Description
A comprehensive analysis of urban retail and consumption transformations across diverse global and under-represented contexts
In an era defined by rapid urbanization, technological innovation, and shifting consumption patterns, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the City, Retail and Consumption is an essential reference for scholars and practitioners alike. Thirty-four chapters by an international panel of experts address the critical need for a comprehensive, global perspective on the evolving relationship between urban life, retail formats, and consumption practices. The contributing authors trace the transformative impact of post-industrial and post-pandemic contexts on consumption districts, shopping malls, and public squares while highlighting the social, cultural, and environmental factors that underpin contemporary retail landscapes.
Moving beyond descriptive analysis, the Companion delves into the digitalization of urban retail and its ramifications for consumer behavior and placemaking. It examines omnichannel strategies, platform economies, and emerging phygital experiences that redefine how city dwellers shop, as well as the governance models shaping the future of shopping districts worldwide. The volume incorporates under represented regions from Asia, Latin America, and beyond—ensuring readers gain a truly inclusive understanding of urban retail dynamics.
A foundational text that illuminates current debates and charts promising avenues for future research, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the City, Retail and Consumption:
- Presents an interdisciplinary framework combining geography, architecture, sociology, marketing, and urban planning perspectives
- Analyzes the digitalization of retail, including omnichannel strategies, platform economies, and phygital experiences
- Explores evolving consumption practices through the lenses of class, gender, ethnicity, and sensory experience
- Investigates novel governance models for urban shopping districts and their policy implications
- Integrates cutting-edge methods and detailed case studies to inform both scholarship and practice
Balancing theoretical rigor with practical insights, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the City, Retail and Consumption is indispensable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduate students, and researchers in geography, architecture, urbanism, marketing, management, and sociology. It is an ideal textbook for Urban Geography, Retail Geography, Sociology of Consumption, and Sustainable Urban Design courses and serves as an invaluable reference for urban planners, retail consultants, and policy advisors.
Table of Contents
List of Contributors xviii
1 Introduction 1
Daniel Paiva and Pedro Guimarães
Introduction 1
Changing Contemporary Retail Landscapes 2
Changing Consumption Practices 4
The Digitalization of Urban Retail and Consumption 6
The Governance of Urban Consumption Spaces 8
The Contents of this Companion 9
References 13
Part 1 New Readings on Contemporary Retail Landscapes 17
2 The Recent Transformation of Central Squares: On the Interrelation Between Retail, Recreation and Mobility 19
Mattias Kärrholm
From Market Squares to Parking 20
Pedestrianization, Public Transport, and Entertaining the Crowds 22
On Recent Transformations 25
References 29
3 Towards a Research Agenda for High Street Atmospheres 32
Chloe Steadman
Introduction 32
Experiencing the High Street 33
Sensory Experience 33
Customer Journeys 34
Atmospheres of High Street Attractions 35
Retail and Service Outlets 36
Markets 38
Urban Squares 39
Events 40
A Research Agenda for High Street Atmospheres 41
How to Measure High Street Atmospheres 41
How to Boost High Street Atmospheres 43
How Policy Influences High Street Atmospheres 44
Conclusions 45
References 46
4 Eventification and Urban Branding 52
