CONSUMPTION OF ADVANCED INTERNET SERVICES IN URBAN AREAS:

A CASE STUDY OF MADRID

IGU Canterbury MeetingUrban Geography Commission

Emerging Urban TransformationsCanterbury Christ Church University 

August 14-20, 2011

Rubén Camilo Lois GonzálezFrancisco José Armas Quintá

José Carlos Macía Arce

Research Group Territorial Analysis (ANTE)University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

INTRODUCTION

With Internet, the classic concept of physical territory and distance has been replaced by the instantaneous transmission of information

In this context, ICT has led global cities to concentrate a large percentage of the wealth and power

Enterprises find in this new Net a new way to promote their products 

OBJECTIVES

The City of Madrid has consolidated itself as a major European urban reference.

The use of these advanced Internet services by citizens and business is not equally distributed throughout the urban spaces.

Contrasts between central cities and their immediate periphery

MADRID, METROPOLITAN AREA

SOME DATES

  

Statistical areas (NUTS 4)Madrid

(municipality)Metropolitan

NorthMetropolitan

EastMetropolitan

SouthMetropolitan

West

Total population (2010)

3,273,049 312,351 633,746 1,275,386 460,837

Foreigner people (2009)

21.5 18.4 24.6 18.8 16.6

GDP per cápita (2007)38,539 49,965 23,385 18,544 30,072

Population with elementary education or lower (2001)

29.2 23.0 30.3 32.9 14.8

Population employed in services sector (2001)

81.3 74.6 67.0 68.6 81.0

MADRID, METROPOLITAN AREA

METHODOLOGICAL NOTES

Data from the National Institute of Statistics and the Statistical Institute of the Community of Madrid

We used the NUTS4 regional division of the European Statistics Office. 

Two indices have been developed

IPi measures the propensity of the population to use the Internet 

ASi, measures the intensity in the use of advanced Internet services

ADVANCED INTERNET USERS

Internet access in Spain draws up the rear in Europe, less than 60% of the population (2009)

In our opinion Spain has two types of digital divide, a digital divide in access and a digital divide in Internet services

The digital divide in access separates those citizens who are  and those who are not Internet users

The digital divide n Internet services separates basic users of advanced users

ADVANCED INTERNET USERS IN MADRID

We found substantial differences in the number of Internet users in Madrid

The smaller municipalities of less than 100,000 inhabitants show the highest values for Internet users

This indicator is directly related to per capita income, the population's level of education and the proportion of the population employed in the service sector

ADVANCED INTERNET USERS IN MADRID

Basic services on the Internet, most people use them regardless of where they live, income, etc.

In the consumption of advanced Internet services, regional differences were found

Internet users living in smaller urban areas, corresponding to the northern and western metropolitan areas have much greater use of advanced network services

CONSUMPTION OF ADVANCED INTERNET SERVICES IN MADRID

TENDENCY INTERNET USE IN MADRID

Statistical areas (NUTS4)

Madrid (municipality)

Metropolitan North

Metropolitan East

Metropolitan South

Metropolitan West

IPi 0.63 0.65 0.61 0.60 0.68

INTENSITY OF USE OF ADVANCED INTERNET SERVICES

IN MADRID

More than 500,000 inhab.

From 100,000 to 500,000 inhab.

Fewer than 100,000 inhab.

ASi 0.60 0.65 0.66

ADVANCED INTERNET SERVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE SECTOR

Almost all have computers and broadband Internet connections

The highest values were registered in the companies in northern and western metropolitan areas; the lowest were in the southern and eastern

These differences were also detected in terms of company size and sector, with higher values being in large companies and the service sector

ENTERPRISES WITH WEBPAGE

Source: Own elaboration from Institute of Statistics of the Community of Madrid, 2010

COMPANIES THAT SELL ON INTERNET

Source: Own elaboration from Institute of Statistics of the Community of Madrid, 2010

E-COMMERCE SALES OVER TOTAL SALES

Source: Own elaboration from Institute of Statistics of the Community of Madrid, 2010

CONCLUSIONS

Considerable spatial differentiation in the use of advanced Internet services

The northern and western metropolitan areas register a higher proportion of network users and more users make use of advanced Internet services

These regions have the highest per capita incomes in the metropolitan area, as well as a higher level of education

In the enterprise sector the same trend is repeated