Strategies of sustainability for urban spaces in Catalonia. The case of the Baix Penedès

Abstract

Spatial and socioeconomic tansformations in suburban coastal areas of Catalonia during the last two decades have been originated by dynamics of metropolitan integration. The Baix Penedès region is a good example to perceive the path of metropolitan deconcentration over suburban spaces, and to note how urban sprawl is favoured from a territorial organization conditioned by the economic specialization on housing and real state. Such kind of spaces need to propose their conversion in cities as a challenge for the near future and to pay especial attention to subjects as urban sustainable policies, mobility and public space.