Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

Pablo-Martí, Federico; Alañón-Pardo, Ángel; Sánchez, Ángel

doi:10.1007/s11698-020-00218-x

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…If transportation by ship is more convenient than land transport to go from one city to another, ships will be used as much as possible, generating more and better quality roads linked to the coast. On the contrary, if it turns out that land transport is better, most roads will be concentrated in the interior of the territory since there is the intermediation centrality and, therefore, traffic is more significant [ 79 , 101 ].…”

Section: The Transportation Network In the Spain Of Philip IImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To determine more quantitatively the differences of costs between the two means of transport, the centrality of intermediation and the accessibility of the main cities were calculated using different hypotheses. They were subsequently compared with the map of roads most frequently described in Villuga’s itinerary [ 18 ] and the road network of the 18 th century [ 101 ] (Annex 1 in S1 Annex ). The results show that maritime-land cost ratios below 1 generate traffic flows inconsistent with the observed road network.…”

Section: The Transportation Network In the Spain Of Philip IImentioning

confidence: 99%

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The choice of Madrid as the capital of Spain by Philip II in the light of the knowledge of his time: A transport network perspective

2022

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The suitability of Madrid as the capital of Spain is analyzed from different perspectives, questioning the belief that this choice was eminently personal or political but lacked economic rationality. The paper analyzes Madrid’s advantages over other possible capitals from the point of view of both intrinsic characteristics and those that depend on the transport network, such as the problem of supplies or the impact on the development of the surrounding territory. To deal with these questions it is necessary to consider logistical aspects that require an adjusted view of the existing transport network at that time. Using little-known primary sources and a novel methodology based on Delaunay triangulation, the 16th century Spanish transport network is reconstructed with a much higher level of accuracy than ever before. With this information, two maps are prepared that could be used for logistical analysis from a complex network perspective. The first map evaluates the real effects of the choice using an adjusted representation of the territory whilst the second map aims at avoiding the common fallacy of judging decisions made in the past applying current geographical know-how. This map, constructed with the planimetry of the 16th century, indicates how the somewhat deficient knowledge of Philip II with respect to the geographical reality of the day may have favored the choice of Madrid over Toledo, converting some Mediterranean coastal cities into more attractive options. The choice of Madrid as capital appears to be very reasonable in view of the different criteria used. Regarding supply difficulties, our results depart from traditional inclinations by deliberating the fact that the absence of a port in Madrid does not pose an insuperable problem. The latter is the case given that the advantages of maritime transport are far fewer than those usually considered, with Madrid’s geographical position offering significant advantages in terms of road transport.

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Section: The Transportation Network In the Spain Of Philip IImentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Transportation Network In the Spain Of Philip IImentioning

confidence: 99%

The choice of Madrid as the capital of Spain by Philip II in the light of the knowledge of his time: A transport network perspective

2022

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“…The evolution of road [1][2][3] and railway networks [4,5], public transport networks [6], transport accessibility [7], and river transport [8] are the study subjects of transport geography [9]. For a long time, this section of geography was dominated by an idiographic approach, which consisted of mostly qualitative studies and simple descriptions of the spatiotemporal features of transport networks [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of A Spatiotemporal Database for Evolution Analysis of the Moscow Backbone Power Grid

Karpachevskiy

Titov

Filippova

2021

Data

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Currently in the field of transport geography, the spatial evolution of electrical networks remain globally understudied. Publicly available data sources, including remote sensing data, have made it possible to collect spatial data on electrical networks, but at the same time a suitable data structure for storing them has not been defined. The main purpose of this study was the collection and structuring of spatiotemporal data on electric networks with the possibility of their further processing and analysis. To collect data, we used publicly available remote sensing and geoinformation systems, archival schemes and maps, as well as other documents related to the Moscow power grid. Additionally, we developed a web service for data publication and visualization. We conducted a small morphological analysis of the evolution of the network to show the possibilities of working with the database using a Python script. For example, we found that the portion of new lines has been declining since 1950s and in the 2010s the portion of partial reconstruction reached its maximum. Thus, the developed data structure and the database itself provide ample opportunities for the analysis and interpretation of the spatiotemporal development of electric networks. This can be used as a basis to study other territories. The main results of the study are published on the web service where the user can interactively choose a year and two forms of power lines representation to visualize on a map.

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“…Bel made an implacable critique of the centralist vision that led to Spain having predominantly radial networks for both its road and railway transport. This vision has been complemented by using other, more empirical, studies revealing the role of the distribution of agricultural activity for interpreting the morphology of the road (Pablo-Martí et al 2020) and the railway networks (Barquín 2009;Cuéllar 2007) and its financial considerations (Ortúñez 2016). It is also important to mention works that, at their time, proposed an ideal model for Spain's railway network (Equipo Urbano 1972) and produced a theoretical essay about the form of Spain's rail network (chapter in the book by Artola 1978).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Radiality of the Railway Network in Spain during its Early Stages (1830–67): An Assessment of its Territorial Coherence

2021

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The initial period of construction of the Spanish railway network is often criticized for its radial structure, centered on Madrid. In this article, the authors describe the role of the state during the initial stage of railway network construction and confirm that although the political will to construct a centralist network certainly influenced its morphology, other social and economic criteria were also influential. With regard to the political motives behind the radial network, the authors argue that part of this interest could have come in response to perceived needs to strengthen the presence of the Spanish state throughout its national territory and to promote a process of state-building. Finally, it must be stressed that the central hypothesis of our article is that the radial structure of the network was a natural consequence of the strategic geographical position of the country’s capital and of the distribution of economic activity within Spanish territory. The article proposes two methodological approaches for evaluating the extent to which the radial design of the network was justified, bearing in mind the locations of Spain’s most productive regions. The results of these two exercises suggest that the radial configuration with which the Spanish rail network was originally designed probably arose naturally as a result of the distribution of economic activity within the country and of the relative advantage that this bestowed on certain regions due to their geographic position.

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Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

Cited by 21 publications

References 95 publications

The choice of Madrid as the capital of Spain by Philip II in the light of the knowledge of his time: A transport network perspective

The choice of Madrid as the capital of Spain by Philip II in the light of the knowledge of his time: A transport network perspective

Development of A Spatiotemporal Database for Evolution Analysis of the Moscow Backbone Power Grid

The Radiality of the Railway Network in Spain during its Early Stages (1830–67): An Assessment of its Territorial Coherence

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