This subject will be offered in the academic year 2024-2025 in Spanish. This optional subject is an in-depth study of Economic Geography, so it is necessary to have assimilated the basic concepts and competences of this subject. It is also related to Urban Planning, since economic activity continues to be located in the territory despite an advanced process of globalisation and digitalisation in developed regions. This subject is integrated in the spatial planning module.



The subject of ‘Productive Spaces’ consists of the analysis of the productive and spatial organisation of economic activities at the local level, in the regional, national, European Union and global context. The understanding of the productive and spatial logic of the different economic sectors is essential in order to understand the role played by industrial estates and business parks play in spatial planning at local, regional, national and global levels.



From the point of view of labour insertion, the competences acquired in this subject can be used by

local development agents. This is the job required in local development agencies, which is held by

geographers among other professionals.

Competences of Ministry of Education and Science:



CB3 Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data in order to make judgements that include a reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.

reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.



Degree Competences:



G005 Explain the diversity of places, regions and locations and understand spatial relationships and processes. Interrelate phenomena at different territorial scales.



CM: Competences of the module (M02-Spatial Planning).



M02CM02: Ability to pose and solve problems through the application of acquired theoretical and technical knowledge.



M02CM04: Apply geographical knowledge to the analysis and diagnosis of the territory and its landscape.



Learning outcomes of the subject:



- Expresses the concept of productive spaces.



- Assimilates the typology of productive spaces and applies this typology to the case of a municipality.



- Recalls the different geographical scales of economic activity and inserts the local scale in the regional, national, European Union and global scale.



- Assimilates the concept of enterprise in its geographical dimension. Comments on the geographical distribution of employment by company size at provincial, regional, national, European Union and global level.



- Uses the NACE 2009 classification. Applies this classification at the level of municipality, Historical Territory, region, country and EU.



- Defines the concept of cluster and finds out if it exists in the geographical area of analysis.



- Identifies territorial strategies by which the municipality under study can compete at regional level.



- Uses statistical, cartographic and planning sources for the analysis of economic activity at local and regional level in the case of the analysed municipality.



- Communicates the progress of his/her work to the rest of the students and actively listens to what the rest of the students say.

1. Definition of production spaces.

1.1. Definition.

1.2. Typology.

1.3. Agglomeration economies and concentration of economic activity.

1.4. Production networks: from the local to the global scale.



2. Business structure and location.

2.1. Structure by business size and size of municipality.

Number of establishments, function and geographical distribution.

2.3. Business size and land occupation for economic activities.



3. Sectoral structure and clusters.

3.1. Sectoral classification.

3.2. Geographical distribution of sectors and tasks at intra-firm level.

3.3. Clusters and economic specialisation of the territory.



4. Local development and land for economic activities.

4.1. Local development and global competition.

4.2. Typology of municipalities, change in location and level of land occupation.

4.3. Effects and response to COVID-19. The sustainable and resilient challenge.



5. Statistical and cartographic sources and fieldwork.

5.1. Potential and shortcomings of information provided by regional, national and European statistical bodies.

5.2. GIS applications

5.3. Field practice.

- Explanation of theoretical content by the teacher in the classroom. Each student completes the theoretical part with

manuals and recommended reading.



- Explanation of practical content by the teacher in the classroom. Each student applies concepts by means of

practical work tutored in teams of two.



- Each team of students reviews the progress of the practical work in tutorials with the teacher.



- Each team of students offers a preview of the results of practical work in the classroom.



- In-class presentation of readings done outside the classroom by students.



- The teacher carries out field practice with students. Before the field practice, each student has to complete several tasks guided. In this way, each student can participate in the field practice with his or her observations. The field practice is an opportunity to interrelate the theoretical part with the practice of the analysis of productive spaces. For this reason, it is essential to attend the field practice.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 50
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 40
  • Exhibition of works, readings ... (%): 10

The evaluation system is final assessment. The 40% of the grade is assessed through the progress of the practical work done by the student. The 10% of the grade is assessed by the final delivery of the practical work. 50% of the grade is assessed by means of an exam.



It is necessary to pass the theoretical part and the practical part independently in order to pass the course. That is to say, in order to pass the course it is essential to obtain at least 2.5 points in the theoretical part from 5 points and 2.5 points in the practical part from 5 points.

In any case, the student will have the right to be evaluated through the final evaluation system, regardless of whether or not he/she has participated in the continuous evaluation system.



