The Mediterranean Peri-urban Historical Huertas (Murcia-Alicante-ValenciaZaragoza). Transversal research

Abstract

[EN] The Peri-urban Historical Huertas (PHH) have been a keystone of the landscape, economy and culture identity of some Mediterranean cities. The change in the economic model, especially the agricultural and urban ones, has subjected these gardens to urban pressures that have induced significant spatial alterations. However, the understanding of these is not simple due to the scarcity of PHH, the diversity of the changes and their variability over time, and the small scale at which the alterations operate over large territories. This paper includes the first steps in the consolidation of a research group focused on the better understanding of these changes, necessary to the conservation of their environmental, social and economic values. The text presents a classification of these alterations obtained through the transversal analysis of the orchards of Murcia, Alicante, Valencia and Zaragoza, distinguishing between those caused by replacement, dispersion, fragmentation and transformation. In addition, it collects observations on the study methodologies of each of these alterations adjusted to PHH characteristics.