Waldemar Cudny
Introduction 52
Place Marketing: A Neoliberal Approach to Urban Management 53
City Branding as a Policy 55
Events and Eventification 57
Events 57
Eventification 60
Event-driven City Branding: A Case for Eventification 62
Conclusions 67
References 69
5 Reinventing Shanghai’s Shopping Centers in the Post- Covid Digital Era: A Tale of Creative Destruction 74
Fujie Rao, Weiting Qin, and Yiwen Liu
Desires 76
The Proliferation of Shopping Centers 77
The Surge of Online Retailing 79
Adaptations 80
Reconfiguration of Brick-and-mortar Retailing 81
Expansion of Online Retailing into the Physical Space 83
Trends 85
Creative Reinvention 86
Destruction to Sustainable Urban Transitions 87
What’s Next? 88
Acknowledgements 89
References 89
6 ‘Consuming Heritage’ in Tianjin’s Former International Concessions: Leisure, Tourism, and Experiential Shopping, Between the Local and the Global 92
Maria Gravari- Barbas, Chensi Shen, Yue Lu, and Sandra Guinand
Introduction 92
Retail and the Commodification of Culture 94
Geographical Imaginaries 94
Exoticism and Authenticity in Tourist and Commercial Settings 94
Commodification of Culture and Retail 96
Consuming Hybrid and Exotic Products in Former Concessions 96
Heritage, Creativity, and Experiential Shopping in Wudadao, Tianjin 97
Wudadao, a Part of the Former English Concession in Tianjin 97
Wudadao as the Theatre of Creative Commerce in a (Reinvented) Heritage Context 98
Selling Hybrid Exoticism in Wudadao 100
Wudadao, the Former British Concession, an Exotic Heterotopia for Consumption 101
Setting Up an Exotic Stage: Travelling Around Utopia World in the Former Concession 102
A Blended Cultural Representation: Middle Class with Global Consumption Tastes 105
A Social Media-Triggered Local Turn: The Combination of Local Characteristics and Exotic Imaginations 107
Conclusion 109
References 110
7 Retail Ruins, Revisited 114
Jacob C. Miller
Introduction 114
Retail Ruins 115
Ruin Atmospheres and Dead Malls 118
Ruination, and Then What? 122
Community-led Development and Radical Approaches 124
Observing and Photographing Retail Ruins 126
Conclusion 130
References 131
8 Key Actors and Factors in the Evolution and Diversification of Shopping Malls in Mexico City 135
José Gasca Zamora
Introduction 135
Actors and Drivers of Shopping Mall Diversification 136
Developers and Financiers 139
Diversification of Content, Function, and Morphology 143
Big Boxes with Anchor Department Stores 143
Retail Complexes and New Leisure-entertainment Options 145
Multi-scale and Multi-functional Models with High Leisure and Entertainment Content 146
Conclusions 151
References 152
9 The Production of Space and Sociospatial Fragmentation of Consumption Places 155
Cláudio Smalley Soares Pereira
Introduction 155
Production of Space and Urbanization According to Henri Lefebvre 156
Sociospatial Fragmentation and Consumption Based on the Production of Space 159
Sociospatial Fragmentation and Consumption as a New Urban Condition in Latin America 164
Final Considerations 170
Acknowledgements 171
References 172
Part 2 New Perspectives on Changing Consumption Practices 175
10 Urban Consumption, Inequality, and Social Conflict 177
Daniel Paiva
Introduction 177
Consumption and the Urban Structure 178
Consumption and Urban Transformation 180
Social Consequences of the Consumption-oriented City 182
Consumption and Conflict 184
Conflict as an Object of Consumption 185
Conclusion 187
References 188
11 Retail, Consumption, and Gender 193
Liliana De Simone
Introduction 193
Gender in the City 194
The Sexual Division of the Public Sphere 195
Consumer Activities in a Gendered Environment: A Historical Perspective 196
Women and Modern Consumption 199
The Department Store and the Invention of the Shopping Day 200
To See and to Be Seen at the Supermarket 202
The Shopping Mall as a Safe Space for Female Consumers and Caregivers 203
