Urban sprawl and temporary mobility costs: The case of matadepera, Barcelona metropolitan region

Abstract

Excessive land consumption, loss of biodiversity, social lack of cohesion and loss of identity, privatization of the landscape or temporary mobility costs are some of the impacts of urban sprawl. This paper focuses on the analysis of daily mobility in a municipality of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, Matadepera. The temporary costs of mobility, by car and on foot, are analyzed using two different network analysis methods: 1) OD cost matrix from each housing portal to basic services and 2) calculation of service areas from different points of interest. The objective is to quantify and map the population’s accessibility in order to explain the high level of dependence on private transport. The results demonstrate how urban dispersion, especially in high slope areas, directly affects the mode of transport and hinders the use of more sustainable mobility alternatives.