Residential Tourism, Swimming Pools, and Water Demand in the Western Mediterranean

Many Mediterranean areas have recently witnessed a proliferation of new urban and tourist-related features following low-density residential patterns that contrast with the traditional high-density urban typologies of Mediterranean cities. The aim of this research is to investigate the links between residential tourism and water consumption through swimming pools, which constitute one key element of the new urban landscapes in the coast of Alicante (southeastern Spain). We have digitized pools in nine municipalities of coastal Alicante and calculated the average depth and estimated water losses due to evaporation. Results show that swimming pools are widely available in tourist residential enclaves but that they tend to display different characteristics according to factors such as the history of the urbanization process and relative wealth of the different areas. We have detected a clear contrast between the large individual pools of the richer northern municipalities and the smaller individual pools and community pools in the newly developed but less well-off urban enclaves of the southern coast.

Recientemente, muchas áreas mediterráneas han presenciado la proliferación de nuevos rasgos urbanos y aquellos que se relacionan con turistas, siguiendo los patrones residenciales de baja densidad que contrastan con las tipologías tradicionales urbanas de alta densidad de las ciudades mediterráneas. El objeto de este estudio es investigar los vínculos que existen entre el turismo residencial y el consumo de agua para piscinas de natación, que constituyen un elemento clave de los nuevos paisajes urbanos de la costa de Alicante (sudeste de España). Hemos digitalizado las piscinas de nueve municipalidades del Alicante costero y calculado la profundidad promedia y pérdidas estimadas de agua por evaporación. Los resultados muestran que las piscinas de natación proliferan en los enclaves turísticos residenciales pero que aquellas tienden a desplegar diferentes características de acuerdo con factores tales como la historia del proceso de urbanización y la riqueza relativa de las diferentes áreas. Hemos detectado un claro contraste entre las grandes piscinas de natación individuales de las municipalidades ricas del norte y las más pequeñas piscinas individuales y piscinas de natación comunitaria de los recientemente desarrollados, si bien menos afluentes, enclaves urbanos de la costa sudeste.

The results presented in this article are part of two research studies. The first, entitled “Urbanisation and water metabolism in the coast of Alicante: Analysis of trends for the 2000–2010 period,” was funded by the Spanish MINECO under grant number CSO2012–36997-C02–02. The second is part of a PhD research grant funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education.