Spanish Cities Research Articles

Residential energy consumption in Spain during the 1960s. Butane and the precariousness of developmentalism

This article illustrates a key episode in the energy transition from traditional to fossil energies, a pattern often observed in developing nations. It examines the sharp rise in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumption for domestic use in Spain during the 1960s, with a focus on regional disparities. While the Franco regime actively promoted LPG use through the firm Butano SA, regional differences cannot be fully explained by variations in climate or industrial structures. To explore this, the study analyses LPG consumption alongside other substitute energy sources for calorific uses (firewood, coal, city gas) and complementary energy sources for lighting (electricity). The factors driving the adoption of these energy sources are then assessed. The findings highlight the complexity of Spain’s household energy transition and confirm significant disparities in energy access between rural and urban areas. A novel argument is introduced: LPG became closely associated with large Spanish cities and their metropolitan areas, where precarious housing conditions played a pivotal role in driving its widespread adoption.

Exploring Barriers to Innovation in Public Administration

This study deepens our knowledge on innovation barriers within Public Sector Innovation (PSI) processes in local governments. It analyzes the barriers to PSI from a mixed method approach using an original survey directed to innovation managers in the largest Spanish city councils and semi-structured interviews within a case study. This study shows the most relevant barriers to innovation in different stages of development, the strategies used to overcome these barriers and the relationships among them. This research contributes to PSI literature by shedding light on the barriers' dynamics and how they operate in local governments within contexts of high levels of digitalization. Results suggest a significant prevalence of institutional barriers, more common in countries with a Napoleonic administrative tradition, and uncover the relevance of politics and human resource management foster innovation at the local level.

Landscapes of thermal inequality: Exploring patterns of climate justice across multiple spatial scales in Spain

Over the last four decades, global temperatures have seen a generalized, long-term increase, and Europe is at the forefront of this trend, with temperatures rising by over twice the global average in the past 30 years. And the problem of excessive heat exposure is disproportionately more serious urban areas than it is in rural areas. This study investigates the issue of thermal inequality in Southern Europe, a largely understudied region exposed to substantial heat stress. We selected five major Spanish cities that reflect different socio-demographic and environmental contexts of the country, using the city’s administrative boundaries as our unit of analysis. We used bespoke neighborhoods to investigate heat inequality at multiple spatial scales. To illustrate the relationship between the thermal inequality patterns and the socio-demographic characteristics of neighborhoods, we estimated three separate generalized least squares regression models for each city, with the outcome variable being the average land surface temperature values in bespoke neighborhoods across the three spatial scales: 300 m, 1000 m, and 2000 m. The actual link between heat exposure and neighborhood characteristics appears to be sensitive to the local social, economic, institutional, historical and geographical context. Nonetheless, the connection between heat exposure and residents’ socioeconomic status, as well as the association of neighborhood population density with land surface temperature, seems to maintain consistent significance, often retaining their importance despite the spatial scale of analysis and employed zoning method.

Living with psychotropic drugs: A community photovoice study in people with high treatment adherence in Southeastern Spain

Adherence to psychopharmacological treatment essentially involves a process of meaning-making. The objective of this study was to explore the experience of people undergoing chronic psychiatric treatment from the patients’ perspective. In 2018, using the photovoice methodology, four sessions were conducted with the participation of 11 individuals from a community school in a socially marginalized neighborhood of a southeastern Spanish city, some of whom were also users of a social rehabilitation and integration center and a day center. Participants took and selected 41 photographs under the premise: “Photograph your experience regarding health and medication.” A categorization of the emerging narratives was carried out during a dialogical session between participants and researchers, which was recorded for subsequent transcription and analysis. The experiences were divided into two major symbolic themes that seek to give therapeutic meaning to medication: one of conflict and the other of motivation.

Public Perception of Citizen Science in Spain: Sociodemographic Analysis

This study analyzes the public’s view of citizen science based on survey respondents’ expressed knowledge, attitudes, and motivations. The questionnaire was answered by 1,002 residents of 48 Spanish cities. The study population was 50% female and spanned various age groups, occupations, and levels of education. The results indicate that although the population has a quite favorable opinion of citizen science, people feel underinformed about it. Very few respondents consider it to be negative and many expect it to have a positive impact over the coming decade. While both men and women exhibit intrinsic motivations to participate in citizen science, women specifically exhibit social motives for contributing. The data reveal differences in respondents’ attitude to citizen science depending on gender, age, level of education, and occupation. The data suggest that incorporating a balanced and representative sample of the public into scientific endeavor will require greater institutional intervention in coming years.

High Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption among Pregnant Women in a Southern European City (Seville): A Challenge for the Health System.

The prevalence of prenatal tobacco exposure remains high in many countries, particularly in southern Europe. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women in a southern Spanish city (Seville) and to identify the associated sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. In a descriptive, cross-sectional study, a random sample of pregnant women who were scheduled to undergo a morphology scan at their public referral hospital in their 20th week of gestation were interviewed in person. At the start of pregnancy, 38.2% of the pregnant women were smokers. In the twentieth week, 19.1% continued to smoke, and the same percentage had quit. The prevalence of smoking in pregnant women was higher among those with a low level of education (60% among pregnant women with no studies and 30.4% in those with primary education) and among those who had had abortions (38.5%). Pregnant smokers with obesity were the least likely to have given up smoking during pregnancy. Women with a lower educational level should be a prime target for cross-sectoral interventions aimed at preventing prenatal tobacco exposure. Implementation of support measures for providing effective clinical advice in preconception and prenatal care regarding healthy lifestyles is particularly needed.

What was Killing Babies in Palma, Spain? Analysing Infant Mortality Patterns Using Individual-Level Cause of Death Data, 1836–1930

This paper explores infant mortality patterns to determine the epidemiological profile of the port city of Palma, Spain between 1836 and 1930 using individual-level cause of death and testing the newly constructed ICD10h coding system. Throughout the 19th century, infant mortality was well below 150 per 1,000 live births, possibly related to the practice of extended breastfeeding and frequent vaccination campaigns. However, between 1840 and 1860, as in other Spanish and European cities, the situation deteriorated. From the 1890s to 1930, the rate was almost always below 100. Post-neonatal mortality was higher than neonatal mortality, and the two rates began to fall at different times: the former in the 1870s and the latter in the 1920s. The main causes of neonatal mortality were congenital and birth disorders, while for post-neonatal mortality they were infectious diseases, mainly airborne, followed by waterborne and foodborne diseases. The decline in these rates was influenced by several factors, including improvements to public hygiene and nutrition and the quantity and quality of water sources. With regard to sex, a more pronounced female advantage was observed in post-neonatal mortality than in neonatal mortality. The seasonality of neonatal mortality in the 19th century was characterised by two peaks in autumn and winter, possibly related to the seasonality of births. In the 20th century, a summer peak was also observed. Post-neonatal mortality showed a sharp peak in summer, which receded and gave way to a winter peak by the late 1880s.

Irish Immigrants in Colonial Port Cities of Cuba: Havana, Santiago, and Cienfuegos

Abstract The port city of Havana, central to the Spanish colonial fleet system since the late sixteenth century, remained an important nexus for nineteenth-century Atlantic trade networks of sugar, coffee, tobacco, and the slave trade. Positioning Irish immigrants in this global hub allows us to examine their presence in Cuba and their participation in global circuits of commodities, trade, and labor. Drawing on local colonial sources, we evaluate the opportunities and experiences of Irish immigrants as social actors in the multi-ethnic urban spaces of Havana and other strategically located port cities of Santiago and Cienfuegos. The Irish who converged on Cuba rarely came directly from Ireland. Hence, we explore three migration trajectories mediated through the British West Indies, the Spanish metropole, and globally connected cities of North America. The most prominent were high-ranking military men who arrived in Cuba in the eighteenth century through Iberian-Irish connections; a smaller number of propertied Irish who migrated from the West Indies; and lastly, distinct flows of largely anonymous nineteenth-century immigrants who came through emerging Atlantic networks of colonial labour via the United States. This study explores the entangled histories of Irish, African, and European diasporas in the social and political worlds of three Spanish Caribbean port cities. Through an analysis of how Irish immigrants negotiated processes of class, religion, race, and gender in colonial Cuba, we highlight their participation in key economic and social dynamics of white colonization strategies, plantation slavery, and the Atlantic slave trade.

