Shopping centres and urban dynamics in the Spanish metropolitan context. Case study

Most of the population in Spain lives and works in cities. However, the data regarding daily-life mobility shows features of the housing and labour markets that go beyond the municipal level. This is an indicator of shared inter-city dynamics that promote displacement while an unprecedented demand on infrastructure and facilities is created. Metropolitan areas are supra-urban realities, which are homogeneous from a formal and functional point of view and need to be identified. Moreover, an in-depth analysis is required to study the attitudes of the different figures that contribute to the complexity of these areas. There are various hubs of activity that foster and boost mobility on a metropolitan scale. These include retail parks that have become prominent in the context of metropolitan cities in the 21st Century Spain. The purpose of this article is to discuss this reality, and to analyse the interaction between retail parks and potential urban agglomerations. The latter can be affected by the creation of retail parks, which promote new urban developments. The thought-provoking proposal and outcome presented in this article are also studied in the context of a long-term project that involves diverse disciplines and institutions associated with a sustainable city model.