Consumption as an Empowering and Emancipatory Act 205
Conclusions on Intersectionality, Retail, and the City 208
References 209
12 Ethnic Retail Clusters in Helsinki: From Ethnification of Poverty to Socio- Economic Resilience 212
Hossam Hewidy and Johanna Lilius
Introduction 212
Ethnic Retail Cluster: A Sign of Resilience? 214
Strip Malls and Competition 215
Authenticity, Retail, and Place Making 217
Retail Gentrification and Spatial Justice 220
Conclusion: Socio-Economic Resilience Amidst Gentrification Threats 221
References 223
13 Beyond Bricks and Mortar: The Evolving Neighbourhood Commercial Landscape in Toronto 229
Zhixi Cecilia Zhuang
Introduction 229
The Past: Major Character and Historical Changes of Toronto’s Commercial Landscape 231
The Present: Retaining Neighbourhood Commercial Spaces 234
BIAs as Place-makers 235
Creating New Commercial Spaces via Public-Private Partnership and Social Enterprise 236
Community Development Initiatives 238
The Future of Neighbourhood Retailing: Emerging Trends, Innovations, and Strategies 239
Conclusion 243
Acknowledgements 245
References 245
14 Consuming an Urban Experience – Contemporary Applications of Pedestrianization and Public Space 248
Kelly Gregg
Introduction 248
Contemporary Ideas and Expectations for – Public Space, Social Connections, Urban Life, and Pedestrian Streets 249
Twentieth-century Ideas and Expectations for Pedestrianization 252
Contemporary Pedestrianization an Array of Example Cases 254
Space of Urban Vitality, Regeneration, and Gentrification – The Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn, NY 254
Spaces of Tactical Experimentation, Climate Change Adaptation, Residential Individualization, and Traffic Limitation –Shared Streets and Green Streets in Antwerp, Belgium 256
Spaces of Local Retail, Neighbourhood Identity, and Seasonal Pedestrianization –Summer Pedestrian Streets in Montréal, Canada 258
Conclusion 259
References 261
15 Consumption and Urban Emotions in a Changing Climate 264
Marcia Alves Soares da Silva and Diogo Marcelo Delben Ferreira de Lima
Introduction 264
Emotions and Atmospheres in Experiences of Consuming 266
Atmospheres and Consumption 267
Climatic-Affective Atmospheres: Consumption and Thermal Landscapes 269
The Atmospheric Experience in Cuiabá: Brazil’s Hottest Capital 272
Consumption in Cuiabá’s Atmosphere 274
Conclusion 280
References 281
16 From No- Go to Must- See: Squatting, Touristification, and Fragile Atmospheres in Ljubljana 285
Sandi Abram and Nathan Siegrist
Introduction 285
A Very Brief History of Squatting and New Advances 287
Designing and Staging Atmospheres in Ljubljana 290
‘They don’t accept us because they see us as a hand from the city’: Tourism and Atmospheric Transformations in Metelkova 292
‘For me, the most important place in the city is Metelkova’: Official Discourses on Designing Atmospheres in Metelkova 294
‘This touristification will probably be the end of Metelkova, right?’: Squatters’ Perceptions of the Fragile Atmospheres 296
‘Top concerts, top atmosphere, great people, close to the center, … do not miss it!’: Metelkova, Reviewed 298
Concluding Discussion 300
Acknowledgements 301
References 301
17 Indulgent Sounds. Listening to Sonic Strategies to Foster Consumption Within Entertainment Neighbourhoods 306
Nicola Di Croce
Introduction 306
The Aestheticization of Public Space 307
Sonic Experience in Urban Spaces 308
Contextualizing Montreal’s Entertainment Neighbourhood 309
Listening to and Recording Entertainment 310
How Music Transforms the Everyday Experience of QDS 314
When Music Is ‘turned on’ 314
When Music Is ‘turned off’ 315
Conclusion 316
References 319
18 Commensality, Consumption, and Conviviality: Foodification and Urban Transformation in Funchal 323
Carlos Diogo Gomes
Introduction 323
The Postmodern City – Challenges of Touristification and Foodification 324
Methodology 327