Adversarial image-to-image model to obtain highly detailed wind fields from mesoscale simulations in urban environments

We propose a conditional Generative Adversarial Network (cGAN) that can produce detailed local wind fields in urban areas, comparable in level of detail to those from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, that are generated from coarser Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) data.In our approach, the cGAN is trained using NWP data as input and CFD as targets. Both CFD and NWP data are presented to the network as images, using an image-to-image model based on Pix2Pix to transform coarse meteorological conditions into detailed local wind fields.The methodology is tested in a residential district in a large Spanish city, Zaragoza. The model predictions show significant agreement with the actual CFD results, while reducing the computational time from eight hours to seconds. Feature engineering of image channels effectively reduces the model error, especially in the wind direction, achieving a mean absolute error in the wind speed of 0.35m/s and a wind direction error of 27.0°.

Assessing the energy performance certification effectiveness for the Spanish building stock in response to recent climate change data

This comprehensive study analyses the energy demand for heating and cooling in the building stock across different climatic zones in Spain, incorporating the effects of weather evolution over the past 30 years (from 1992 to 2022). In evaluating 7200 cases across four climatic years and six climatic zones which include six Spanish cities, the analysis examines the construction characteristics of the building stock. The focus is on the thermal envelop properties under two scenarios: the current state and a renovated state that complies with the new Spanish building code (in agreement with the EPBD EU-Directive EU/2024/1275).The study’s findings reveal potentially significant changes in energy demand due to climate. The heating demand decreases significantly due to increasing temperatures ranging from 17% in Madrid up to 37% in Almería. This effect is contrasted by a substantial increase in cooling demand, which has surged 223% in Barcelona, a surge closely linked to higher summer temperatures.The paper concludes that the current energy certification scheme fails to provide a real overview of the energy performance and needs of buildings in Spain. In particular, it underestimates actual sensible cooling demand by 56% in Barcelona and 41% in Almería. Additionally, the failure of existing building regulations to address the issue of indoor overheating is proven.

Methodology to assess the impact of urban vegetation on the energy consumption of residential buildings. Case study in a Mediterranean city

The global growth of urban areas is unstoppable, and this growth is accompanied by an intensification of urban heat island effects, exacerbating the challenges of climate change and sustainable urban development in warm climates. In this context, understanding the intricate dynamics of these phenomena and their implications on the thermal behaviour of buildings becomes paramount. This study focuses on València, a Spanish city characterized by a Mediterranean climate, where the interplay between ground temperature variations, vegetation levels, and the thermal demands of buildings is investigated.Land surface temperature measurements derived from satellite data, specifically from the Landsat-8 mission, provide a valuable lens through which to assess the heat island effect. These measurements are harmonized with data collected from local weather stations to establish a robust foundation for evaluating the thermal dynamics of the urban environment. European standards, coupled with Geographic Information System technologies, enable the simulation of temperature variations, and facilitate a nuanced analysis of their impact on the thermal demands of a building.Moreover, recognizing the crucial role played by the urban climate in the influencing of heating and cooling needs, this study explores nature-based solutions implemented in València. By leveraging satellite-derived temperature and vegetation data over an extended period, it is possible to identify actions and elements that contribute positively to mitigating UHI effects and improving the overall climatic conditions. Results indicate that vegetation has a notable impact on local temperature, with distinct patterns observed in different seasons. The research incorporated the simulation of climate scenarios, introducing varying levels of vegetation. Results demonstrated a substantial reduction in cooling demand, particularly during the summer months. Buildings with a lower exterior surface-to-volume ratio exhibited a more pronounced reduction in energy consumption.

Modelling sprawl in a medium-sized urban area considering the future arrival of autonomous vehicles

Cities may undergo important changes in the coming years driven by various economic, social, and technological innovations, such as those related to autonomous mobility. Among other effects, autonomous vehicles may affect morpho-functional patterns of urban development and, especially, may reinforce or reduce dispersed development patterns, which have been relevant in many cities, particularly in the last decades. In order to offer an assessment of these possible effects, we propose a new urban sprawl index to measure the degree of dispersion/concentration of settlements in the medium-sized urban area of a Spanish city (Santander, Cantabria). Further, we explain the distribution of this index by means of a regression model, showing that variables such as average household income, trip time to the main urban centre, or the percentage of people using cars to commute to work are relevant factors that correlate positively with urban sprawl. Finally, we apply the proposed model to different scenarios to examine how the development of autonomous mobility could affect the characteristics of the analysed settlements. The results obtained suggest that, in scenarios with higher car usage and longer trip times to the urban centre because of the larger number of circulating vehicles, the form of urban settlements, especially those at an intermediate distance from the urban core, could experience an increase in sprawl. Therefore, Autonomous Vehicles could promote, under certain conditions, an urban form with more sustainability problems.

