Cities In Spain Research Articles

Waste generation prediction under uncertainty in smart cities through deep neuroevolution

The unsustainable development of countries has created a problem due to the unstoppable waste generation. Moreover, waste collection is carried out following a pre-defined route that does not take into account the actual level of the containers collected. Therefore, optimizing the way the waste is collected presents an interesting opportunity. In this study, we tackle the problem of predicting the waste generation ratio in real-world conditions, i.e., under uncertainty. Particularly, we use a deep neuroevolutionary technique to automatically design a recurrent network that captures the filling level of all waste containers in a city at once, and we study the suitability of our proposal when faced to noisy and faulty data. We validate our proposal using a real-world case study, consisting of more than two hundred waste containers located in a city in Spain, and we compare our results to the state-of-the-art. The results show that our approach exceeds all its competitors and that its accuracy in a real-world scenario, i.e., under uncertain data, is good enough for optimizing the waste collection planning.

Media Accountability and Journalists: To Whom Do Spanish Professionals Feel Responsible?

ABSTRACT This paper analyses to whom Spanish journalists feel responsible. To achieve this objective, we sent out a survey to Spanish journalists to ascertain their opinion on this question. The journalists’ point of view was then compared with that of the general public though six focus groups consisting of Spanish citizens from six cities in Spain (Barcelona, Castellón, Madrid, Sevilla, Mondragón and Santiago de Compostela). Lastly, five in-depth interviews were conducted with journalism experts (e.g., directors of professional journalist associations). The main results show that the journalists feel particularly responsible to their conscience, the journalism code of ethics and their sources. The citizens, in contrast, believe that journalists should be responsible to the audience. We contextualised the Spanish finding in the European context by comparing our results with those derived from a study among European journalists.

Urban sustainable mobility and planning policies. A Spanish mid-sized city case

Multiple previous studies at international level have examined the effects of land use policies regarding to sustainability, and particularly devoted to the induced private car mobility excess. However, it is remarkable the different urban planning tradition depending on the country or region. Thus, the Mediterranean urbanism has been generally featured by high or moderately high population and dwellings density, which has promoted the presence of pedestrians on streets. In this paper we analyse the case of Burgos city, as an example of mid-sized city in Spain. Although it isn't suffering sprawl symptoms, its local administration is trying to improve current modal share by increasing sustainable means of transport. The performed analysis includes population, dwellings density and absolute compactness, to check their influence in car trip generation. In coherence with previous studies, our results have shown a qualitative correlation between low densities and higher use of private car for the studied case. The effects of some urban planning policies are discussed as possible reasons of observed behaviour, serving as basis for future recommendations.

Determination of the Insulation Solution that Leads to Lower CO2 Emissions during the Construction Phase of a Building

The characteristics of the envelope of a building determine, together with other factors, its consumption of energy. Additionally, the climate zone and insulation material may vary the minimum insulation thickness of walls and roofs, making it different, according to cooling down or warming up the home. Spanish legislation establishes different maximum values for energy demand according to different climate area both for heating and for cooling. This paper presents the results of a study that determines the influence of many variables as the climate zone or the orientation, among others, in the optimization of thickness insulation in residential homes in Spain to reduce the CO2 emissions embodied. To do that, 12 representative cities in Spain corresponding to different climate zones, four orientations, two constructive solutions, and four different configurations of the same house have been combined, for three different hypotheses and four insulation materials, resulting in 4608 cases of study. The results show that, under equal conditions on energy demand, the optimal insulation requirements are determined by heating necessities more than by cooling ones. In addition, a higher insulation thickness need does not necessarily mean more CO2 emissions, since it can be compensated with a lower Global Warming Potential characterization factor that is associated to the insulation material. The findings of this study can serve to designers and architects to establish the better combination of the variables that are involved in order to minimize the CO2 emissions embodied during the construction phase of a building, making it more energy efficient.

Testing of the Integrated Energy Behavior of Sustainable Improved Mortar Panels with Recycled Additives by Means of Energy Simulation

Present waste management policies aim to reduce waste environmental impacts and improve resources’ efficiency. The use of waste and recycled materials to develop green construction materials are attracting researchers worldwide to develop new solutions addressed to increase the sustainability of buildings. This work presents a study of a new recycled mortar panel from the point of view of its contribution to the sustainability of buildings. Materials from industrial waste, as rigid polyurethane foam and electric arc furnace slags, are used as an additive of prefabricated mortar panels. The new proposed panels must have good thermal behavior with respect to the heat transfer interactions with the outside temperature and relative humidity, when compared to traditional brick or concrete. A test building with two kinds of representative uses, which are both residential and tertiary, and located in three cities of Spain with different climates, will be energy simulated in order to assess the thermal behavior of new construction or refurbished opaque ventilated façades with the new mortar panel. The thermal behavior of the new mortar panels would be studied by means of two energy assessments: (i) the evaluation of the influence of the new mortar panel in the energy demand of the whole building when compared to traditional materials, and (ii) the detailed analysis of the transient inner surface temperature of the space walls when using the new mortar panel. Based on the results obtained from the energy simulations performed, it follows that the thermal behavior of the mortar panel is, at least, equivalent to those of the other two materials, and even better in some aspects.

