Rural Space in Spain: Evolution, Delimitation and Classification
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Spanish rural space is clearly dual: compared to the loss of weight in the inner Spain, the rise and consolidation of the periphery and rural hinterland of cities goes on, a phenomenon so striking that it has generated a strong preoccupation with rural emptiness, which, to varying degrees, affects a large part of Europe. The first objective of this article is to analyze the evolution and delimitation of the Spanish rural area, its classification and cartography. The second one, to diagnose the situation and evaluate the plans to contribute to rural development.
The analysis is based on the existence, and even abundance of reports, theoretical and applied works of different institutions, organizations and collectives, as well as an extensive bibliography. We add to all this the processing of demographic, economic and social databases whose cartographic representation evidences the phenomenon and its territorial distribution. As a result, the Spanish rural space is classified and mapped into two categories: the deep and stagnant rural, on the one hand, and the intermediate and dynamic rural, on the other; both subdivided into several types.