Aplicación de los indicadores de complejidad urbana a través de las redes sociales y TIG: El caso de los paseos marítimos de Levante y Poniente en Benidorm

La complejidad, entendida desde un punto de vista urbano y puesta en relación con la idea de conseguir ciudades más sostenibles, estudia la cantidad y diversidad de actividades que confluyen en un espacio urbano concreto. Con el fin de realizar un estudio aplicado de los indicadores de complejidad urbana en el ámbito turístico , dado el interés que este concepto tiene en relación a la mejora de la experiencia turística, se escoge la ciudad de Benidorm como ejemplo paradigmático del turismo de sol y playa en el litoral mediterráneo español. Así, se plantea el análisis de dos espacios funcionales relevantes en cuanto al turismo como son los paseos marítimos de Levante y Poniente. Como metodología se utiliza la información recogida en la red Google Places para elaborar un modelo descriptivo de la complejidad de dichas áreas y así poder comparar la complejidad funcional que configura ambos espacios. La obtención de información georreferenciada servirá para dos propósitos: en primer lugar, estudiar las pciones que existen de aplicar los indicadores urbanos elaborados para la ciudad convencional en base a los datos y; en segundo lugar, establecer una categorización que permita evaluar en qué medida existe diversidad de actividades. Los resultados obtenidos, en general, simplificarán el análisis de la complejidad urbana y, en particular, facilitarán, la toma de decisiones en cuanto a la planificación de usos turísticos

Urban Planning 1: Topics and Debates

The texts collected are a sample of the topics for study and debate that have been part of the Urban Planning 1 subject in the second year of the Bachelor Degree in Architecture during the academic year 2014-2015. These notes have been prepared by students as part of exercises of debate and presentation. The main aim of these exercises is to raise different questions about topics that have formed part of the discipline of Urban Studies for years. Items and articles which have been used for the discussion and preparation of presentations are some of those collected in the book "The city reader". Stout, F (2003) The city reader. Urban Reader Series. Routledge. London and New York.Ayudas a la elaboración de material docente 2013 en inglés y valenciano, Vicerrectorado de Cultura, Deportes y Política Lingüística. Universidad de Alicante

Social dynamics in cities: analysis through LBSN data

Location-Based Social Networks data —LBSN data— reveal, in essence, user preferences and patterns of use of urban space. This information plays a key role in research on social dynamics in cities. Today, social network applications are widely available and this digital data represents a complementary and inescapable source of data for the analysis of urban dynamics. Ten years ago, a handful of pioneering researchers paved the way to tackle city issues employing different types of LBSN data. The present work describes a series of case-studies that have contributed to a research methodology which, in turn, helps to unveil the traces of the city pulse lying hidden behind digital footprints. These cases exemplify how these sources help to gain a better understanding of social dynamics and can be used in urban interventions. The presented case studies were mainly data-sourced by Foursquare, Twitter, and Google Places, while other social networks such as Airbnb, Wikiloc, and Strava were used for the specific cases of tourism or sport-related topics. The case studies address urban issues based on multiscale approaches, using different LBSN datasets simultaneously in order to obtain a complex and accurate analysis, such as: a) the social dynamism at the neighborhood scale, searching for urban regeneration opportunities; b) tourism-related urban dynamics, both at the local and city scale, with a high granularity; c) user presence and preferences when assessing the city green infrastructure system; and, d) tracking informal sport activity in the urban periphery, connecting urban tissues and natural assets on the city borders

Morphological and functional attributes of preferred urban public spaces in Alicante province

[EN] Understanding the role of urban public spaces in today’s historic Spanish Mediterranean cities is a key issue for researchers and urban professionals. Increasingly, social media showcases users’ preferences, a trend that can provide an indication as to why some urban public spaces are preferred over others. This research focuses on the study of morphological and functional attributes of preferred urban public spaces in historic cities of the Province of Alicante (Spain). Two main objectives are pursued: to describe urban morphological features of preferred plazas within the city; and, to identify functional patterns taking into account building uses and activities found in these public spaces. Eight plazas, selected from a previous study using Foursquare social media data, were used as a case study. The research methodolgy involved the spatial definition of the plaza followed by an analysis of each plaza’s morphological and functional attributes. The results demonstrate that the preferred urban spaces have in common more functional than morphological characteristics: good accessibility; ground floor activities; and presence of landmark buildings.Martí, P.; Serrano-Estrada, L.; Nolasco-Cirugeda, A. (2018). Morphological and functional attributes of preferred urban public spaces in Alicante province. En 24th ISUF International Conference. Book of Papers. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1147-1155. https://doi.org/10.4995/ISUF2017.2017.5902OCS1147115

Reading the social preferences of tourist destinations through social media data

The social preferences of individuals have been traditionally identified through traditional means using field techniques such as direct interviewing, observation and people-counting. The virtual layer of the social system currently allows new ways to identify the most preferred urban areas or venues. With that in mind, this paper aims to study how data from two Location-Based Social Networks: Foursquare and Twitter can shed light on empirical and theoretical observations about the spatial patterns characterizing where people tend to be and socialise in a tourist city. The methodology proposed consists of three stages. First, a self-developed desktop application retrieves geospatial data from the selected social networks. Then, the dataset obtained is organised and sorted. Finally, the georeferenced data is visualised and analysed and the trends are noted and discussed. To that end, the city of Benidorm was selected as a case study and the data was collected during the off-peak tourist season. The results demonstrate a correlation between the empirical assumptions and the findings from the social networks analysis about people’s preferred places. Foursquare provides a ranking of urban spaces and venues related to tourism, and the location of the tweets confirms the seasonal nature of Benidorm. Despite the fact that information from location-based social media has to be treated carefully, since each service has its own unique purpose, the method proposed has proven to be effective and reliable to depict a representative sample of people’s social patterns and preferences in tourist cities

