Abstract
This article analyses recent trends in coastal urban growth, mainly prompted by tourism in its various forms, experienced along the Spanish Mediterranean coasts and the Canary Islands, with a special focus on the Balearic Islands. The article seeks to measure and compare the differential rates of urban growth between island and continental coasts during the period 1990-2006, coinciding with the latest major economic growth cycle in Southwestern Europe, and where real estate and tourism activities have played a central role. The results suggest that the degree of urbanization in island coastal regions analysed is lower than that of mainland coastal regions.