El potencial para el desarrollo inteligente de las áreas rurales. Los clústeres espaciales de actividades creativas en España

Abstract

The creative activities, particularly the so-called "functional creations", are internationally recognized as instruments of territorial smart growth. Assuming that the feasibility of the strategy in small towns and rural areas increases when there are clusters of creative activities, we have applied geostatistical techniques to detect spatial clusters or groups of neighboring municipalities within which the creative firms can generate or, at least, emulate the interrelations and benefits typical of large urban clusters. In an unusually extensive study area and maintaining a high level of resolution, 115 creative clusters have been identified, 75% of which appear being specialized enough as to improve the com-petitivity and dynamism of the territory. The results seem to support the viability of smart growth strategies in the areas studied and the recommendation that local development policies should incorporate them taking advantage of the growing presence of creative activities in rural areas.