Declive demográfico y dinamismo turístico: análisis del discurso en torno a la contracción urbana en Oporto / Demographic decline and tourist dynamism: analysis of the discourse regarding urban shrinkage in Porto

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2018

Authors

Alberto Rodríguez Barcón (Author) FEUP; Sílvia Sousa (Author) FEUP

Book

Title: Los contenidos de humanidades como lectura multidisciplinar

Pages: 309-324

ISBN: 978-84-17690-22-9

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Social sciences ; Humanities

FOS: Social sciences ; Humanities

Associated Projects

3S-RECIPE - Soluções de contração inteligente - promovendo a resiliência nas periferias das cidades Europeias

Other information

Abstract (EN): In the present research we analyse the phenomenon of urban shrinkage in the city of Porto (Portugal) based on the realization of almost twenty interviews to prominent stakeholders of the city belonging to the political, business and academic scope. We mainly focus on the perception of urban shrinkage in relation to other socio-spatial phenomena. In particular, the way in which the loss of resident population are related to processes such as tourism, gentrification, urban regeneration processes, real-estate market dynamic or the transformation of the local commerce. Analysing the interviews, we can highlight the existence of a homogeneous discourse around the urban shrinkage in relation to these phenomena. This discourse is based on the consideration that the loss of residents is compensated, in social and economic terms, by the drastic increase of “city’s users” (tourists, commuters and gentrifying groups). However, we suggest, as main research hypothesis, that the “city’s users” really mask the true dimension of the urban shrinkage in Porto and that this supposed compensation is used, from a discursive and ideological point of view, in order to legitimize and justify an increase in the already evident processes of touristification and gentrification in the city.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 16