Spanish Industrial Areas: Evolution, Hubs, and Challenges

Spanish Industrial Area Development

Industrial areas are core components of metropolitan regions, particularly in Madrid and Barcelona, which have become leading industrial centers in Spain. Their evolution is marked by contradictory trends:

• Sinking or replanting of mature sectors.
• Industrial revitalization since 1985.
• Centrality advantages attracting innovative companies and headquarters of major domestic firms and multinational subsidiaries to Madrid and Barcelona.

This further increases outsourcing, reflected in industrial and business parks.

Areas and Industrial Hubs in Expansion

These are the result of industry trends or endogenous industrialization development. Types include:

1. Metropolitan Crowns

   These areas are undergoing industrial reconversion (e.g., Bajo Llobregat, left bank of the Nervión River in Bilbao, South of Madrid). Some are experiencing diffusion or relocation of traditional industries from central areas due to land revaluation for other uses, reducing business costs. These industries are located in industrial estates. Others attract innovative companies, which are installed in technology parks.

2. Peri-Urban Fringes

   Located in the transition zone between urban and rural areas, these have become attractive. They host smaller companies engaged in less qualified production work or subcontracting. These are often located in detached industrial buildings.

3. Industrial Development Axes

   Located along major communication routes, such as the principal national axes of the Ebro Valley and the Mediterranean (Girona-Cartagena). These have highway networks connecting them to major national centers in Southern Europe, attracting national and multinational industries. Some regional and district-level axes have developed around Madrid. Some rural areas have also seen industrial growth, often with smaller companies, traditional workshops, relocated urban enterprises, or companies promoted by local entrepreneurs exploiting local resources and labor. Innovative companies also emerge here.

Areas and Declining Industrial Axes

These include Asturias, Cantabria, and some isolated nuclei (Ferrol, Cadiz Bay, Puertollano, and Ponferrada). The Basque Country, previously included, is now an exception due to its recent industrial resurgence. These areas are characterized by:

• Specialized areas with mature sectors in crisis.
• Scarce labor market skills.
• A deteriorated environment due to highly polluting industries, basic and disorganized urban growth, high density, and low quality of life.
• Complicated industrial installation.
• Exacerbated situation due to EU restrictions on production and employment.

The consequences of deindustrialization include democratic decline, increased emigration, and peripheral positions in decision-making centers and new industrial areas.

Areas of Low-Induced Industrialization

These areas, induced by industrialization, include Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. Some industrial enclaves have developed, concentrating investment, production, and employment. Poor industrial areas include the MNCH (Castilla Extremadura).