Case Study 329
The Transformation of the Urban and Commercial Landscape in Funchal 330
Urban Context of the Historic Centre 330
Catering, Foodification, and Commensality 333
Conclusion 335
References 337
Part 3 The Digitalization of Urban Retail and Consumption 341
19 Digital Platforms and Retail Digitalization 343
Sina Hardaker and Han Chu
Introduction 343
Digital Platforms and E-Commerce 344
From ‘matchmakers’ to So-called ‘market makers’ – Advantages and Disadvantages 345
Emerging Trend – Social Commerce 347
Transforming Consumer Engagement and Empowering Sellers and Entrepreneurs 348
Digital Platforms Offering Personalized Shopping Experiences 348
The Role of Digital Platforms in Empowering Sellers and Entrepreneurs and Reconfiguring Value Chains 349
Reorganizing Value Chains 349
Influencing Urban Governance and Local Economies 350
Digitalization Deficit Among Traditional Retailers 350
The Impact of Digital Platforms on the Urban Retail Model 351
The Effects of Digital Platforms on Local, Rural, and Cross-border Economies 353
Challenges and Future Directions 355
References 356
20 The Impact of Prosumers on the Platform Economy 362
Daniela Ferreira
Introduction 362
New Era of Engagement and Prosumption 363
Facing the Challenges Posed by Prosumption 366
The Different Intensities of Online Presence 366
Promotional Campaigns and a New Type of Consumer 368
Rankings and Online Visibility 369
Conclusion 372
Acknowledgements 374
References 374
21 Transformations in Retail in the Digital Age: Dark Stores, Brick- and- Mortar Retailers, and Emerging Logistics Dynamics 376
Pedro Guimarães and Nuno Rodrigues
Introduction 376
From Brick-and-mortar to Omnichannel 377
The Rise of E-commerce Platforms 380
Dark Stores 382
Dark Stores in Lisbon 383
Lisbon: Actors and Their Evolution During the Pandemic 383
New Consumption Practices and Their Urban and Social Challenges 385
Conclusions 387
References 388
22 Brick- and- mortar and E- commerce: Places, Links, and Consumer Perspectives 395
Julie Horáková and Outi Uusitalo
Introduction 395
Places and Links in the Urban Landscape 396
Emotional Connections 398
Functional Connections 399
Social Connections 400
Retail Stores in the Online Era 401
Brick-and-Mortar Stores in the Urban Landscape 402
Retail Strips 403
Shopping Malls 404
Power Centres 405
From Brick-and-Mortar to E-commerce 406
Conclusions 407
Acknowledgements 408
References 408
23 Perception and Consumption of Extended Reality (XR) Content in Urban Spaces 413
Maciej Główczyński
Introduction 413
Extended Realities of Smart Cities 414
XR Content Perception and Consumption Through Location-based AR Mobile Games 416
Modes of Interaction with Real World Environments in AR 418
Physical World as Part of the Game Experience 420
A Feeling of Being with Other Players 422
Conclusions 423
Acknowledgements 425
References 425
24 Consuming Place through Location- Based Games 429
Jack Lowe
Introduction 429
Consuming Place Through Digital and Locative Media 430
Research Context: Pokémon GO and The Timekeeper’s Return 433
Pokémon GO 434
The Timekeeper’s Return 435
Place as Data: The Commodification of Specificity 435
Place as Narrative: The Value of Embodied Experience 439
Conclusion 442
References 443
25 Phygitalization: The New Frontier of Neighborhood Retail in the Omnichannel Era 446
Herculano Cachinho
Introduction 446
Physical Retail in the Era of Digitalization: Challenges and Changes 447
Phygitalization: The New Frontier of Retail and Consumer Experiences 451
Liveable Proximity, Digitalization, and Neighborhood Retail 455
Phygitalization: A Pathway to Competitiveness and Resilience of Neighborhood Retail 458
Conclusion 462
References 463
Part 4 The Governance of Urban Consumption Spaces 469
26 Retailing and Place Management 471
Gary Warnaby and Steve Millington
Introduction 471
Town Centre Management (TCM) 473
