Abstract This paper presents a critical literature review of spatial development perspectives in small island contexts. Despite the great diversity of island situations that can be found in the world, the main goal is to understand the extent to which the special status enjoyed by small islands with regard to development can be extended to include a more spatially based perspective of development. More specifically, by reviewing the scarce information available in the literature on the patterns and challenges of spatial development in small islands, the paper analyses whether the distinctiveness of islands – a condition that usually appears in the literature under the concept of islandness – translates into distinctive patterns of spatial development. Despite the sociocultural and political resilience of islands, the main theoretical findings of the paper suggest that the distinctive meaning of spatial development in small islands appears to be determined by a number of interrelated vulnerabilities, notably the scarcity of land-based resources, the ecological fragility of the natural environments, the smallness of the domestic market, or the need to surmount a water barrier in order to achieve access to the rest of the world.

中文翻译：

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小岛空间发展的独特性

摘要 本文对小岛环境中的空间发展前景进行了批判性文献综述。尽管世界上的岛屿情况千差万别，但主要目标是了解小岛屿在发展方面享有的特殊地位在多大程度上可以扩展到包括更基于空间的发展视角。更具体地说，通过回顾文献中关于小岛屿空间发展模式和挑战的稀缺信息，本文分析了岛屿的独特性——一种通常出现在岛屿性概念下的文献中的条件——是否转化为独特的空间发展模式。尽管岛屿具有社会文化和政治弹性，