolitan region of Barcelona (BMR) is one of the most densely populated areas in the Mediterranean countries. The estimation of air temperature at a short scale from satellite measurements would contribute to a better understanding of the varied and complex spatial distribution of temperatures in BMR. This estimation would be a first step to study several patterns of the thermometric regime affecting population life quality and health. Taking advantage of MODIS data, air temperature measurements at 48 thermometric stations along the year 2015, together with their geographic and topographic data, multiple regression analyses have permitted to obtain fine spatial distributions (pixels of 1 km2) of minimum, mean and maximum daily air temperatures. Previous to the multiple regression, Pearson coefficients and principal component analysis offer a first overview of the relevance of the variables on the empiric temperatures. The most relevant variables on the multiple regression process at annual and seasonal scale are land surface temperatures, latitude, longitude and calendar day. At a monthly scale, altitude (maximum temperature) and continentality (cold months for minimum and hot months for maximum temperatures) are also relevant. The best fits between empiric temperatures and those derived from the multiple regression processes have square regression coefficients within the range (0.92–0.96) for the annual case, (0.70–0.92) at seasonal scale and (0.52–0.87) at monthly scale. The root mean square error varies from 1.5 to 2.0 °C (annual case), from 1.3 to 2.0 °C (seasonal scale) and from 1.2 to 2.1 °C (monthly scale). In agreement with these regression coefficients and mean square errors, the obtained spatial distribution of temperatures is of notable quality. As an outstanding application, the detection of several urban heat islands on different conurbations within BMR along the Mediterranean coast becomes possible.

Changes in gendered mobility patterns in the context of the Great Recession (2007–2012)

The aim of the present study is to analyze the interrelation between daily mobility and gender in the context of economic change. The financial crisis that has affected Spain from 2008 has witnessed significant shifts in daily mobility, which have not been equal for all socio-demographic groups. This study was undertaken in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region and it seeks to understand whether or not, during those economically difficult circumstances of the Great Recession, more equal travel patterns between men and women have emerged or, by contrast, whether or not the already existent gendered differences have deepened, paying special attention to which gender has travel habits that have changed the most. Using a quantitative approach, based on mobility data from the Working Day Mobility Surveys (EMEF) from the years 2007 and 2012, the analysis examines the changing trends in several mobility indicators such as men's and women's immobility rate, their average number of daily trips, their main mobility purposes, their modal choice habits and the time they invest in traveling.

Youth Mobility and Territorial Disparities: An Analysis of Urban and Rural Barcelona

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.

Food waste prevention along the food supply chain: A multi-actor approach to identify effective solutions

There is a large consensus highlighting the need to prevent the food waste volume along the food supply chain. However, there is currently a lack of understanding as to what the most effective anti-food waste measures to be implemented in fact are. The food waste puzzle can be considered from diverse perspectives depending on the stakeholder position on the chain. In view of this, the objective of this paper is to conduct a multi-actor approach to identify the most effective measures to prevent food waste. To do so, we combined in-depth interviews and the Delphi method and applied this to key agents along the food supply chain. The study was conducted in the Barcelona metropolitan region, and a total of 24 key stakeholders participated in the process. We identified 48 measures from the in-depth interviews. The Delphi method was used to evaluate stakeholders’ perception of the effectiveness of each measure to prevent food waste and, the consensus and dissensus among the panel. In particular, we found different strong prevention measures, such as the increasing of diet valuation, weak prevention measures, such as building consumer awareness about food waste, and a set of redistribution measures. Finally, we discussed the importance of engaging as diverse a panel of stakeholders as possible when addressing food waste. The paper contributes to the incipient debate on how to examine the impact of multiple and diverse alternatives to food waste prevention.

“Is there any time left for walking?” Physical activity implications of suburban commuting in the Barcelona metropolitan region

ABSTRACTThe 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.

Urban form and spatial structure as determinants of the ecological footprint of commuting

In this research we examine the relationship between the ecological footprint of commuting and several variables of urban form and spatial structure for the case of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, paying special attention to the role of population density and polycentrism. Stopping the low density urban dispersion and encourage polycentrism are two of the main policies advocated by the supporters of the Compact City Approach to achieve more sustainable cities. The literature on the impact of population density offers inconclusive results and studies that address the role of spatial structure are very scarce. The results obtained in this research indicate that polycentrism has advantages in terms of low footprint. The effect of population density is more controversial. These results indicate that polycentric spatial planning can be a good strategy to reduce the ecological footprint of cities.

Landscape Agroecology. The Dysfunctionalities of Industrial Agriculture and the Loss of the Circular Bioeconomy in the Barcelona Region, 1956–2009

The paper analyses how between 1956 and 2009 the agrarian metabolism of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) has become less functional, losing circularity in biomass flows and in relationship to its landscape. We do so by adopting a Multi-Energy Return on Investment (EROI) and flow-fund (MuSIASEM) analyses and the nexus with landscape functional structure. The study of agricultural flows of Final Produce, Biomass Reused and External Inputs is integrated with that of land use, livestock, power capacity, and population changes between 1956 (at the beginning of agrarian industrialization) and 2009 (fully industrialized agriculture). A multi-scale analysis is conducted at the landscape scale (seven counties within the Barcelona metropolitan region) as well as for the functions deployed, within an agroecosystem, by the mutual interactions between its funds (landscape, land-uses, livestock, and farming population). A complex nexus between land, livestock, dietary patterns, and energy needs is shown; we conclude that, from the perspective of the circular bioeconomy the agrarian sector has gone worse hand in hand with the landscape functional structure. Therefore, a novel perspective in landscape agroecology is opened.

