TY - JOUR
T1 - Retail shops and pedestrian areas: Evolution and adaptation in the coastal city of Malgrat de Mar (Barcelona)
AU - López, Meritxell Simó
AU - Casellas, Antònia
AU - Avellaneda, Pau
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - © 2018 Universidad Compultense Madrid. All rights reserved. The disappearance of traditional downtown shops is one of the main problems affecting urban areas in the twenty-first century. This paper analyzes the evolution of mom and pop stores linking it to the effects of implementing new pedestrian paths and changes in the economic cycle in Malgrat de Mar, a coastal city in Barcelona province. With a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and the analysis of socio-economic data and urban planning documents, the paper analyses the factors influencing the closure of stores and the changes on business during the period 2007-2015. The results indicate that, contrary to the local population´s general opinion, urban rehabilitation and pedestrian strategies driven by the City Council have helped to maintain the viability of retail. Other positive factors include the adaptation and specialization of businesses to new consumer preferences.
AB - © 2018 Universidad Compultense Madrid. All rights reserved. The disappearance of traditional downtown shops is one of the main problems affecting urban areas in the twenty-first century. This paper analyzes the evolution of mom and pop stores linking it to the effects of implementing new pedestrian paths and changes in the economic cycle in Malgrat de Mar, a coastal city in Barcelona province. With a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and the analysis of socio-economic data and urban planning documents, the paper analyses the factors influencing the closure of stores and the changes on business during the period 2007-2015. The results indicate that, contrary to the local population´s general opinion, urban rehabilitation and pedestrian strategies driven by the City Council have helped to maintain the viability of retail. Other positive factors include the adaptation and specialization of businesses to new consumer preferences.
KW - Coastal cities
KW - Downtown retail
KW - Economic revitalization
KW - Pedestrian areas
U2 - https://doi.org/10.5209/AGUC.60476
DO - https://doi.org/10.5209/AGUC.60476
M3 - Article
VL - 38
SP - 219
EP - 238
JO - Anales de Geografia de la Universidad Complutense
JF - Anales de Geografia de la Universidad Complutense
SN - 0211-9803
IS - 1
ER -