In any case, the student will have the right to be assessed by means of the final assessment system in which the learning results to be acquired through practical work will be assessed. In order to opt for this system, the student must submit the request in writing to the lecturer responsible for the subject, within a period of nine weeks from the beginning of the four-month period (Regulations governing the assessment of students in the degrees of students in official undergraduate degrees, article 8).

In the extraordinary call the conditions will be the same as in the ordinary call.

The evaluation system is final assessment. The 40% of the grade is assessed through the progress of the practical work done by the student. The 10% of the grade is assessed by the final delivery of the practical work. 50% of the grade is assessed by means of an exam.



It is necessary to pass the theoretical part and the practical part independently in order to pass the course. That is to say, in order to pass the course it is essential to obtain at least 2.5 points from 5 points in the theoretical part and 2.5 points from 5 points in the practical part.



If the student has passed one of the two parts of the subject (theoretical or practical) in the first exam, that grade will be retained for the extraordinary exam, not for other academic years. The student will only have to take the part not passed in the extraordinary exam.



The waiver of the exam is formalised by not taking the exam. In this case, the grade

will appear as ‘no-show’.



In any case, the student will have the right to be evaluated through the final evaluation system, regardless of whether or not he/she has participated in the continuous evaluation system.

Alonso, M. P., Benito del Pozo. P., Pallares-Barbera, M. y Sánchez, J.L. (Coord.) (2022). Geografía económica:fundamentos, agentes y procesos. Tirant Humanidades.

Méndez, R. (2023). Tiempos críticos para el capitalismo global. Una perspectiva geoeconómica. Revives.

Méndez, R., Abad, L.D. & Echaves, C. (2015). Atlas de la crisis. Impactos socioeconómicos y territorios vulnerables en España.Tirant Humanidades.

Basic bibliography

Alonso, M.P., Marques, T.S. & Santos, H. (2020). La Geografía de las redes económicas y la Geografía Económica en red. Ed.: Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles (Grupo de Geografía Económica). https://doi.org/10.21747/9789898969460/ge.



Dicken, P. (2015). Global shift: mapping the changing contours of the world economy. Sage.



Méndez, R. (2018). La telaraña financiera. Una geografía de la financiarización y su crisis. Santiago de Chile-Barcelona: Ril Editores. https://estudiosurbanos.uc.cl/libro/la-telarana-financiera-una-geografia-de-la-financiarizacion-y-su-crisis/



Méndez, R. & Caravaca, I. (1996). Organización industrial y territorio. Madrid: Síntesis.



Pike, A., Rodríguez Pose, A. & Tomaney, J. (2011). Desarrollo local y regional. Valencia: Universitat de Valencia.



Sánchez Hernández, J.L. & Albertos, J.L. coord. (2014). Geografía de la crisis económica en España. Valencia: Universitat de Valencia.

In-depth bibliography

Camagni, R. & Galleto, V. (2005). Economía urbana. Barcelona: Bosch.

Fernández Cuesta, G. & Fernández Prieto, J.R. (1999). Atlas industrial de España: desequilibrios territoriales y localización de la industria. Oviedo: Novel.

Fernández de Arróyabe et al (2006). “Aplicación de un sistema de información geográfica para localizar áreas industriales sostenibles” en 3º Congreso Internacional Ciudad y Territorio Virtual. Bilbao.

Méndez, R. (2020). Sitiados por la pandemia. Del colapso a la reconstrucción: apuntes geográficos. Revives. http://revives.es/publicaciones/sitiados-por-la-pandemia-2a-edicion/

Méndez, R. & Pascual, H. (2006). Industria y ciudad en España: nuevas realidades, nuevos retos. Cizur Menor: Thomson-Civitas.

Méndez, R. edit. (2010). Estrategias de innovación industrial y desarrollo económico en las ciudades intermedias de España. Madrid: Fundación BBVA.

Journals

Boletín de la AGE. https://bage.age-geografia.es/ojs/index.php/bage

Economic Geography. https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/recg20/current

Estudios Geográficos. https://estudiosgeograficos.revistas.csic.es/index.php/estudiosgeograficos

Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. https://academic.oup.com/cjres

Web addresses

Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

Instituto Nacional de Estadística: https://www.ine.es/

Instituto Vasco de Estadística (Eustat): http://www.eustat.eus

Instituto Geográfico Nacional: http://www.ign.es