RETAIL EVOLUTION OF URBAN CENTERS. WHERE ARE WE GOING? A PERMANENT TOURISM

Abstract

Commercial activity and urban centers are two concepts that are directly related. Thus, it has been possible to show how the commercial network in urban centers has evolved because of changes in the dynamics and lifestyle of society. The main objective of this research is to show how the retail landscape has changed and how this transformation has generated live in the streets in the inner urban areas (2010-2023). Preliminary results show an evolution in the retail landscape at two stages, on the one stage, a change and reduction in the type of stores. Food stores and basic needs of the population have moved to the periphery of the urban center, and catering establishments (bars, restaurants, cafes) and services (medical, aesthetics, nails...) have intensified. And in the second stage, at the spatial level, a redistribution of activity within urban centers can be observed. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a process of touristification of the hypercenter due to changes in the establishments that use the local residents.

The methodology used has been the elaboration of commercial censuses of cities in three periods (2010-2017-2023) using different sources; descriptive statistics to calculate the intensity of sectoral transformation, and fieldwork to validate results. This case study will focus on the center of eight medium-sized cities in Catalonia (Spain).