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) 474
The Place Management-retailing Interplay 478
Discussion: Future Directions in Town/City Centre Development and Management 479
Concluding Comments 482
References 483
27 Retail Policies in Southern European Context 488
Libera D’Alessandro and Rosario Sommella
Introduction 488
Exploring the Retail Planning Debate 490
Europeanization of Retail in Question 493
Retail Planning Policies in Transition: Italy in the Context of Southern Europe 495
The Italian Normative Framework 497
Urban-Commercial Regeneration and Local Retail Planning Policies in Italy 498
Preliminary Lessons from the Italian Case: for a ‘Mediterraneanisation’ of Retail Planning Policies 500
Acknowledgements 502
References 502
28 Leaving the City, Embracing the Nation- State: Rethinking ‘Urban’ Policy Mobilities Through the Example of Business Improvement Districts 506
Diogo Gaspar Silva and Kevin Ward
Introduction 506
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and the Making of Entrepreneurial Urban Policy Futures: A Brief Overview 508
Urban Policy Mobilities: Rendering Urban Policy Futures Intellectually Mobile 510
The Place of the Nation-State in Urban Policy Mobilities: Rethinking Scalar Ontologies Through Business Improvement Districts 513
Conclusion 517
Acknowledgments 519
References 519
29 Food Retailing and Consumption in Urban Areas 525
Leigh Sparks
Introduction 525
Food Retailing Change 526
The Rise of Large Multiple Retailers 527
New Formats and Channels in Food Retailing 529
The Policy Environment 531
Locational Policy, Developments, and Implications 531
Broader Social Policy for Food Retailing 532
Disruptions to Food Retailing 534
Barriers to Movement, e.g. Brexit 535
The COVID-19 Pandemic 535
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and Its Food Supply Consequences 536
Climate Change 537
Consequences, Implications, and the Future of Urban Food Retailing 537
References 539
30 Retail Capital and Urban Tourism Consumption in Mexico 543
Patricia Olivera
Introduction 543
Public Policy in the Expansion of Tourism and the New Tourism Cities 545
Retail and Real Estate Capital Merged 548
Dispersed Resorts, Concentrated Consumption 552
Support Villages 557
Conclusion 560
Acknowledgements 560
References 560
31 Superblock Barcelona: Implications for the City Retail Structure 564
Lluís Frago and Alejandro Morcuende
Introduction 564
Superblock Barcelona as New Urban Era Symptom 567
Retail-less Cities as a New Hypothetical City 568
Urban Planning, Proximity, and Local Retail 570
The Retail Policies in Barcelona, the Superblock, and the Dream of Proximity 571
Barcelona Superblock and Its Relationship with Public Space 572
The Superblock Barcelona and its Relationship with Consumption 573
Conclusion 576
References 577
32 Complexity in Governance of Commercial City Centres 584
Göktuğ Morçöl, Michele Tantardini, and Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan
Introduction: Cities as Complex Systems 584
Complexity Theory in General 585
Complexity in Numbers, Diversity, and Nonlinearity 585
Self-organization and Emergence 586
System Dynamics and Coevolution 587
Implications of Complexity Theory for Urban Theory 587
Complexity of Commercial Areas 589
Place-Based Economy and Markets 590
Multifunctional Urban Centres 591
Models of Trip Attraction to Commercial Areas 592
Applications of Complexity Theory in Studies of Commercial Areas and Public Space 593
Summary, Conclusions, and Policy Implications 595
Summary 595
Conceptual and Analytical Tools to Study the Complexity of Commercial Areas 596
Policy Implications 598
References 599
33 Afterword: The Death of the Urban Marketplace? 604
Sharon Zukin
34 Afterword: Focus on Challenges and Adaptations 609
Teresa Barata- Salgueiro
Introduction 609
Places 610
People 612
Empowered Consumers 612
Leading Actors 613
Perspectives 614
References 616
Index 617