Geographical Patterns in Mortality Impacts Due To Heatwaves of Different Characteristics in Spanish Cities.

The impact of heatwaves (HWs) on human health is a topic of growing interest due to the global magnification of these phenomena and their substantial socio-economic impacts. As for other countries of Southern Europe, Spain is a region highly affected by heat and its increase under climate change. This is observed in the mean values and the increasing incidence of extreme weather events and associated mortality. Despite the vast knowledge on this topic, it remains unclear whether specific types and characteristics of HW are particularly harmful to the population and whether this shows a regional interdependency. The present study provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between HW characteristics and mortality in 12 Spanish cities. We used separated time series analysis in each city applying a quasi-Poisson regression model and distributed lag linear and non-linear models. Results show an increase in the mortality risk under HW conditions in the cities with a lower HW frequency. However, this increase exhibits remarkable differences across the cities under study not showing any general pattern in the HW characteristics-mortality association. This relationship is shown to be complex and strongly dependent on the local properties of each city pointing out the crucial need to examine and understand on a local scale the HW characteristics and the HW-mortality relationship for an efficient design and implementation of prevention measures.

A three-model approach to understand social media-mediated transparency in public administrations

The use of social media has promised to enhance administrative transparency. Whether having positive or negative impacts, some scholars agree that such impacts could come from the mediating effects of the perceived characteristics of social media. This is a similar idea to that proposed by the concept of computer-mediated transparency. However, social media has certain properties that might influence transparency in different ways. This article tries to understand social media-mediated transparency. The study uses the affordances theory to approach the perception of social media properties, conducting interviews with community managers from three Spanish city councils. The results show several ways of understanding social media-mediated transparency: the guarantor model (focuses on availability and accessibility of information, while ensuring neutrality), the conversational model (reinforces effective transparency through continuous conversations), and the proactive model (anticipates citizen informational needs). The article signals the differential nature of social media-mediated transparency and its limits, with implications for digital government–citizen interactions. Points for practitioners The article proposes three different ways of looking at social media-mediated transparency. Social media-mediated transparency will vary depending on how public managers navigate through social media affordances. Different models of social media-mediated transparency might link with different ways of institutionalizing these digital platforms, as well as with different considerations on citizens’ roles. Transparency through social media is more than just pushing information, but also an opportunity to improve effective monitoring through continuous conversations.

The Anti-Cold War Left: Third World Imaginaries and Protest Cultures at the Local Level in Spain, 1968–1986

This article contributes to recent scholarly efforts to reassess the history of Third-Worldism in Europe during the Cold War. Focusing on left-wing activists who mobilized through and beyond the long 1960s in the Spanish city of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the article demonstrates how local communities drew meaning from and projected meaning onto the Third World to help them understand domestic conditions under the Francoist dictatorship, find common ground during the transition to democracy, and carve out a new role for Spanish democracy on European and global stages based on the collective values of non-alignment, participation, Third-World optimism and solidarity.

Experienced and internalized weight stigma among Spanish adolescents

Background and objectiveWeight stigma has negative consequences for both physiological and psychological health. Studies on weight stigma in adolescence, particularly from general populations, are scarce in the Mediterranean area. The main aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma among a representative sample of adolescents from the Spanish city of Terrassa, and to determine its association with sociodemographic variables and weight status.MethodsDrawing on data from the initial assessment of a longitudinally funded project on weight stigma in adolescents, a cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted using random multistage cluster sampling. Weight stigma experiences, their frequency and sources, and weight bias internalization with the Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBISM) were assessed in a sample of 1016 adolescents. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) between sociodemographic variables, weight status and having experienced weight stigma, and having reported high scores of WBISM (WBISM ≥ 4) were estimated by multiple logistic regression models.ResultsThe prevalence of weight-related stigma experiences was 43.2% in the sample (81.8 in adolescents with obesity) and the prevalence of high levels of weight bias internalization was 19.4% (50.7 in adolescents with obesity). Other kids and school were the most prevalent sources of weight stigma, with society and family being other significant sources of stigma reported by girls. A significantly higher risk of having experienced weight stigma was observed in girls (AOR = 2.6) and in older adolescents (AOR = 1.9). Compared to normal weight adolescents, all weight statuses showed higher risk, being 3.4 times higher in adolescents with underweight and reaching 11.4 times higher risk in those with obesity. Regarding high levels of weight bias internalization, girls had a risk 6.6 times higher than boys. Once again, a “J-shaped” pattern was observed, with a higher risk at the lowest and highest weight statuses. The risk was 6.3 times higher in adolescents with underweight, and 13.1 times higher in adolescents with obesity compared to those with normal weight.ConclusionsConsidering the high prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma among adolescents in Spain, especially in adolescents with obesity and girls, it seems important to implement preventive strategies in different settings and address all sources of stigma.