Análisis de imágenes digitales con DStretch como soporte a la restauración virtual de una pintura mural histórica en San Cristóbal de La Laguna

This paper proposes the use of the DStretch image analysis tool applied to the study and formal analysis of eighteenth-century mural paintings in the San Agustín Church of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a World Heritage city in Spain. Thanks to the technification of digital documentation, it has been possible to recover virtually this pictorial group that currently is almost completely lost due to a fire occurred in 1964. A work methodology that aims to achieve a reliable and rigorous recreation is proposed, supported by free software DStretch. This tool, which is conceived for research on rock art, is based on decorrelation processes, used in digital image treatment, which improve the readability of an image. The method offers an interesting applicability to the study of the historical mural painting analyzed and enhance the objectivity of its virtual reintegration.

The dispute over tourist cities. Tourism gentrification in the historic Centre of Palma (Majorca, Spain)

The historic centre of Palma is undergoing significant socio-urban change due to tourism-real estate speculation—an issue that is constantly highlighted in debates on tourism gentrification. This revaluation of the historic centre as a place for investment coincided with a serious economic crisis and an increase in urban inequality throughout the city. Tourism gentrification is spreading throughout neighbourhoods in the old town, most notably in areas with high heritage value. Our aim herein is to examine tourism gentrification in the historic centre of Palma through the increase in luxury hotels and short-stay holiday home rentals, particularly those listed on Airbnb, as the two most recent agents of gentrification. The advent of social resistance to this phenomenon can be tied to the socio-urban impacts that have stemmed from this tourism speculation: financial (real estate speculation and rising property prices), social (evictions), and functional and scenic (symbolic and commercial transformation). The strongest political response has come in the recent Tourism Act (August 2017) introducing certain regulatory measures: firstly, the focus on the illegal nature of renting holiday accommodation and, secondly, tourism zoning which, in Palma, has led to a complete ban on holiday rentals in residential apartment blocks. Palma is the first city in Spain to opt for this solution.

Medium-sized Cities in Spain and Their Urban Areas within National Network

Traditionally, medium-sized cities have been compact urban centres, which have also emerged as satellite nuclei within metropolitan areas of larger cities. However, urban dispersion models have led to growth in population and the increasing urbanisation of large cities’ peripheral areas. This article will analyse medium-sized cities in Spain, as well as their urban areas within the national urban network. Medium-sized cities will be defined herein, and their urban areas of influence will also be established. The increase and growth in area and population of the so-called medium-sized cities draws a new map of urban relationships. Empirical analysis will resort to a nuclear, demographic source, the population of urban areas. Source data will be analysed both statistically and cartographically. Finally, a spatial analysis of Spain’s urban network will be presented as the main method used to obtain results, with a characterisation of Spain’s urban system and the role of cities in such system being displayed. There is a trend which aims at re-balancing the permanent configuration of the country’s urban network. The article concludes with a typology of medium-sized cities regarding their relative position in the territory. This research contributes to the current scientific debate on the dynamics of urbanisation in the environment of medium-sized cities.

From diversity of interorganizational relationships to radical innovation in tourism destination: The role of knowledge exploration

Abstract Increasing globalization and great rivalry among national and international destinations imply that radical innovation has become a critical factor for the competitiveness of firms in the tourism industry. Radical innovation relies on knowledge shared through interorganizational relationships that connect firms within and between destinations. This paper analyzes the mediating role of explorative knowledge in the association between interorganizational relationships and radical innovation of firms located in tourism destinations. The empirical analysis uses original data collected from a sample of 215 firms located in World Heritage Cities in Spain. The results reveal that firms that take advantage of the variety of interorganizational relationships to achieve knowledge exploration develop more radical innovations. It is recommended that clustered firms build their network with a great diversity of relationships to obtain knowledge exploration since this is critical for developing radical innovation. Moreover, tourism destination institutions should foster variety in their relationships in social networks to contribute to tourism destination sustainability.

