Sustainable Development and the Practice of Spatial Planning: a Proposal of Criteria for Measuring the Overall Sustainability of Planning Actions in Open Public Urban Spaces

The sustainable city debate is gaining ground in recent years, featuring as a prominent issue in several policy documents of the European Commission, and enjoying support by the main organisations and institutions at international level. At the same time, improving local governance standards by involving citizens in local decision-making is a recurring issue in the debate on local democracy and enhancement of community cohesion. This paper presents an analysis of the European experience and best practice relating sustainable development to the day-to-day practice of spatial planning. The overall purpose is creating a proposal of indicators for measuring the sustainability of planning actions in urban environments

De complemento a motor : la transformación de la función del ocio y turismo en las estrategias de desarrollo local. El caso de la recuperación y valorización del patrimonio cultural

En la sociedad fordista, la actividad productiva centró las estrategias de desarrollo de los territorios dejando en segundo término, en el mejor de los casos, la función del ocio y del turismo como 'complementos' de las actividades productivas 'principales'. La consolidación de la sociedad post-productivista desde la última década del pasado siglo ha supuesto profundas transformaciones en los valores y prioridades individuales y colectivas. Estos cambios han conllevado la implantación de una concepción radicalmente diferente respecto de la función del ocio y del turismo en la programación vital y, en consecuencia, en las estrategias institucionales y territoriales. El presente artículo aporta una discusión sobre los principios del desarrollo desde el territorio (local) y la función, cada vez más central, que tienen el ocio y el turismo en las estrategias de desarrollo territorial, a través de la presentación de una metodología y de los resultados de una investigación sobre la importancia de los recursos culturales en la configuración de estrategias endógenas de desarrollo local

Un sistema de indicadores para medir el trabajo decente. Aplicación al caso piloto de la comarca del Montsià (Tarragona, Cataluña).

En el texto que se presenta a continuación se ofrece un análisis acerca de la importancia que adquiere, cada vez de forma más clara, el acceso al Trabajo Decente por parte de la población económicamente activa, así como del diseño de un sistema de indicadores generales que permita a los actores locales involucrados en la toma de decisiones, tanto de impacto local como a niveles superiores, tener un punto de referencia acorde a la normativa pautada por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) (OIT, 2016). Para entender la relevancia de las distintas variables a tomar en consideración cuando se habla del Trabajo Decente se debe pensar en cómo se comporta actualmente el mercado laboral, y en cómo se prevé que funcione en los próximos años. La sociedad y el mercado funcionan a una velocidad de vértigo; en la que cada vez más se observan la fragilidad y la vulnerabilidad de la oferta laboral, en la que, además, existe cada vez menos la tan anhelada conciliación del tiempo laboral con el tiempo que se debe dedicar al descanso y a la familia. En la actualidad se ha abierto un nuevo escenario como consecuencia de la pandemia derivada del COVID-19. Una emergencia sanitaria global que ha puesto de manifiesto la debilidad del modelo económico imperante y que, sobre todo, plantea un nuevo reto: el de repensar qué tipo de trabajo y qué garantías se necesitan para impedir el colapso económico y, en consecuencia, se evite la extrema vulnerabilidad a la que se ve abocada gran parte de la sociedad. En el marco del desarrollo local desde una perspectiva de carácter integral, la investigación que se presenta en este artículo parte de un estudio piloto aplicado en la comarca catalana del Montsià, en el que, tras un exhaustivo análisis de las políticas y programas de ocupación, así como de las potencialidades del territorio en materia económica, se desarrolló un sistema de indicadores para medir el Trabajo Decente. Las conclusiones de la investigación han servido para que las autoridades competentes las usen como referente a la hora de definir y trazar las políticas de empleo en dicho territorio. Exponer cómo se diseñaron metodológicamente estos indicadores y cómo pueden ser aplicados en diversos territorios es el objetivo que persigue éste artículo

Accessibility and Urban–Rural Connectivity in Marina Alta, Spain: Raising Awareness, Identifying Key Policies

The county of Marina Alta, better known for its capital and reference tourist settlement Dénia, features the rural-urban connectivity challenges of similar coastal territories all over Spain. When discussing about rural-urban connectivity in coastal tourist areas, either in the North, South, West or East of the country, some features repeat: poor transport infrastructure, high population density during tourism season, high density of urban settlements along the coast line where SGI provision concentrates, rural areas that lie within inner areas with lower population density and facing a process of population aging and an economy driven by tertiary sector and highly dependent on tourism sector. Through this chapter, the reader can easily identify the main challenges that the complex orography of these areas poses to the establishment of urban-rural linkages. Very often flat along the coast line and characterised by scattered hill settlements in the internal areas, the territory shows the concentration of the highest share of the population in the urban municipalities and the rural settlements, that are bigger in extension, suffer from depopulation and ageing processes and are poor in service provision. The complex institutional framework influencing transport and accessibility, which involves four different administrative levels, hinders the development of a transport infrastructures and services appropriate to local needs and does not manage to provide adequate solutions to the identified challenges

