Recent years have witnessed growing interest in studying the spatial distribution of cultural and creative industries (CCI), both for their contribution to economic development and for their impact on spatial planning and remodeling of urban structure. However, spatial interdependence and diffusion of agglomeration economies have not been explained enough so far, due to the use of aggregate spatial units. This paper examines CCI sector location patterns in Spain from a spatial–temporal perspective, using micro-geographic data and considering a new and hitherto unused territorial unit, districts, an intermediate demarcation between municipalities and provinces or regions. We used a geographic information system (GIS) analysis and spatial econometric techniques to study territorial distribution and spatial dependences. Results show that CCI are mainly concentrated in metropolitan areas, with spillover effects in adjacent districts, reflecting a non-contemporary spatial dependence process, whilst large territories are devoid of these effects. This reveals a new source of regional disparities, as CCI seems to follow technology gap models, triggering greater and more intense spatial imbalances wherever it appears. Policy implications regarding accountability resources and institutional coordination must be deduced.
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