ABSTRACT
Prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the tourist industry and, in particular, its cruise shipping element, was one the leading economic sectors of the Spanish economy. Traditionally, port terminals specializing in cruise shipping generated localized traffic peaks that impacted on the management of urban mobility in port cities, and this created a major difficulty in the city-port relationship. The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has had a very strong impact on the cruise sector which reached its maximum in the volume of passengers in 2019 and practically disappeared during the following year, with reduction rates higher than ninety percent. Through indicators analysis, this paper will examine the impacts of cruise shipping on urban mobility in Spanish Mediterranean port cities (Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tarragona and Valencia), and on the mobility planning measures proposed and developed to mitigate these impacts. Due to data availability, the year 2018 will be considered to evaluate the general impact of cruise traffic on urban population and urban mobility characteristics. With an expected stabilization of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spanish tourist industry and the associated cruise shipping activity face the greatest challenge in their history: reactivation. International sanitary measures and mass vaccination are allowing a new normality to emerge. Therefore, the reopening of services associated with the cruise shipping industry is starting to be announced, with the appropriate promotion of public policies, in order to achieve the sector's revitalization. This expected return to pre-pandemic figures for cruise shipping traffic is a challenging scenario in Spanish Mediterranean port-cities, where the indicated measures and new urban mobility management for the future should be explored and considered. © 2021 WIT Press.
ABSTRACT
The urban environment and the quality of the urban spaces are greatly affected by different forms of mobility, from the extremely impactful mass use of private vehicles to the 'soft' pedestrian walkways and cycle paths, and also through the several modes of public transport. In this paper we first explore the different urban impacts of these forms of mobility and the interaction between the urban system and the transportation system, and we then analyse the relationship of factors promoting urban quality in accordance with literature on urban design. Next, an analysis of the street's cross section is made, as the quality of this space is inextricably linked to its grade of sustainable mobility. The results of this study are contrasted with the experience within Granada's Metropolitan area, which has a high level of private vehicular use, for example its heavy congestion coupled with severe environmental pollution. A new light rail system (LRT) has been developed, with major urban renewal along its track. The LRT has the particularity of having varied cross sections, whereby the improvement in quality of urban space along them can be evaluated. The high-quality urban spaces are those with virtually no vehicular access whatsoever, providing a completely pedestrianized area, such as in the traditional urban road crossing axes in the outlying districts, which are now almost completely free from vehicles and are more greatly accessible to people. As a result of current social distancing required by the COVID-19 pandemic, urban space, which can be configured in a very adaptable way, is changing in many cities including Granada, giving more space in their streets to sustainable mobility modes and, therefore, indirectly increasing their quality and longevity. The changes carried out in Granada reveal a requirement for the promotion of improvement in urban spaces and sustainable mobility on a metropolitan scale, since the LRT is not enough if it is not accompanied by other urban development and mobility integrated measures. © 2021 WIT Press.