Pla de recuperació i valorització dels recursos culturals de Tavernes de Valldigna

El present treball cataloga els diferents recursos culturals de Tavernes de Valldigna per tal d'identificar els "elements distintius", tant materials com immaterials, amb què compta aquest municipi i que hauran de constituir el punt de partida per a realitzar una proposta que permeta una millor i més adequada posada en valor dels mateixos, fet que enriquirà l'economia i la societat local. Aquest treball no només presenta una investigació inicial amb aplicació de tècniques i metodologies científiques sinó que les conclusions que aporta constitueixen un conjunt d'idees que pretenen proporcionar un instrument esclaridor per contribuir a assolir un model de desenvolupament a llarg termini més sostenible i ajustat a les demandes ciutadanes.This work catalogues the different cultural resources of Tavernes de Valldigna in order to identify the "distinctive elements", both tangible and intangible, that this municipality has and which will constitute the starting point for a proposal that will allow a better and more appropriate enhancement of them, a fact that will enrich the local economy and society. This work not only presents an initial investigation with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies, but the conclusions it provides constitute a set of ideas that aim to provide an enlightening instrument to contribute to achieving a long-term development model that is more sustainable and in line with the demands of the citizens

Socio-Economic Assessment of Ecosystem-Based and Other Adaptation Strategies in Coastal Areas:A Systematic Review

Coastal areas are highly vulnerable to climate-change hazards (e.g., sea-level rise, flooding, coastal erosion), which can lead to significant impacts at the ecosystem and societal level. Interest in ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is gaining importance due to its potential multiple benefits, including social and environmental aspects, when compared to more traditional approaches such as hard engineering interventions. When assessing EbA strategies, further understanding of the nature–society functions, processes, values, and benefits is needed to increase its application. This study contributes to better knowledge of EbA and other adaptation strategies by developing a systematic literature review of studies performing socio-economic assessments of climate-change adaptation in coastal areas. The analysis of 54 publications revealed that cost–benefit analysis was applied in most studies, followed by multi-criteria analysis and other techniques. Hybrid adaptation strategies based on different combinations of hard, soft, and EbA interventions were considered as potential optimal solutions in a significant part of the assessments. This study shows some potential co-benefits of EbA, such as livelihood diversification or biodiversity conservation, but also stresses the need for further research on this topic, as well as on evaluating how EbA performs in the long term under changing climate-condition scenarios.</p

Socio-Economic Assessment of Ecosystem-Based and Other Adaptation Strategies in Coastal Areas:A Systematic Review

Coastal areas are highly vulnerable to climate-change hazards (e.g., sea-level rise, flooding, coastal erosion), which can lead to significant impacts at the ecosystem and societal level. Interest in ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is gaining importance due to its potential multiple benefits, including social and environmental aspects, when compared to more traditional approaches such as hard engineering interventions. When assessing EbA strategies, further understanding of the nature–society functions, processes, values, and benefits is needed to increase its application. This study contributes to better knowledge of EbA and other adaptation strategies by developing a systematic literature review of studies performing socio-economic assessments of climate-change adaptation in coastal areas. The analysis of 54 publications revealed that cost–benefit analysis was applied in most studies, followed by multi-criteria analysis and other techniques. Hybrid adaptation strategies based on different combinations of hard, soft, and EbA interventions were considered as potential optimal solutions in a significant part of the assessments. This study shows some potential co-benefits of EbA, such as livelihood diversification or biodiversity conservation, but also stresses the need for further research on this topic, as well as on evaluating how EbA performs in the long term under changing climate-condition scenarios.</p

Socio-Economic Assessment of Ecosystem-Based and Other Adaptation Strategies in Coastal Areas: A Systematic Review

Coastal areas are highly vulnerable to climate-change hazards (e.g., sea-level rise, flooding, coastal erosion), which can lead to significant impacts at the ecosystem and societal level. Interest in ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is gaining importance due to its potential multiple benefits, including social and environmental aspects, when compared to more traditional approaches such as hard engineering interventions. When assessing EbA strategies, further understanding of the nature&ndash;society functions, processes, values, and benefits is needed to increase its application. This study contributes to better knowledge of EbA and other adaptation strategies by developing a systematic literature review of studies performing socio-economic assessments of climate-change adaptation in coastal areas. The analysis of 54 publications revealed that cost&ndash;benefit analysis was applied in most studies, followed by multi-criteria analysis and other techniques. Hybrid adaptation strategies based on different combinations of hard, soft, and EbA interventions were considered as potential optimal solutions in a significant part of the assessments. This study shows some potential co-benefits of EbA, such as livelihood diversification or biodiversity conservation, but also stresses the need for further research on this topic, as well as on evaluating how EbA performs in the long term under changing climate-condition scenarios