The spatial diffusion of economic activity in the Oviedo region (1970-2018)

• Main Author: Ícaro Obeso Muñiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Interuniversitario de Geografía (Universidad de Alicante) 2019-12-01
• Series: Investigaciones Geográficas
• Subjects: spatial diffusion; economic activities; peri-urban landscape.
• Online Access: https://www.investigacionesgeograficas.com/article/view/2019-n72-the-spatial-diffusion-of-economic-activity-in-the-oviedo-region-1970-2018

The spread of economic activity in the Oviedo region in northern Spain in recent decades has deeply altered the territorial model. The traditional dichotomy between rural and urban landscapes is blurring, and many functions are being relocated in formerly rural areas. The construction of motorways, and other transport infrastructures, accompanied by the triggering action of both public and private investment, lax legal frameworks, and the amount of flat land, are the main factors that explain the process. Using historic aerial photographs and data gathered by public institutions, this article offers thematic maps to understand the phases and distribution of the spatial diffusion process. The spatial-temporal sequence of landscape changes helps us understand the processes of development in a peri-urban landscape characterised by a diffusion of functions and its role in landscape configuration.