Sara LARRABURE, Centre of Geographical Studies, IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Eduardo BRITO-HENRIQUES, Centre of Geographical Studies, IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Franz BUHR, Centre of Geographical Studies, IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Agustín COCOLA-GANT, Centre of Geographical Studies, IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Urban literature has not fully explored the commercial transformations resulting from gentrification processes. This study reflects on the fragility of a strictly quantitative analysis of these changes and suggests a new way of looking at them. Lisbon has recently become a transnational hub attracting various types of mobile populations, such as urban tourists, international students, digital nomads, international investors and different types of lifestyle migrants. The present study explores trends over the last 14 years in the commercial dynamics arising from the presence of a growing transient population and temporary users of the Misericórdia civil parish, in the city’s historic center. More specifically, we compare the functional survey carried out in 2021 by the authors with the municipal survey carried out in 2007. The results point to a progression of activities around cultural niches that support the experiences and ways of life of the new transient residents, creating a complex process to be analyzed. The transformation of local commerce does not only involve replacing one category of commerce by another, but also comprehends profound changes in the logic of activities, including the visual identity, the language used, and the type of products sold. From this perspective, this study proposes to identify topics to be analyzed in order to contribute to a holistic analysis of commercial changes arising from gentrification. Through qualitative analysis, the introduction of new commercial forms and the consequent change in the socioeconomic frequency were verified in the study area, leading to the construction of a new urban space identity. We have found that while new mobile populations tend to frequent the modern concept stores, less privileged and relatively immobile residents see their old go-to proximity shops become scarce, creating so-called ‘parallel worlds’ of commercial spatial patterns.
Mots clés : commercial gentrification|local dynamics|urban identity|urban tourism|Lisbon
A104315SL