Assessing the relationship between particulate matter concentration and property values in Spanish cities

In recent years, air pollution has become the leading cause of illness and premature deaths worldwide, with adverse impacts on human health, the environment, and the economy. This empirical study aims to investigate the relationship between air quality and property values with a focus on six Spanish cities. The study utilizes property prices as a variable and particulate matter concentration as an air quality indicator. Key findings indicate a significant correlation between particulate matter and property prices in seaside cities, revealing a discernible relationship. However, in inland cities, the observed correlation is notably weak and nonsignificant, resulting in a negligible association between the two variables. These results highlight the presence of additional characteristics that influence property values beyond air quality, particularly in areas where air quality is already deemed satisfactory. This research contributes valuable insights into the intricate interplay between air quality and property values by providing nuanced perspectives on urban planning and policy formulation.

Mobile instant messaging services in the local governments: citizens’ uses of the WhatsApp services of the Spanish City Councils

Mobile instant messaging services such as WhatsApp have become increasingly relevant among citizens in recent years. By a quantitative approach based on a survey (n=1,202), our objective is to find out why citizens use WhatsApp and, to be more specific, why they use the WhatsApp service offered by the city council of the municipality of residence where they live. The results show how age, gender, and the respondents' educational level are related to the different uses they make of WhatsApp, especially concerning actions related to participation. Second, the local government WhatsApp service still has an intermediate penetration among citizens, so there is much room for improvement. Finally, the data reveals that age and gender determine the uses of the City Council WhatsApp service. These findings provide interesting data for local governments to improve the relationship with citizens through this mobile communication tool.

Geographical Distribution of Betting Shops and Their Proximity to Schools: (Non-)Compliance with Regulations in the City of Madrid.

The proliferation of betting shops in Spanish cities is causing a heated social debate in response to the undesirable impacts that businesses of this kind can have. As a result, associations and social movements have emerged to try to stem their expansion and, at the same time, regulations have been introduced to prevent the uncontrolled opening of this type of premises. The limitations set out in the legislation include minimum distances between betting shops and schools. In order to understand the spatial dimension of this phenomenon and to find out the extent to which these businesses comply with the regulations in force, in this paper, we study the distribution of betting shops in the city of Madrid and their proximity to each other and to schools. The results reveal certain areas of the city with a high density of betting shops and with schools with high exposure to these businesses. Likewise, results show the significant number of businesses that would have to close (81%; n = 416) if the current moratorium on betting shops that opened their doors before the current legislation came into force did not exist.

Revisiting the effect of height on wages in a historical context: the case of the city of Zaragoza (Spain), 1924

ABSTRACT Several recent European studies conducted over the past 50 years have documented a positive connection between a person’s height and their salary. However, there are very few studies for earlier periods and for southern Europe. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between the height of conscripts born between 1888 and 1907 and their daily wages in 1924. Data for the Spanish city of Zaragoza was used. The results showed that for every additional 10 cm of height, an individual earned approximately 3% more. Furthermore, the shortest 25% of individuals suffered a considerable penalty in their income (about 15%). To understand the causes of this discrimination, we then analyzed the data by socioeconomic group. We found that people in low socioeco nomic groups essentially suffered wage discrimination. This finding could be linked to the fact that a tall stature conveys an image of strength and productivity. It should be noted that these results were found mainly for the urban areas, with their relatively large labor supply and weak blood ties rather than rural areas or among immigrants. In other words, the height penalty affected the weakest groups of society (low socioeconomic level and immigrants).