Water Management in Urban Sprawl Typologies in the City of Alicante (Southern Spain): New Trends and Perception after the Economic Crisis?

Abstract

In recent decades, territorial transformations have occurred on the Spanish Mediterranean coast due to the real estate bubble (1997–2008). The objectives of this research are: (1) to analyse the domestic water consumption trend in the study area (“Beach Sector” of the city of Alicante, Southern Spain) (2000–2017); and (2) explore water use and the characteristics of detached houses and how its residents have introduced water-saving measures to reduce consumption after the economic crisis in the study area. A review and analysis of data on housing and population has been carried out where this urban development type has been implemented. Moreover, surveys of the residents have been conducted in order to determine and analyse water consumption, and the perception and knowledge used to reduce water consumption in detached houses. The results show that consumption decreased between 2000 and 2017 due to different factors and there was no change in the water consumption trend at the end of the economic crisis. In view of the conclusions, it should be mentioned that this reduction has been associated with a greater environmental awareness of the need to save water, the installation of systems that use water more efficiently and water-saving devices. All of this is aimed at reducing the water bill that has been exacerbated by an increase in water prices seeing as this is the type of property that consumes the most water.

Water Consumption and Management in Schools in the City of Alicante (Southern Spain) (2000–2017): Free Water Helps Promote Saving Water?

“…In the main cities of developed countries, there has been a fall in water consumption in recent decades [5]. This trend has been observed in Seville [61], Madrid [30,62], Paris [63], several German cities [64], and Alicante itself [14]. However, and unlike what has happened in households and the rest of the non-household sector in the city of Alicante where there is a negative trend (−7.3% and −38.9%, respectively), school water consumption increased between 2000-2004 and 2012-2017.…”

“…Three periods are observed regarding the trend in water consumption in schools that participated in the research (see Figure 2). The first period (2000-2004) is characterised by an increase in consumption (average of 4599 litres/day), which coincides with the general increase in the city [14]. The second period (2005-2011) is characterised by a notable decrease, but with a slight increase in the last several years of this period (average of 4,170 litres/day), but always below the first term.…”

Ontology-driven approach for KPI meta-modelling, selection and reasoning

“…To this end, a real-world application is worked here, which consists in monitoring a water supply management network in the Mediterranean area of Alicante (Spain). It is a critical application nowadays because of the generalized water scarcity in the Southeast of Spain (Morote, Olcina, Rico, & Hernández, 2019), so the generation of innovative solutions for monitoring Key Performance Indicators is a must for policy and decision makers. Water supply management companies focus on ensuring water supply to multiple zones.…”

The Hydrosocial Cycle in Coastal Tourist Destinations in Alicante, Spain: Increasing Resilience to Drought

“…This reduction began before the crisis (2008), but was then accentuated by the crisis and the associated bursting of the real estate bubble and reduction in hotel stays as a consequence of a fall in the purchasing power of the middle classes. The reduction of consumption prior to 2008 is linked to initiatives aimed at reducing consumption (demand management and improvements in distribution network) as happens in many cities in developed countries [46]. The approval of plans that try to halt or limit the development of rural land have been met with strong opposition from business sectors (especially construction and real estate) and even from local residents.…”