Comparing the urban form of South European cities using fractal dimensions

This paper compares built-up patterns and the urban form of South European cities using fractal dimensions. Fractal dimensions (D) are estimated in two different ways: (a) using binary images with information only on the built-up and non-built-up areas and (b) using grayscale images that represent the different built-up densities. The Urban Atlas and the Imperviousness-Soil Sealing Degree datasets are used to compute fractal dimensions for the 14 cities in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and the Mediterranean France with a population exceeding one million. The results indicate that differences in urban form are reflected in the fractal dimensions. Fractal dimensions are higher in cities characterized by a relatively continuous and homogeneous sprawl than in cities with elongated urban form or discontinuous development in periurban areas. In Spanish cities urban development is fragmented with clustered and contrasted patterns and this leads to lower fractal dimensions. In Italian and Portuguese cities, development follows relatively homogeneous patterns and D values are significantly higher. Other key findings of the research indicate that: (a) grayscale fractal dimensions are lower than the corresponding binary ones, nonetheless the relative ranking of the cities according to D remains about the same regardless of the method used and (b) fractal dimensions are highly correlated to the average built-up density.

Francisco Viñas y la nueva concepción de la música en la catedral de Jaca (1722-1731)

La admisión de Francisco Viñas (*Barcelona, 1698; †Calahorra, 1784) como maestro de capilla de la catedral de Jaca en 1722 supuso el inicio del mayor cambio estilístico desarrollado en la música en la seo altoaragonesa durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII. Durante su magisterio florecieron en la catedral jaquesa nuevos rasgos estilísticos influenciados por innovadoras técnicas de composición que habían comenzado a llegar a España procedentes de Italia. Francisco Viñas es el autor de las primeras composiciones registradas en la catedral de Jaca con presencia de violines y oboes, así como de nuevas tipologías y secciones en las obras en lengua romance (cantadas, recitados, arias, oberturas...). En esa catedral, en la que permaneció casi diez años, se conserva el 80% de la producción musical de Francisco Viñas, localizada actualmente en seis ciudades de España.

Evolución de los parámetros del enfoque integrado en las políticas urbanas en los barrios vulnerables en España

El desarrollo en el tiempo de políticas urbanas basadas en un enfoque integrado y dirigidas a barrios considerados desfavorecidos en el marco europeo, ha influido en el contexto español (De Gregorio, 2012; González, 2011), que, sin embargo, ha tenido una evolución y características propias, tanto en el marco legislativo y administrativo, como en la práctica urbanística (Matesanz y Hernández, 2014). Este artículo busca analizar la evolución de los parámetros ligados al enfoque integrado (integración de las áreas, de los agentes e integración en la ciudad) en el discurso jurídico-administrativo de las políticas urbanas dirigidas a la ciudad consolidada en España, especialmente en barrios vulnerables. Como resultado de este análisis se observan variaciones, no sólo en la intensidad de la integración propuesta, sino en sus planteamientos y objetivos, inseparables del tipo de actuación propuesta y modelo de ciudad vinculado a ella.

Active commuting through natural environments is associated with better mental health: Results from the PHENOTYPE project

BackgroundCommuting routes with natural features could promote walking or cycling for commuting. Commuting through natural environments (NE) could have mental health benefits as exposure to NE can reduce stress and improve mental health, but there is little evidence. This study evaluates the association between NE and commuting, whether active or not, and the association between commuting (through NE), whether active or not, and mental health. We also evaluate the moderating effect of NE quality on the association between NE commuting and mental health. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was based on adult respondents (n = 3599) of the Positive Health Effects of the Natural Outdoor Environment in Typical Populations in Different Regions in Europe (PHENOTYPE) project. Data were collected in four European cities in Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. Data on commuting behavior (active commuting at least one day/week, daily NE commuting) and mental health were collected with questionnaires. Associations were estimated with multilevel analyses including random intercepts at city- and neighborhood level. ResultsAdjusted multilevel analyses showed that daily NE commuters were more often active commuters (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.19, 1.70). There was no association between active commuting and mental health, but daily NE commuters had on average a 2.74 (95% CI 1.66, 3.82) point higher mental health score than those not commuting through NE. The association with mental health was stronger among active commuters (4.03, 95% CI 2.13, 5.94) compared to non-active commuters (2.21; 95% CI 0.90, 3.51) when daily commuting through NE, but NE quality did not have a moderating effect. ConclusionsDaily NE commuting was associated with better mental health, especially for active commuters. Daily NE commuters were likely to be active commuters. Active commuting itself was not associated with mental health. These findings suggest that cities should invest in commuting routes with nature for cycling and walking.

