Evolution of the transport connection across the border: the role of the TGV and the future of the lorries Girona, 2013 AIM OF THE REPORT • How road and train network has evolved after second World War? • How land use has changed and affect on landscape? • Future of transportation in border region? THEORETICAL BACKGROUND • Cultural/landscape geography • The report approaches the concept of landscape through the land use • Main terms and aspects: • Landscape • Border • Landscape ecology • Land use LANDSCAPE AND BORDER • How human actions and transportation affect on landscape • Direct – indirect effects on landscape due to high speed rail and road network • Meaning of border • Divides Catalan area • Part of Mediterranean corridor • Border between France and Spain LAND USE AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY • Human use of land • Urban areas, forests, fields etc. • Landscape changes via land use • Constant change • Landscape ecology as way to analyze landscape • Interactions and conflicts between human actions and nature DATA AND METHODS • Spatial data from border area • Maps from 1945 – 2012 • Land use data from 1987 – 1997 • Articles and interviews • GIS • Evolution of transportation • Comparison of maps • Changes in land use • Land use maps • Future scenarios • Interviews • Hypothesis THE ROLE OF THE TGV Source: http://www.republica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ave_mad-bnc.jpg, 16.05.2013 WHAT IS THE TGV? • The TGV (French: Train à Grande Vitesse) is France's high-speed rail • Developed during the 1970s • The first line in Europe was inaugurated in France in 1981 between Paris – Lyon • The first line in Spain was opened in 1992 connecting the cities of Madrid – Cordoba – Sevilla • In Spain – the longest HSR network in Europe – 2,144 km • Average speed: 250-300 km/h • Record of speed: 574,8 km/h TGV LINES IN EUROPE Source: Jaume Feliu presentation HSR - ROLE • Line connecting Ibernian Peninsula with Central Europe, • In future direct high-speed connection between Barcelona – Paris, • More attractive for tourists – the numer of tourists increases, • Decrease travel time from Perpignan to Barcelona – 50 minutes instead of 2h 45min, • The HSR will boost local people mobility, • New job opportunities for people living outside the metropolian area, • Areas near the HSR will be more attractive to investors, • In the future HSR will carry more goods from the port of Barcelona FIGUERES – PERPIGNAN • Line connecting Iberian Peninsula with central Europe, • In 2001 the French and Spanish governments agreed to create a new line between Perpignan and Figueres, • Construction for building the connection between Figueres and Perpignan started in autumn 2004, • Build was completed on February 2009 and was opened for traffic on December 2010, • This section is a part of the Southern Mediterranean Europe HSR project: • Lyon–Marseille and Lyon–N×mes (in service); • Montpellier–Perpignan (in project); • Figueras–Barcelona (in service ); • Lleida–Barcelona ( in service ); • Madrid–Zaragoza–Lleida (in service) PERTHUS TUNNEL •The tunnel is located under eastern Pyrenees, and it has 8,3 km •It took 5 years to build it, and it was finished in February 2009 and opedned for traffic from December 2010 Source: Jaume Feliu presentation LAND USE CHANGES AND IMPACT ON LANDSCAPE • Focus on counties area of la Jonquera, Agullana and Capmany • Data only from Spanish side of the border • Only land use maps from 1987 to 1997 • No high speed rail • No information from last decade • No remarkable changes • Urban areas growing in la Jonquera and Capmany • Changes in woods and meadows class • Reasons: • No high speed rail • Concervation of the area INTERVIEW CROSS BORDER COOPERATION • Better transport connection between Catalonia and France enable transboundary cooperation • Examples of projects: o Cross border Hospital of La Cerdanya o Transboundary Slaughterhouse in Ur o Transborder Research and Higher Education Pole of Pyrenees – Mediterranean – project between Universities of Girona, Perpignan, Lleida and Balear Island and Paris OLD ACCESSIBILTY Source: Jaume Feliu presentation NEW ACCESSIBILITY Source: Jaume Feliu presentation THE FUTURE. 1ST SCENARIO: TGV IS A SUCCESS. • Determining factors: • People think that the price of the TGV tickets is acceptable. • Fuel price increases. • Schedule’s combination is well designed. • Cooperation between north and south regions is intensified. • People from big cities move to medium cities with TGV stations. • TGV replaces lorries in most of goods movements. THE FUTURE. 1ST SCENARIO: TGV IS A SUCCESS. • Changes in the mobility of people. They’ll use TGV instead of other transports and they will travel further. • The daily mobility will increase. • Urban sprawl that will cause the urbanization of all the territory affected by TGV lines. • Fast development of some sectors (construction, hotels, restoration, commercial). • Negative effect on the services in small cities. • TGV will become a determining factor to locate companies and industries. • Possibility to create a urban system among Girona, Figueres and Perpignan within the Catalan Eurodistrict. • Sharing of services between these 3 cities. THE FUTURE. 2ND SCENARIO: TGV IS NOT USED. • Determining factors: • People think that the price of the TGV tickets is too expensive. • Fuel price doesn’t increase. • Schedule’s combination is poorly planned. • Language is an obstacle between north and south regions and restrains cooperation. • Local actors don’t apply the good strategies and the Catalan Eurodistrict is not created. • People from big cities don’t move to medium cities with TGV stations. • Transportation by lorry keeps having more benefits. THE FUTURE. 2ND SCENARIO: TGV IS NOT USED. • The TGV is expensive and people don’t get used to it. People keep using road transports to travel. • TGV hasn’t an effect on the daily mobility. People only take it to travel on holidays. • The expectations on small cities don’t become real and there are a lot of failed construction projects. • TGV don’t contribute to the development of small cities. • TGV has no impact on the location of companies and industries. • The facilities that brings the transportation by lorries and the kind of products they transport don’t allow the TGV to replace them. • Influence of French and Spanish governments against the creation of the Catalan Eurodistrict stops this project. • With the connection with Lyon and Paris, the French influence over Perpignan increases. THE FUTURE. OTHER SCENARIOS. • Determining factors: • Influences of local, regional (Sp, Fr), European and global politics. • Role of the local actors on the development of strategies to take advantage of the opportunities that the TGV brings. • Difference between the cost of travelling by TGV or by car. • Importance of the language and cultural differences. INTERVIEWS CONCLUSIONS • How road and train network has evolved after second World War? • Network connection in border area was develop • Comunications have been developped in a north-south direction, not east-west • How land use has changed and affect on landscape? • No significant change in land use • Short term influence on landscape • Future of transportation in border region? • The future depends on the local, regional and global actors. • People has to take advantatge of the oportunities that the TGV brings..