Identification and strategic characterisation of medium-sized Iberian towns and conurbations

Abstract

The paper studies medium-sized towns and agglomerations in the ambit of the Iberian urban
systems and border areas, first by identifying and delimiting these urban units by population size
(50,000–500,000) and the maximum threshold distance between urban areas and settlements (1 km, as
measured by the application Google Earth). This results in nearly a hundred urban areas that are not part
of metropolitan areas, with the different morphologies of compact conurbations, urban areas, nonmetropolitan
agglomerations and city corridors. Secondly, following a hierarchical order, a functional
classification into three types is carried out: capital cities with a definite politico-administrative function
and centrality, head towns with a function that is to some degree diversified and local centres with a
relative agricultural or industrial base, coastal resorts and corridors. These types lead to the core
analysis of the way in which each agglomeration is characterised in terms of its position in the network
of town, urban dynamics, potential and limitations and recent urban strategies. Finally, comments are
made on the results obtained from the research with regard to urban systems and strategies.