Rural Landscapes—Challenges and Solutions to Landscape Governance

A New Spatial Criteria Method to Delimit Rural Settlements towards Boundaries Equity: Land Use Optimization for Decision Making in Galicia, NW Spain

Rural settlements (RS) are a reality of rural areas. They consist of cluster of buildings and ways of life mainly associated with activities related to agriculture. As economic policies applied in rural development have evolved, the physical delimitation of rural areas has become more important because such areas are recipients of financial support, which depends on an area’s characteristics. Thus, it is necessary to formulate a new spatial approach for RS delimitation. The objective of this study is to define spatial criteria for identification and delimitation of the RS to recognize the morphological context of each RS. With respect to methodology, RS in the community of Galicia, Northwestern Spain were studied, and factors for spatial characterization were defined according to experts’ evaluations. Subsequently, spatial restrictions and conditions were identified for the delimitation of boundaries. The criteria that this research proposes reveal numerically adjustable factors that can recognize and interpret the morphological characteristics of each RS, which is also evidenced by the results of RS delimitations. It can be concluded that the numerically defined criteria associated with a spatial operation allow the adaptation to the morphological characteristics of any RS, as well as spatial equity by recognizing the differentiation of building structures and land uses of each RS, rather unlike the criteria defined by the law.