La expansión urbanística en el Valle del Jalón (Alicante) (1978-2016). Repercusiones socio-territoriales motivadas por la difusión urbana desde el litoral

Abstract

The boom housing that took place in Spain between 1997 and 2007 has generated significant land impacts, especially in the Mediterranean area. The aims of this paper are to reveal and to analyze the intensity of this process in the Valley of Jalón (Alicante) (1978-2016) and to identify factors that have made possible the urban sprawl to most inner areas and its land effects. To obtain them, an analysis and comparison of statistical data (demographic, dwellings, visa´s construction and real estate transactions) and an analysis of the urban land use evolution from satellite images have been conducted. As conclusions, it is necessary to worth noting that the urban sprawl process, that has characterized the Mediterranean coast since the 1960s, has spread since the coastal area into the hinterland. Some of the factors of this process are the coastal urban saturation, a greater landscape quality, cheaper land use prices and a strong dwelling demand.