Residential Tourism, Swimming Pools, and Water Demand in the Western Mediterranean

Abstract

Many Mediterranean areas have recently witnessed a proliferation of new urban and tourist-related features following lowdensity residential patterns that contrast with the traditional high-density urban typologies of Mediterranean cities. The aim of this research is to investigate the links between residential tourism and water consumption through swimming pools, which constitute one key element of the new urban landscapes in the coast of Alicante (southeastern Spain). We have digitized pools in nine municipalities of coastal Alicante and calculated the average depth and estimated water losses due to evaporation. Results show that swimming pools are widely available in tourist residential enclaves but that they tend to display different characteristics according to factors such as the history of the urbanization process and relative wealth of the different areas. We have detected a clear contrast between the large individual pools of the richer northern municipalities and the smaller individual pools and community pools in the newly developed but less well-off urban enclaves of the southern coast. Key Words: consumption, Mediterranean, swimming pools, tourism, water. 水资源。Recientemente, muchas areas mediterr aneas han presenciado la proliferaci on de nuevos rasgos urbanos y aquellos que se relacionan con turistas, siguiendo los patrones residenciales de baja densidad que contrastan con las tipologías tradicionales urbanas de alta densidad de las ciudades mediterr aneas. El objeto de este estudio es investigar los vínculos que existen entre el turismo residencial y el consumo de agua para piscinas de nataci on, que constituyen un elemento clave de los nuevos paisajes urbanos de la costa de Alicante (sudeste de España). Hemos digitalizado las piscinas de nueve municipalidades del Alicante costero y calculado la profundidad promedia y p erdidas estimadas de agua por evaporaci on. Los resultados muestran que las piscinas de nataci on proliferan en los enclaves turísticos residenciales pero que aquellas tienden a desplegar diferentes características de acuerdo con factores tales como la historia del proceso de urbanizaci on y la riqueza relativa de las diferentes areas. Hemos detectado un claro contraste entre las grandes piscinas de nataci on individuales de las municipalidades ricas del norte y las m as pequeñas piscinas individuales y piscinas de nataci on comunitaria de los recientemente desarrollados, si bien menos afluentes, enclaves urbanos de la costa sudeste. Palabras clave: consumo, Mediterr aneo, piscinas de nataci on, turismo, agua.

Causes of Domestic Water Consumption Trends in the City of Alicante: Exploring the Links between the Housing Bubble, the Types of Housing and the Socio-Economic Factors

“…Tourist activity, and particularly residential tourism, has led to a change in the urban and demographic model of towns along the European Mediterranean coastline [5]. The province of Alicante, and more specifically its coastline, is a clear example of this.…”

“…This rise in water consumption can be explained by the increase in homes and population numbers recorded for this coastal region, which is linked to the growth of tourism, as well as residential and service activities [2,3]. To a great extent, the increase in the urban and residential surface area is based on expansive urbanization and the creation of new urban spaces, such as gardens and swimming pools [4,5]. This process is typical of the majority of the Mediterranean coastline in France, Italy [6], and Spain, including the Balearic Islands [7] and the Costa del Sol [8].…”

Household Smart Water Metering in Spain: Insights from the Experience of Remote Meter Reading in Alicante

“…The intense development of the Spanish Mediterranean coast since the 1960s, and especially during the real estate bubble of the 1990s and 2000s, has resulted in the creation of new, rapidly growing urban natures (gardens and swimming pools) highly dependent on water [45]. In the coast of Alicante the urban area in 1978 was 49,904,151 m 2 , while in 2013, it had risen to 221,965,736 m 2 [43].…”

El turismo residencial no existe. Revisión de un concepto y crítica de su función ideológica

“…En esta posición se distinguen publicaciones asentadas sobre supuestos epistemológicos muy dispares que comprenden desde aquellas que desarrollan elaboradas reflexiones teóricas a otras en las que la problematización conceptual se deja en un segundo plano, o se evita, como si, a falta de algo mejor, la expresión simplemente resultase una herramienta aceptable para nombrar y condensar el conjunto de relaciones y procesos que constituyen el objeto de los análisis. Al respecto, pueden consultarse, por ejemplo, los estudios de Aledo et al (2013); Janoschka (2013) o Morote et al (2016). c) Los trabajos que, al analizar las realidades ante las que se enfrentan la mayoría de las investigaciones que estudian el turismo residencial, normalmente eluden el empleo de la expresión turismo residencial.…”