260 The Barcelona Region’s land mosaic
Built areas and systems
Three major groupings of issues are addressed: growth, development,
and municipalities; transportation and industry; and nature and people in
municipalities.Growth, development, and municipalities
This section pinpoints particularly suitable places for growth, inappro-
priate places for growth, and beneficial forms of growth. Solutions emerge
in five areas: (1) key areas for growth and development; (2) green-net areas;
(3) municipalities for limited growth; (4) strengthening floodplains, slopes, major
food areas, and emerald network; and (5) rest of the region.Key areasfor growthanddevelopment
One of the most important strategies for maintaining natural systems
and their resources for people long term is to focus growth and development in
areas where environmental damage will be low (Forman 2004a). Then specific
locations can be selected based on transportation, access to resources, and other
important socioeconomic factors (Folch2000). Five satellite cities around the
Greater Barcelona Region and two areas near Barcelona are thus highlighted
as promising for growth and development (Color Figure44): Igualada, Manresa,
Mataro/Argentona, El Vendrell, Vic, ‘‘Llobregat West”, and the Lower Anoia area.
Economic bases of the seven areas highlighted for growth might include the
following:(A) Igualada:industry; commercial services for the Calaf Valley and nearby
Terragona area to the west; some nature tourism focused on three sur-
rounding emeralds; (also see below for the nearby Lower Anoia area).
(B) Manresa:industry; a transportation hub; agricultural-products center for
valleys around Calaf, Berga, and Solsona; some nature tourism focused
on four surrounding emeralds.
(C) Mataro-Argentona:industry; residential commuters for the Barcelona
metropolitan area; coastal tourism; some of the targeted nature tourism
for the Tordera River watershed.
(D) El Vendrell:industry; transportation hub; commercial/service center for
coastal tourist towns along the Southwest Coast; commercial support
for the Penedes agricultural area.
(E) Vic:industry; commercial center for the Vic Valley and agricultural area
tothewest; transportation hub; and nature tourism focused on the
Serralada Transversal. Because of the threat of loss and fragmentation of