The way to sustainable mobility. A comparative analysis of sustainable mobility plans in Spain

After the approval and implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) in different cities of Spain, the evolution and the level of development of each one are still unknown. In fact, as many of them were approved before 2010, they didn't include a precise methodology for the further analysis of the proposed and/or implemented mobility measures. So, this evaluation of the mobility plans, their results and the comparison between cities and their evolution towards a more sustainable mobility represents nowadays a challenge in many cases.In 2011, the Spanish Law for a Sustainable Economy (Law 2/2011) was approved, which encouraged local administrations to create a SUMP. The approval of a SUMP was compulsory to local authorities to get any public funding for public transport projects. The main objectives of these plans were not only the reduction of the urban congestion and pollution, but also to encourage the citizens to change their habits so they are less car-dependent and more active in their daily trips. However, it is still necessary an evaluation to confirm that these SUMPs have represented a substantial change in terms of logistics and management of the transports and vehicles, both private and public, as well as of behaviour and habits of the citizens.The main objective of this paper is to show the results of a research conducted on 38 Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. The cities are all members of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes -RECI-).The SUMPs are analysed, addressing the identification and evaluation of the different specifically proposed mobility measures included in plans, the degree of definition of them, the costs, the implementation programs, etc. Also, follow-up programs were discussed.First, an analysis was made of the diagnosis of the mobility situation in each location according to the diagnosis document included in many of the SUMPs. The second stage consisted on the analysis of the measures in the plan, considering sixteen indicators, such as accessibility, intermodality, pedestrians or design of public space. Finally, it was also determined whether the document included a monitoring plan, a budget and a timeline.Through the comparison of the results, we obtain a brief overview about the evolution of efforts to get a more sustainable mobility in Spain. With these results, we finish our study proposing some guidelines for further analysis as well as for the new SUMPs that will be approved on the following years.

Heat-Related Mortality Trends and Human Adaptation Response to Climate Warming in Spain: A 30-Year Observational Study by Sex and Cause of Death

Background. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have increased summer temperatures in Spain by nearly one degree Celsius over the last three decades. However, little is known about the extent to which the associations between heat and human mortality have been modified due to societal adaptation. We investigate whether warmer summers are associated with an upward trend in excess mortality attributable to heat or, on the contrary, this trends has been counterbalanced by an adaptive response of the population.Methods and findings. We analyzed a large dataset from 46 capital cities in Spain for the summer months between 1986 and 2015, which included daily temperatures and number of deaths from circulatory and respiratory causes by sex. We applied standard quasi-Poisson regression models, controlling for seasonality and long-term trends, and estimated the temporal variation in heat-related mortality with time-varying distributed lag nonlinear models. The results pointed to a strong and progressive reduction during the study period in relative risks of cause-specific and cause-sex mortality across the range of summer temperatures, which led to downward trends in overall heat-attributable deaths.Conclusions. The summer warming observed during the last decades in Spain has been completely counterbalanced by an adaptive response of the population, which has led to a sustained downward trend in heat-related human mortality. This reduction occurred in parallel with a decline in the gender vulnerability gap between men and women. Despite these advances, the risk of death remained high for respiratory diseases, and particularly in the case of women.

Stochastic diffusion models to describe the evolution of annual heatwave statistics: A three-factor model with risk calculations

In view of risk assessments this paper proposes a stochastic diffusion model to characterise statistics of extreme events when climate- or environmental variables surpass critical thresholds. The proposed three-factor model captures trend and volatility of such statistics and could prove valuable for climate and environmental impact analysis in many systems such as human health, agriculture or ecology. The model supports decisions in view of lowering risks to acceptable levels.We illustrate the development of the model for heatwave impacts on human health in the context of climate change. We propose a generic model composed of three random processes characterising annual statistics of heatwaves: a Poisson process characterising the number of heatwaves, a Gamma process characterising mean duration and a truncated Gaussian process capturing mean excess temperature of heatwave days. Additionally, potential correlations between the three processes are taken into account.The model is calibrated with data obtained from a regional climate model for two cities in Spain. The suitability of the model for probabilistic analysis is tested with Monte Carlo simulations. We assess the time-dependent probability distributions of heatwave-related mortality and demonstrate how to obtain relevant risk metrics such as the 95th percentile and the average of the 5% of worst cases (ES (95%)).

Heat-related mortality trends under recent climate warming in Spain: A 36-year observational study.

BackgroundAnthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have increased summer temperatures in Spain by nearly one degree Celsius on average between 1980 and 2015. However, little is known about the extent to which the association between heat and human mortality has been modified. We here investigate whether the observed warming has been associated with an upward trend in excess mortality attributable to heat or, on the contrary, a decrease in the vulnerability to heat has contributed to a reduction of the mortality burden.Methods and findingsWe analysed a dataset from 47 major cities in Spain for the summer months between 1980 and 2015, which included daily temperatures and 554,491 deaths from circulatory and respiratory causes, by sex. We applied standard quasi-Poisson regression models, controlling for seasonality and long-term trends, and estimated the temporal variation in heat-related mortality with time-varying distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs). Results pointed to a reduction in the relative risks of cause-specific and cause-sex mortality across the whole range of summer temperatures. These reductions in turn explained the observed downward trends in heat-attributable deaths, with the only exceptions of respiratory diseases for women and both sexes together. The heat-attributable deaths were consistently higher in women than in men for both circulatory and respiratory causes. The main limitation of our study is that we were not able to account for air pollution in the models because of data unavailability.ConclusionsDespite the summer warming observed in Spain between 1980 and 2015, the decline in the vulnerability of the population has contributed to a general downward trend in overall heat-attributable mortality. This reduction occurred in parallel with a decline in the vulnerability difference between men and women for circulatory and cardiorespiratory mortality. Despite these advances, the risk of death remained high for respiratory diseases, and particularly in women.

Local context, network ties, and organisational autonomy: Latino civic life in Barcelona and Madrid compared

ABSTRACT How does local context shape immigrant civic life? This article addresses the question by comparing Latino associations in Madrid and Barcelona, cities in Spain with comparable rates of immigration and civic organising. Drawing on 63 interviews with Latino leaders and stakeholders, I show that three contextual factors – municipal funding priorities, overcrowding, and local political history – promote network configurations that, in turn, influence organisational agenda setting. In Barcelona, these factors encourage ethnic bonding networks that facilitate the implementation of large-scale celebrations, protests, and social service projects, yet render groups vulnerable to political party intrusion. In Madrid, the factors lead associations to instead form bridging ties with mainstream non-profit organisations, while diminishing opportunities for pursuing large, independent projects. The results encourage scholars to understand local context as a field that structures relations between immigrant organisations and influences organisational autonomy.

The New Holistic Paradigm and the Sustainability of Historic Cities in Spain: An Approach Based on the World Heritage Cities

Linked to the objectives of sustainability of the United Nations, the reflection on the historic city promoted by UNESCO has favored the emergence of a new holistic paradigm that focuses on the capacity of culture to improve the quality of life of people and seeks to recover the historical link among culture, development and sustainability. Based on this context, this paper analyzes the main problems that face Spanish World Heritage Cities in terms of sustainability and livability, and the correlation between the new paradigm and the reality of its current management. This study explored sustainability indicators based on the evolution of the population and the number of visitors. The current protection and management model is reviewed based on the four basic tools identified by UNESCO: Regulatory systems, Knowledge and Planning tools, Financial tools and Civic engagement tools. The joint analysis of UNESCO’s Periodic Reports allows us to identify the shortcomings that point to a disconnection between heritage city management and citizenship. After analyzing the impact of the new paradigm in the Spanish reality, the need to continue deepening its dissemination and accelerating its implementation is evident. In the same way. it is essential to establish and implement models of citizen participation that favor the fulfillment of the sustainability challenges of historic cities.

Inter-organizational relationships with core and peripheral partners in heritage tourism clusters

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the effects of inter-organizational relationships with core and peripheral partners on innovation in heritage tourism clusters.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis uses original data (collected by means of a postal questionnaire) based at UNESCO World Heritage Cities in Spain. The sample consists of 215 companies, and the methodology used is hierarchical linear regression.FindingsThe authors identify divergent effects of relationships with core and peripheral partners on innovation. In particular, the effect of core partners has an inverted U-shaped form, while that of peripheral partners is U-shaped.Research limitations/implicationsThe results may be extrapolated to other heritage tourism clusters located in World Heritage Cities with some precaution. The paper does not jointly analyze the effects of relationships with core and peripheral partners on the innovation of firms in tourism clusters.Practical/implicationsClustered tourism firms should not rely only on relationships with core agents, because beyond a critical threshold, returns in terms of innovation diminish. Firms should strive to establish relationships with peripheral agents in spite of the initial difficulties and the costs associated with network building, because positive returns soon materialize.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on inter-organizational relationships by analyzing the impact of relationships with core and peripheral partners on innovation in clustered firms. The authors highlight the existence of the divergent curvilinear effects of these relationships on heritage tourism clusters.