Understanding Urban complexity via the spatial diversity of activities: an application to Barcelona (Spain)

Urban complexity can be measured by the numerical and spatial diversity of activities in a territory. Just as biodiversity can be measured in a natural ecosystem, diversity indices can be applied to urban settings. Urban diversity presents higher values in areas where there is a greater number of (e...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Rueda Palenzuela, Salvador, Santasusagna i Riu, Albert, Cormenzana Izquierdo, Berta, Tort i Donada, Joan, 1958-, Úbeda, Xavier
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/185443
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/185443
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Urbanisme
Ordenació del territori
Eixample (Barcelona, Catalunya)
City planning
Regional planning
Eixample (Barcelona, Catalonia)
Description
Summary:Urban complexity can be measured by the numerical and spatial diversity of activities in a territory. Just as biodiversity can be measured in a natural ecosystem, diversity indices can be applied to urban settings. Urban diversity presents higher values in areas where there is a greater number of (economic, institutional, and social) activities with a high degree of differentiation between them. This study seeks to investigate the potential of applying an urban diversity index in a specific case study: namely, the city of Barcelona (Spain), known for the orthogonal grid plan of its Eixample district. Results show that the municipal territory of Barcelona as a whole is characterized by highly differentiated spaces according to their urban diversity values. Specifically, it is the Eixample district that presents the highest values of urban diversity, reflecting the densification of its morphology and its urban commercial policies.