The Impact of Economic Crisis in Areas of Sprawl in Spanish Cities

The development of dispersed urbanism in Spain ran parallel to the real estate boom and consolidated a new model of city sprawl based on the expansion of suburban areas. This process, which started in the mid 1980s, came to a halt with the onset of the economic crisis in 2007. With it, construction stopped, mobility fell, and urban growth came to a standstill. The purpose of this article is, firstly, to analyse the recent evolution and chronology of the expansion of dispersed urbanism in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) in order to gain an insight into some of its explanatory factors, and secondly, to look into the future middle-term prospects of dispersed urbanism in the BMR and Spain. To this end, we examine trends in the housing market and residential mobility and take stock of the impact of business cycles on them. The conclusion is that dispersed areas still retain their appeal for people in the life stages of the creation and expansion of households. For this reason, an effective economic recovery and a renewed rise in the price of housing in denser cities may contribute to an upturn in the popularity of the dispersed residential model, which nowadays could be considered to be in a ‘lethargic’ phase, waiting for certain factors to concur and reactivate its expansion.

A Sum of Incidentals or a Structural Problem? The True Nature of Food Waste in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

Addressing the generation of food waste is a major challenge nowadays. An increasing interest in studying food waste generation has emerged over the last decade. However, little attention has been devoted to understanding the root of the problem by carrying out a whole-supply-chain analysis and applying multidimensional approaches. The aim of this paper was to identify the causes of food waste in the metropolitan region of Barcelona along the food supply chain, considering the relevant stakeholders’ perceptions. Moreover, we examined the circumstantial or structural nature of the identified causes. We conducted a qualitative study consisting of 24 in-depth interviews of key stakeholders in the region along the food supply chain from October 2014 to January 2015. The interviews were analyzed by content analysis, and the main results are presented here. We used a conceptual framework that differentiates among micro, meso, and macro causes to disentangle the nature of the causes. The results from this study show the great interest of regional stakeholders in the issue of the generation of food waste and provide a complete map of the causes of food waste in the metropolitan region. From our study, we advocate that food waste is not only a sum of incidentals but it a structural problem.

From metropolitan rivers to civic corridors: assessing the evolution of the suburban landscape

ABSTRACTThe sustainability of metropolitan regions is closely related to the transformation of rivers into civic and ecological corridors. While river rehabilitation in the inner city has been widely reported, ongoing river rehabilitation processes in non-central city parts remain under-researched. We analysed the socio-spatial evolution of a 10-km suburban stretch of a river in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona by means of a review of planning regulations and municipal newsletters. We observed that, in the course of over 40 years, a system of public open spaces and facilities was incrementally created on the riverbanks, in keeping with a progressive reinforcement of the everyday relationship between local communities and the river. Today, a common political determination on the river’s future, in conjunction with enhanced citizen activism, is paving the way for comprehensive, participatory river management.

Movilidad habitual y concentración territorial de la población inmigrante: el caso de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona

The recent arrival of thousands of foreign immigrants has modified the labor market of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. This paper studies immigrant commuting behavior, especially those displacements produced between workplace and residence. Commuting characteristics will first be analyzed from a descriptive perspective, to then focus on the effects of territorial distribution over mobility. Results show that immigrants need more time for their displacements, and a greater intensity in public transport use. At the same time, they tend to work less outside their municipality of residence. If analyzed by gender, these patterns particularly affect women. Additionally, a clear concentration effect is also noticed, reinforced by location: A metropolitan center effect is observed, while peripheries penalize daily mobility.

Landscape conflict assessment based on a mixed methods analysis of qualitative PPGIS data

The paper presents a public participation GIS (PPGIS) approach designed to support landscape decision-making by spatially identifying and describing conflict. This method is based on participatory mapping and qualitative interpretation of positive landscape values (stemming from cultural ecosystem services), negative landscape values (derived from landscape factors that negatively influence social perception), and improvement preferences. It is developed and tested using data collected from 53 interviews with local community members from a highly urbanised stream corridor in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (Spain). Intensity score maps of positive/negative landscape values are combined according to their significant spatial co-existence. Conflict index maps are computed for each co-existing pair of positive/negative values, delimiting the areas with the highest index values. Qualitative analysis of the improvement preferences identified within these areas contributed to an understanding of the reasons behind these conflicts. Finally, a weighted linear combination of the positive/negative landscape value intensity maps is applied to identify the areas with the highest level of conflict. Therefore, this approach not only produces a spatial delimitation and prioritization of landscape conflict based on context specific landscape values, but it also characterizes the underlying drivers of conflict on the basis of the qualitative understanding of improvement preferences.

Empirical analysis of travellers’ routine choice of means of transport in Barcelona, Spain

The present study identifies groups of travellers according to their routine choice of means of transport in the context of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. Clustering procedures are used to classify travellers according to the self-reported frequency of use of different travel modes. The extracted segments are then profiled with regards to their residence location, socioeconomic traits, access to a car, and other factors that relate to routines becoming habits – (low) use of travel information and disproportionate use of their preferred means of transport. This exercise is of great interest because the incidence of driving habits and other psychological determinants of (un)sustainable travel mode choice are under-researched factors in Barcelona. Data was retrieved from the Survey of Daily Mobility of Catalonia 2006. We identified seven relatively homogeneous segments of transport users, of which two groups are routine users of private vehicles for whom their modal choice is apparently disconnected from situational factors, namely Motorcycle enthusiasts and Car drivers. These groups also share common traits regarding their minimal use of travel information and narrow modal mix (unimodality). The results suggest that it may be valuable to explore the issue of driving habits formation in the context of Barcelona in depth, as it has implications for the design of environmental policy for transport.