La atracción migratoria de las ciudades turísticas y la transformación del sistema urbano litoral mediterráneo español. Un análisis a escala local del período 1991 a 2011

Resumen:El trabajo analiza la atracción migratoria de las ciudades turísticas del sistema litoral mediterráneo español durante el período 1991-2011 como manifestación de la movilidad regional en este ámbito. El método de trabajo consiste en analizar la distribución de migrantes a escala local y medir los efectos sobre la transformación del sistema urbano mediante el uso de indicadores. Los principales resultados ponen de manifiesto que las ciudades turísticas actúan, gracias a su protagonismo en la atracción migratoria, como foco principal de la transformación social y urbana que se ha producido en el sistema urbano para el marco temporal de referencia.Abstract:The work focus on the migratory attraction of the tourist cities of the Spanish Mediterranean littoral system during the period 1991-2011 as a manifestation of regional mobility in this area. The main goal of the research is to analyse the distribution of migrants at the local level and to measure the effects that their distribution have on the transformation of the urban system. The main results show that, due to their relevance in migratory attraction, tourist cities are the focus of the social and urban transformation that has occurred in the urban system from 1991 to 2011. Method The study draws on the notion of migrant to evaluate the impact derived from the territorial location of migrations on the urban system for the intercensal period between 1991 and 2011, including the analysis of previous and simultaneous moments to the current economic crisis. The methodology focus on the development of various synthetic indicators. These indicators have been applied to six different types of cities, classified according to their tourist accommodation capacity. In particular, absolute and relative growth rates of migrants and the annual growth rate have been used to identify the volume and intensity of migratory growth. In addition, the use of migrant weight ratios (foreign migration percentage over total population) helps to explain the impact of migration in the local demographic structure. In order to assess the differential capacity of migrant attraction, some synthetic indicators are used (the Migration Effort Index, which links total migrants with the absolute population growth obtained during the period 1991 to 2011; and the Indirect Index of Migratory Fixation, that is, the total migrants related to the migration balance from 2001 to 2011). In order to analyse the effects of migrations on the territorial demographic imbalance, we have taken into account classic indicators of the measurement of unequal population concentration (Lorenz curve), as well as a series of absolute and relative indicators on the loss of municipal population. Finally, to characterize the types of cities from the point of view of their capacity of migratory attraction and the effects that this produces on their demographic structure, a synthesis of different indicators (Indicator of Migration Behaviour) has been graphically represented. Results The results of the research focus on three aspects of the relationship between population mobility and the urban system of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. First, the importance of migration as an agent that shapes the present urban system is described. The recent demographic growth in the Spanish Mediterranean coast is justified essentially by the action of uneven migrations distribution. Coastal municipalities has concentrated a good part of the Spanish population growth in this area, so that the resulting urban process can be defined in terms of litoralization phenomena. Secondly, the role of tourist cities, in population growth and migration attraction is analysed and compared with other cities belonging to the urban system Tourist cities with the greatest specialization are those that, together with cities capital of province, have greater growth ratios and the highest potential to change their socio-demographic structure and urban hierarchy. Tourist cities also stand out compared with other cities, attracting foreigner’s migration and having a greater intensity and speed of migratory growth ratios. Finally, the elements of imbalance and inequality that, on a regional scale, are derived from migratory mobility are exposed. The migrations of the Spanish Mediterranean urban system have contributed in a decisive way to the transformation of the territorial structure creating poles of demographic attraction that have allowed to develop new urban nodes. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the role of small and medium-sized tourist cities as a new elements of demographic deconcentration for the whole urban system, an aspect that in a broad historical perspective represents a novelty in such a system. Discussion A first contribution of our study suggest that the patterns of population mobility on the territory contribute to outline the differential nature of the tourism urbanization process. A second contribution shows that the process of litoralisation of the Spanish Mediterranean coastal urban system is evolving towards a greater structural complexity caused by the increase of polycentrism. It is also noted that the capacity to retain migrants is more accentuated in tourist cities. These cities attract migrations that lead to a rapid growth due to a smaller rotation of that migrants. Thirdly, it is also shown that local attraction of migration is due to the different capacity of cities to exert such attraction. This leads to an unequal distribution of migrations in the urban system, which can be interpreted as an imbalance caused by the concentration of the population in certain areas. Despite its exploratory nature, this work contributes to the study of mobility in the Spanish Mediterranean urban system. The results obtained indicate that tourist cities are not only important pieces to explain the growth of the urban system but also a key element to understand its productive and organizational transformation. Greater attention need to be paid to these cities to improve the understanding of migration flows. This task will require the use of more sophisticated demographic analysis tools, to explore the effects migration has on social and demographic structure in tourist locations or by exploring the factors that explain the attraction of tourist cities (economic and quality of place factors).