The delimitation of the urban area of Palma de Mallorca. A reconsideration from the application of NUREC criteria

Abstract

A new contribution to the controversial topic of the delimiting Palma de Mallorca’s urban area. The study was carried out from the application of morphological criteria for the delimitation of metropolitan areas, established by the Network on Urban Research in the European Community (NUREC). I have been taken as well into account, some variants, such as the number of tourist places and the extension of vacant land. The exercise provides the evidence that, by the strict application of the NUREC criteria, the municipality of Marratxí must be considered as part of the central municipality of Palma’s agglomeration. This represents a major change with the situation of 1994, when the last attempt of morphological delimitation was under taken. In addition, when the numbers of tourist places are considered, topic of essential importance in Mallorca, Calvià joins Palma and Marratxí in the central agglomeration. On the other hand, the study of vacant land availability allows foresee new possible expansions of the agglomeration in the next years.

Key words: NUREC, urban morphological delimitation, Palma de Mallorca, urban agglomeration.