Even allowing for error and the clear need for refinement, this 
analysis offers evidence which clearly corroborates the 
hypothesis of increased land consumption on the periphery of 
Barcelona's metropolitan area. 
  
Land cover class 1995 2003 
  
Occupied 30,827,294 points | 44,554,426 points 
  
All green areas 53,749,872 points | 43,710,583 points 
  
Soil 10,097,770 points 234,581 points 
  
  
  
  
  
Table 2: Broad land cover for the area of study - 1995 and 2003 
  
  
Figure 2: 2003 SPOT Image following supervised maximum 
likelihood classification (occupied area; green area; and soil) 
© SPOT Image Copyright 2003, CNES 
      
A SR A Rs ER vA E 
Figure 3: 1995 SPOT Image following supervised maximum 
likelihood classification (occupied area; green area; and soil) 
© SPOT Image Copyright 1995, CNES 
In purely visual terms, the evolution or change in urban 
development over the 1995-2003 period, again in the broad 
sense, can easily be discerned from the super-imposition of the 
1995 and 2003 images. Figures 4 and 5 clearly illustrate the 
  
   
  
  
   
   
  
  
   
   
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
   
    
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
   
  
  
  
   
   
   
    
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part Bl. Istanbul 2004 
existing development in 1995 in blue tones, with new and or 
redevelopment being represented by the red tones. Figure 4 
shows a detail of Mataró, an important sub-centre of 
Barcelona's wider metropolitan area, lying on the coast to the 
north of Barcelona. The figure clearly identifies, amongst other 
things, industrial redevelopment in the south-west, and new 
commercial and industrial development lying to the north of the 
new outer ring-road. 
  
Figure 4: Mataró - comparison between 2003 (red) and 1995 
(blue) 
Q SPOT Image Copyright 1995/2003, CNES 
T4 i 
Figure 5: Vallés Occidental - comparison between 2003 (red) 
and 1995 (blue) 
© SPOT Image Copyright 1995/2003, CNES 
In the same vein, Figure 5 clearly identifies important 
infrastructure investment and/or improvements. In the area of 
Vallés Occidental (Ripollet, Santa perpétua de Mogoda, La 
Llagosta and Mollet del Vallés), the existing communication 
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