We are proud to guest-edit this special issue of the Journal of Geographical Systems
that honors Professor Geoffrey J. D. Hewings for his prominent contributions to the
field of spatial economic analysis. The special issue contains a selection of
outstanding papers presented at the 12th EU-REAL Workshop, held at the
Universidad Auto´noma de Madrid in August–September 2015. This selection
addresses major concerns and research directions in spatial economic analysis that
Hewings proposed during his academic career. It also reflects his unquestionably
central role in the scientific community that specializes in ‘‘regional science’’ at the
intersection of economics and geography, in particular related to economic
geography, urban economics, and rural economics, with emphasis on structural
analysis and input–output analysis (Mesnard 2003).
The 1980s was a very productive decade in Hewings’ scholarship and the
beginning of fruitful co-production with other scholars. This activity culminated in
January 1989, a turning point in Hewings’ professional life, when, with Philip
Israilevich of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, he co-founded the Regional
Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL), a research center in regional science.
This nonprofit laboratory was created to focus on the development and use of
analytical models for urban and regional economic development. REAL may be
viewed as Hewings’ dearest achievement.
Since its foundation, REAL has hosted numerous Ph.D. students and visiting
scholars from around the world, with the enthusiastic advising and support of its
director. The great majority of the students not only work as academics
internationally but also continue to collaborate with REAL. Hewings’ intensive
and extensive research collaboration with many researchers on a wide variety of

• Introduction: In honor of Geoffrey Hewings