L'Alt Penedès : territori i societat

The article presents an outline of the Alt Penedès from a number of different viewpoints. On the basis of an overview of different attempts at regionalisation, the author notes that the concept of «Alt Penedès» did not emerge until 1932, and that the present administrative division of the Penedès into three units, Alt Penedès, Baix Penedès and Garraf dates no further back than 1987. From the points of view of territory and landscape, a distinction is made between mountainous areas, vineyards and urban-industrial land. A study of demographic evolution reveals that since 1975 the region has maintained moderate population growth that ensures a stability common to most areas in Catalonia that either did not grow or grew very little during the «population boom» between 1950 and 1975. As regards the relationship between population and space, two important factors emerge: in the first place, the increase in labour mobility outside the region’s municipalities. Secondly, the phenomenon of the «temporary population», that is, the number of visitors who either occupy second homes or else are recreation or culture consumers. Finally, regarding the region’s relations with the rest of Catalonia, the author presents an overview of the arguments that, in terms of regional planning and geography, have characterised spatial interpretations of the Alt Penedès.