José M. Coronado

Urban Residential Development in Isolated Small Cities That Are Partially Integrated in Metropolitan Areas By High Speed Train

The proliferation of High Speed Trains (HSTs) in European countries has caused small, isolated cities within one hours distance by HST to become partially integrated into metropolitan processes. These cities may be considered as a combination of small provincial centres and suburban metropolitan districts. Scientific literature suggests that subcentres in polycentric urban regions are becoming more numerous and diverse, that there are doubts whether HSTs are facilitating decentralization or concentration from/to metropolises, and that fewer HST effects are taking place in big cities than small ones, where HST contribution to accessibility amelioration is greater. The article discusses the types of urban residential processes according to temporal relations with HSTs (before and after HSTs) and spatial relations (HST station location). The conduct of household survey and review of building permits and mortgage valuations was done to analyse the urban process which these cities undergo with the development of HSTs. It was found that residence location with respect to the HST station varies with the type of inhabitant (local versus immigrant, tenant versus owner, etc.) and their relation to HSTs (commuter versus non commuter, etc.). It was also shown that the HST (alongside the presence of a university) helps isolated cities to acquire territorial roles of greater importance, by virtue of attracting intraprovincial immigration and familial investment, as well as immigrants and investments from other provinces.

Alta velocidad ferroviaria e integración metropolitana en España: el caso de Ciudad Real y Puertollano

Ciudad Real and Puertollano, two small Spanish cities approximately one hour’s travelling time from Madrid on the Madrid-Sevilla High Speed Train (HST) line, are of particular interest in the study of the impact of HSTs on such centres of population. Both cities had been separated from the main transportation corridor between Madrid and Andalusia since the end of the 18 th Century and, at the end of 1992, the HST line reintegrated them into this corridor. That same year the Autopista de Andalucia (Andalusia Freeway), whose route runs some 50 kilometres to the east of Ciudad Real and Puertollano, entered into service. The current article has three basic objectives. The first one is to determine the most appropriate type of methodology to analyse the effect produced by an HST ten years after its inception. The second is to describe the observed changes in the mobility patterns of the inhabitants of Ciudad Real and Puertollano. The article concentrates on the employment profile and the frequency of use of those who habitually travel on the HST to and from Madrid. Thirdly, the article analyses the role the HST has played firstly in integrating the two cities with each other, and secondly in integrating both with the metropolitan area of Madrid. It then analyses the distinct effects of each of the two transport routes (freeway and HST) on each of the two cities, paying attention to their economic peculiarities (Ciudad Real being a tertiary city and Puertollano being an industrial one).

University Students Sharing Flats: When Studentification Becomes Vertical

This paper presents a study about studentification in a small, compact Spanish city. Unlike most of the previously analysed cases, students of this city share flats instead of living in houses in multiple occupancy. The studentification, which is hardly perceptible in the streets or the neighbourhood, becomes a reality in the staircase community, giving rise to the term ‘vertical studentification’. A survey was conducted amongst university students to locate and quantify the floating population of students. Also, long-term residents and landlords were interviewed to assess the impact of students on the communities of apartment blocks. The study reveals that studentification does happen in a high-rise morphology but in a vertical and hidden way, making policy implications less straightforward.

Assessing Spanish HSR network utility for same-day tourism

This paper presents a measurement of the utility of the High-Speed Train (HST) connection between the HST cities in Spain for one-day tourism trips. Higher utility equates to more available time at destination and lower travel time and cost.

New high-speed rail lines and small cities: locating the station

This paper studies the effects of high-speed railway stations, mainly on urban development of small size cities. For this purpose, we have analyzed twelve European cases and they have been sorted into different groups depending on the station location related to the city. Three categories have been defined: central station, edge station, and external station. As a result of this, for each group of European stations advantages and disadvantages, in terms of urban development and mobility, have been detected. This report will help planners to define some criteria to design and locate new high-speed railway stations in small size cities. (A) For the covering abstract see ITRD E114352.

