Implicaciones morfológicas, sociales y funcionales del sector logístico en ciudades pequeñas bajo influencia metropolitana: el caso de Illescas

In recent decades, metropolitan areas have consolidated their position as facilitators and drivers of the globalisation of exchanges and the management of complex supply chains, thus becoming the main receptacles for activities linked to the logistics sector. However, there is still little knowledge about the morphological, social and functional changes that this economic activity generates in cities of different sizes in metropolitan areas. In this paper, and through the analysis of the case of Illescas, a small city that forms part of the metropolitan area of Madrid, two issues are explored: the role of the logistics function as a generator of a new urban morphology and its effects on the economic, social, environmental and territorial levels. The results of the research confirm two facts. There is a process of city-logistics co-evolution whereby the logistics function is not only accommodating the existing physical reality, but is also generating a new characteristic urban space and landscape: the logistics spaces. In addition to business and organisational innovations in logistics activity, coordination between public policies in cities must play a more important role if we truly want to respond to the socio-economic, environmental and territorial conflicts and imbalances that derive from this economic activity.