Elisa CONSOLANDI, University of Bergamo, Italy
The social science literature is particularly interested in the urban phenomenon and in the transformations that have taken place over the years. This has led to the identification of a new conception of the city, which is based on a complex structure characterized by the presence of nodes that – in a multicentric perspective – are configured as strong attractors, connectors, and diffusers (Lussault, 2013). This urban configuration leads to the generation of new public spaces, generally understood as accessible locations, capable of including different individual practices, as well as the functions of an urban society as a whole (Lévy, Lussault, 2003). Although reasoning on public spaces can raise many difficulties and lead to an ambiguity of the object of study, the analyses advanced in Geography consider these spatial typologies not only from a physical and material point of view, but especially under a relational profile (Berdoulay, 1997).
Assuming this framework, the contribution focuses on the role of shopping malls as urban space products, since – over time – these structures have contributed to the definition of contemporary urban contexts. In this perspective, the co-presence of individuals and the intensity of connections (material and immaterial) identified in these places can be compared to those perceived in urban public spaces. Indeed, starting from the early 1990s, shopping centers have undergone profound changes, developing both through an increase in size and a diversification of commercial attractors (Cirelli et al., 2021). This has led to a growing complexity of these structures, which have been the protagonists of territorial transformations (Finocchiaro, 2008): as a matter of fact, the (increasingly numerous) inhabitants go into shopping centers not only in order to make purchases, but also for other functions and different practices possible in these places. Therefore, shopping malls seem to have subverted the notion and forms of public space.
Mots clés : shopping mall|public space|urban geography|contemporary city
A105500EC