How to Choose the Most Efficient Transport Mode for Weekend Tourism Journeys: An HSR and Private Vehicle Comparison

The present paper focuses on an analysis of the efficiency of High-Speed Rail (HSR) connections in comparison to private vehicles, with the aim of identifying the most convenient mode of transportation for weekend tourism journeys. This efficiency is centred on a person based assessment and will depend on the time available at the destination, the convenience of the timetables and travel times, and the associated costs related to accommodations and travel expenses. Because travel costs may amount to a significant share of the total expenses for recreational travel, individuals and groups may consider using a car to reach their destination, especially for journeys of short distances. However, the development of the HSR system in Spain provides an important increase in accessibility that is generating changes in the way people travel. The accessibility of the HSR service has brought an interesting alternative whose attractiveness (in terms of comfort and speed) rises with the distance travelled. In addition, RENFE (Spanish rail operator) is now reorienting its services and fares to compete in the tourism market, improving the competitiveness of HSR for weekend tourism trips relative to other transport modes. In this framework, the paper demonstrates that HSR is a real alternative, in terms of connection efficiencies, for weekend journeys, as almost half of the Spanish cities served by HSR are more efficiently connected to Madrid through HSR than by private cars. In addition, the paper offers a person-based approach that should be taken into account in future research on transport mode choices.

High Speed Rail, A New Mode of Suburban Metropolitan Transport

High Speed Rail (HSR) was conceived as an alternative to air transport to interconnect big cities and metropolises from 400 to 600 km distances. Recently these HSR lines are starting to have stations in traditional cities or new urban developments within the limits of each metropolis (between 20 and 100 km from the center). The existence of these HSR stations in the periphery of metropolises is opening up two new metropolitan transportation behavior possibilities. Firstly, the HSR used between central and peripheral metropolitan stations as a special new type of suburban metropolitan transport and secondly, peripheral HSR stations used to travel to/from other faraway places instead of using the central HSR stations. This paper describes this new type of HSR cities, lines, stations and services, and points out several cases in Spain, France, Sweden and Great Britain where this is taking place. Data from two survey campaigns just implemented on the HSR passengers between Madrid and Toledo, and Madrid and Guadalajara is used to describe and analyze their profile. The paper points out the possibilities of this new type of HSR to help the generation of metropolitan sub-centers and to extend the metropolitan influence further away, analyses the HSR traveling patterns and allows indications of the type of processes that are taking place.

Exploring Landscapes through Modern Roads: Historic Transport Corridors in Spain

Abstract Roads are an essential element in the formation and shaping of cultural landscapes. This paper, by establishing some of the key aspects of the development of Spains road infrastructures, and through mapping and fieldwork, aims to guide the reading of landscapes shaped by roads since the mid-eighteenth century. The deconstruction of landscapes formed by these roads reveals the evolution of the design and construction of transport infrastructure, of the uses and activities they supported, and of changes through time in the conditions and forms of mobility. The paper also locates and classifies sections of historic transport corridors where road routes from different periods still co-exist, reconstructing diachronic and synchronic relationships between the varying routes in an attempt to interpret the arrangement, structure and form of these landscapes of movement.

Modern roads as UNESCO World Heritage sites: framework and proposals

Abstract There has been noticeable development in the protection of linear infrastructure by UNESCO, whether on its cultural, technological or historical merits. However, with the exception of other means of transport incorporated within the field of industrial archaeology or recognised by the CIIC under the category of cultural routes, little or no consideration has been given to roads built from the mid-eighteenth century to the early part of the twentieth century. In view of this situation, this paper has the following aims. Firstly, to define the concept of ‘modern road’ and provide a brief analysis of the historical development and current situation of the same. Secondly, to assess the main contributions made to date regarding the heritage dimension of modern roads. Thirdly, to reconstruct the process of defining linear cultural landscapes, historic transportation corridors, cultural routes and heritage canals, railways and roads, in accordance with the considerations raised by ICOMOS and UNESCO. Finally, to contribute to the debate on the definition, characterisation and assessment of modern roads as world heritage assets, both intrinsically and in relation to established heritage categories.

Linear Planning and the Automobile Hilarión González del Castillo's Colonizing Motorway, 1927—1936

Hilarión González del Castillo (HGC) has made a place for himself in the history of urbanism as propagandist for the Linear City and theoretical town planner. The appearance of the first motorway projects in Spain at the end of the 1920s, inspired him to propose a colonising motorway, that would take advantage of the infrastructure for the construction of linear cities. HGCs proposal had influence in the draft of some of the first Spanish motorways but has practically disappeared until the present. While few town planners of the age considered the role of the automobile (Le Corbusier, Benton Mackaye), HGC explained the relation of the motorways with the environment, spotting conflicts that passed unnoticed by the highway engineers. From this, the proposal evolved into an attempt to resolve the conflict between the intercity traffic and the urban activities situated on the margins of the motorway.