Gardens and garden patterns in housing developments on the coast of Alicante

Abstract

The garden is, next to the pools, the two outside elements of houses that have acquired a wider divulging in extensive urban models. This diffuseness has been associated with the enlargement of urban typologies that are looking for less dense and congested urban areas and the proliferation of tourist & housing development typologies in coastal areas. On the coast of Alicante, private gardens are associated with housing development that has been configured since the 1960 as a result of the expansion of tourism activities related with sun and beach. The aim of this research is to know the main features of gardens and landscaping patterns that decide the choice of one or another type of garden (Atlantic or Mediterranean). Deepening the knowledge of cultural, social, economic or environmental factors that explain the choice of a type of garden and the species that constitute it is a priority to determine possible environmental impacts, as, for example, water demands in the future.