Centrality and money can be in parallel. The analysis of the GDP data for the Madrid region in 2004 and 2009 (a provisional result in the second case) show that between both years the aggregate value for the region rised over 25%. We must still see what the figure will be at the end of the current crisis, but anyway it is interesting to see the spatial share of that revenue by census block. To get a fast idea on that, when you sort the census blocks with the higher GDP, in 2004 the highest figure was that of the large concentration of offices and retail in Arroyo de la Vega, Alcobendas, just north of the new Telefonica headquarters. The 20 first census blocks (of some 4.000) concentrated an 18% of the Regional GDP, and 16 of these census blocks were in the Madrid municipality.

In 2009 the first 20 census blocks add up about 18% of the regional GDP, but only 13 are on the Madrid municipality. The sprawl trend is clear. Anyway, the area inside the M-30 beltway concentrated about a third of the aggregate regional GDP, with small variation when compared overall to 2004.