Utilización de nuevas tecnologías en la revalorización de espacios públicos significantes para la sociedad

Los espacios públicos tienen la capacidad de producir vínculos emocionales entre los ciudadanos y el medio construido y son más significativos cuanto más tiempo han ejercido como contenedores de sus acciones cotidianas. No obstante, la creciente virtualidad de las relaciones sociales ha transformado la manera de interactuar con y en la ciudad, y con ello, surge la cuestión objeto de la presente investigación: ¿qué relación urbana se establece entre los espacios públicos relevantes para la sociedad actual y el centro histórico de la ciudad? Para abordar la interrogante se consideraron las ciudades históricas de la provincia de Alicante como caso de estudio, y se puso en valor un espacio público —plaza— de éxito por cada una, entendiendo que, el calificativo de éxito es sinónimo de concurrencia ciudadana. Como herramienta de selección de la plaza de cada ciudad se utilizó la red social foursquare. Se analizó entonces la relación urbana de la plaza respecto a la trama histórica de cada ciudad, donde se aprecia que la ubicación de la plaza responde a dos casuísticas de relación. Por un lado, con el tejido histórico de la ciudad, y por otro lado, con los ejes principales que conectan al resto de la ciudad y que, generalmente, responden a la dirección de trazado del ensanche.Public spaces have the capability to produce emotional relationships between the citizens and the built environment. The longer the spaces witness day-to-day doings, the stronger these relationships become. However, the increasing virtuality has modified the way social interaction happens with and within city spaces. Thus, the following question arises: what is the urban relation between today’s relevant public spaces and the historic city centre? To that end, the Alicante province’s historical cities were considered as case studies. A socially relevant public plaza of each city was selected using Foursquare, a location-based social networking website for mobile devices. Once selected, the plaza location was analyzed in relation to the city’s historical centre and two situations were identified. First, the plaza possesses a strong spatial association to the city’s historical area, and second, it is connected to the rest of the city through main axes that, in most cases, correspond to the direction of the urban expansion axes.Peer Reviewe

The Study of the Public Space

Except for the "practical exercises" section, this work is registered under the following ISBN numbers: 978-84-15768-61-6 and 978-84-15768-62-3This publication addresses the study of the public space: its importance and relevance in the city, the various elements comprising it and the social, functional and perceptive possibilities it offers. This work compiles the Urban Planning 2 teaching material for the academic year 2013-2014. It includes the course´s syllabus, theoretical background and graphic documentation used as supporting material for the theoretical and practical lessons, as well as for the students’ engagement with the course topics. The methodology employed throughout the course combines the use of new technologies and the classical —still applicable— theories suggested by the most relevant experts in the field. Urban Planning 2 belongs to the Urban Planning and Land Management Department at the University of Alicante and is offered during the first semester of the third year of the Degree in Architecture.Ayudas a la elaboración de material docente 2013 en inglés y valenciano, Vicerrectorado de Cultura, Deportes y Política Lingüística. Universidad de Alicante

Urban Transformation, Public Space and Social Perception. The River Segura as it Passes Through Orihuela and Rojales

El río Segura en su tramo final, la Vega Baja en la provincia de Alicante, atraviesa las ciudades de Orihuela y Rojales, que se caracterizan por ser las dos únicas de esta zona en las que el cauce recorre su casco urbano. Se parte de las obras de remodelación del cauce con el Plan de Defensa contra Avenidas en la Cuenca del Río Segura, concluido en 1994, en el que la solución adoptada para el encauzamiento en los tramos urbanos es similar en ambos municipios. Esta investigación expone en qué medida dichas actuaciones han tenido un refl ejo directo en la imagen de la ciudad, en las actividades en el espacio público urbano y en la manera que es percibido por los ciudadanos. Finalmente, se ponen en evidencia resultados coincidentes y divergentes, pese a la similitud del contexto de las actuaciones.The final part of the Segura River’s course flows through the region of the Vega Baja in the province of Alicante. In this area, the river crosses the town centre of Orihuela and Rojales, the only two cities with this condition. In 1994, works of redesign of the route of the Segura River were finished. The aim of these works was to improve the security and protection against flooding. In both cases the channel was re-built following the same constructive solution. This research exposes the way these measures have had a direct impact on the image of these cities, in urban public space activities and in the manner that these interventions were perceived by citizens. Despite the similar context, the results of the research show coincidences and differences between the two cities.El presente texto se incardina en el proyecto de investigación Las ciudades españolas en la etapa autonómica (1978-2012). Dinámicas, procesos y políticas (URBSPAIN), financiado por el Plan Nacional de Investigación I+D+i del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad para el período 2010-2013 (Código CSO 2009-11261-Subpr. GEOG)

Landscape and urban quality in consolidated tourist areas in Alicante coastline

In the middle of 20th century the attractiveness of the coast of Alicante favoured the development of touristic activity along the province. Initially, back when the tourists lived with sailors and fisherman, the area wouldn’t qualify as holiday destination, but afterwards Alicante coastline has become an important tourist attraction which has led to a significant urban growth. Many different kind of tourism-related buildings for both Residential and Seasonal use, were developed without taking into account the major impact they would produce in many ways. This paper serves two purposes: first to examine the influences tourism has had on today’s landscape of the Alicante coastline, and second, to review the level of quality that different consolidated tourist areas have achieved over the last decades. In order to carry out the assessment, three different tourist cities: Denia, Benidorm and Torrevieja will be analyzed based on their urban quality, landscape and territorial transformation.Peer Reviewe