Polycentrism in the Spanish metropolitan system an analysis for 7 metro areas

Abstract

Polycentrism is becoming one of the dominant structures in contemporary metropolises. Concentrated decentralization and the integration of formerly independent cities by the reduction of travel time are behind of such a process. In this paper, the spatial structure of the seven biggest metro areas in Spain is depicted. By analysing employment density and travel-to-work data the polycentric structure of them is detected at the time that the functional borders are delimited. Results suggest a very heterogeneous image where Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao emerge as the most polycentric areas at the time that Madrid, Seville and Zaragoza have a structure more orientated towards monocentrism, Málaga is an exception since having few subcentres, their share in employment concentration is important. Clearly a correlation between polycentrism and complexity of the relations among subcentre emerges.