Projects and effects: past, present and future of the small island of Nueva Tabarca (Alicante, Spain)

Abstract

Nueva Tabarca, or Isla Plana offers a valuable case study for geography and territorial planning, on account of the changes produced in the urban social fabric, as well as in the greater natural terrestrial and maritimel environment. Nueva Tabarca is outstanding for having represented a place of constant experimentation where urban projects imposed from outside have modified its form and function over time. From the construction of the utopian city to the tourist boom and urban speculation of the late twentieth century, this island has been a testing ground for the successive trends in regional economic development with the residents constantly adapting to the changes.