Diversity Analisys: The case of Barcelona Metropolitan Region

There are many aspects that adds economic value in a metropolitan region. Among them and as a methodological approach of this paper it has been included the diversity measurement and its quantitative analysis. Given the positive and regulating capabilities of diversity in the urban systems, an analytical model has been developed in order to assess the distribution of housing prices using variables that allows calculating diversity in an economical and territorial basis. The parameters involved are variables such as land use, the distribution of employment, the income level of the population, transport accessibility, among others. The methodology adopted focuses on assess different variables and its internal diversity as a measure of both the balance and abundance of pre-constructed indicators. From the above it is possible to draw conclusions of the importance of its inclusion in metropolitan systems planning.In the case of the metropolitan region of Barcelona (RMB) and its 164 municipalities the study show that diversity of located employment, diversity of economic activity including income levels and diversity of land uses are highly positive factors which have a direct influence in the metropolitan setting, making a difference on residential market values.