Results:
Below are the project’s publications and outcomes, organized by the two key objectives developed:
1. Study on Residential Mobility, Internal Migration, and the Impact of COVID-19
We identified effects on residential mobility, particularly during the early months of the pandemic, but these did not significantly alter overall mobility patterns across the territory. Additionally, we explored the socio-spatial dimension of residential flows and found that wealthier social groups exhibited a growing preference for less dense spaces within metropolitan areas and even non-urban areas—a trend that may continue beyond the pandemic.
Publications:
– González‐Leonardo, M., López‐Gay, A., Newsham, N., Recaño, J., & Rowe, F. (2022). Understanding patterns of internal migration during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Spain. Population, Space and Place, 28(6), e2578. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2578
– López-Gay, A. (2023). What has become of the urban exodus since the pandemic? “la Caixa” Foundation, Social Observatory. https://elobservatoriosocial.fundacionlacaixa.org/en/-/exodo-urbano-desde-la-pandemia
– López-Gay, A., Rosa, B., Ortega, K., Sanz-Pérez, C., & García-Gómez, J. (forthcoming). The Legacy of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Residential Mobility in Major Spanish Cities: Spatial and Socioeconomic Patterns. Estudios Geográficos
2. Study on the Growing Attraction of Spanish Cities for Highly Educated Migrants in a Context of a Post-Pandemic Rise of Remote Work
This research involved an in-depth field study, unprecedented in this area of literature in the Spanish context. The study explored topics for which there is little empirical evidence, such as everyday relationships with urban spaces, previous migration itineraries, residential transience, dwelling characteristics, type of tenancy, and residential and migration future plans. Key results are expected to be published in 2025.
Current ongoing works include:
– López-Gay, Antonio; Rosa, Brian; Font, Núria; Ortiz, Anna; Solana, Miguel. “Navigating Spaces of Transnational Gentrification: Insights from the Everyday Geographies of Barcelona’s New Global Residents”
– García, Jesús; López-Gay, Antonio. “Socio-spatial characteristics of highly qualified international migrants in Spain”
– López-Gay, Antonio; García, Jesús; Sanz, Carlos; Ortega, Karen; Rosa, Brian. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourist Accommodation: A Study of Major European Cities”