A quantitative approach to spanish metro areas. Towards a homogeneous definition of supra-municipal planning scope

Abstract

Recently, several studies on urban metropolitan agglomerations have come to light in our country. In view of the renewed interest in supramunicipal analysis, it seems appropriate to deepen the homogeneous characterization proposals that run through the international scientific literature and its possible application to the Spanish case. The quantitative methodologies based on remote observation and census information are then studied, as well as the techniques available for the measurement of metropolitan accessibility. The validation process of these approaches-complementary to each other-is delineated with the case study of the two main Spanish cities, Madrid and Barcelona, through a comparative analysis of their peri-urban space. Finally, contemporary considerations on territorial governance and metropolitan planning, arising from the interdisciplinary dialogue between urbanists, geographers and economists, are addressed. A series of proposals on the homogeneous definition of supramunicipal areas, linked to open access global databases, complete this updated view on the delimitation methodologies of metropolitan areas and regions in Spain.