A peri-urban space can be used for the construction of an airport.
Periurbano is a term that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . The concept is used to name the spaces that are located around a city and that, although they are not used for urban development, are not used for rural activities either.
Peri-urban areas , therefore, allow certain ventures that, for various reasons, are not developed in the center of a city . The deposit and treatment of garbage, the construction and operation of an airport and the development of warehouses or spaces to store vehicles confiscated by the authorities are some of the purposes that a peri-urban space can have.
Taking advantage of a peri-urban space
As can be seen, there are several reasons that lead to taking advantage of a peri-urban area. In the case of waste deposits , the aim is to move this practice away from the most populated urban areas. Airports , on the other hand, are built in peri-urban areas primarily for security reasons.
Peri-urban spaces can also be used for the development of so-called green belts or green rings. These ecological strips seek to protect the environment , improve the quality of life in the cities located nearby and provide a leisure and recreation option close to urban centers.
There are other concepts that have very similar meanings or that are usually associated or confused with peri-urban, and they are the following: dispersed or diffuse city, suburbs, exurbia, city outline , countryside-city border, edge territories, urban periphery , suburb and rururbanization.
Landfills usually develop in peri-urban environments.
The case of Spain
In Spain , peri-urban parks are spaces that, due to their natural resources, are protected in a special way to prevent their massive use from affecting their characteristics. Let's see below some of the many peri-urban parks that exist on Spanish soil:
La Barrosa, in Cádiz
It is located next to the coast of the municipality of Chiclana de la Frontera , in an area of beaches highly appreciated for their beauty. Among the points that led to its declaration as a peri-urban park are recreational, environmental and landscape interests. Its flora withstands sunlight and dryness and includes stone pine, maritime juniper, Thymus albicans (a type of thyme) and flytrap (a carnivorous plant). Of its fauna, the chameleon stands out, one of the several endangered species that have assured their subsistence in this space.
Pinar del Hacho, in Malaga
This peri-urban park is very close to the city of Antequera and a large part of its surface is covered by stone pines that are more than four decades old. Other plant species found in the area are grassland and scrub. Regarding its fauna, it is dominated by communities associated with ruderal plants, the Mediterranean low-mountain coniferous forest and anthropogenic vegetation. Its landscape is worth admiring, as it combines the beauty of nature with views that reach the city. The inhabitants of Antequera usually come regularly to Pinar del Hacho to take advantage of its opportunities for recreation and recreation, and also to visit the archaeological sites found there: the Arquillo de los Porqueros and the Torre del Hacho .
Sierra de Collserola, in Barcelona
The province of Barcelona is known for its beautiful landscapes, which combine vegetation with the sea and mountains, and this peri-urban park is no exception. It is located near the city of Barcelona and is considered among the largest in the world. This mountain range is an extension of the Coastal Mountain Range of Catalonia , and its surface area is around 11 thousand hectares. Around it, there is the Vallés depression (a natural region), the Barcelona plain and the river valleys of the Llobregat and Besós rivers. The reliefs of Collserola are soft and do not reach great heights; This can be clearly seen by noting that Tibidabo , its highest peak, reaches only 512 meters.