en] From gentrification to touristification: the city as a showcase

Abstract

This work studies the transformation of the Russafa neighbourhood over two decades, exploring the articulation between commercial and residential gentrification and touristification. Using a mixed methodology that combines spatial analysis, socio-economic data and fieldwork, changes in the property market are mapped and the evolution of the commercial fabric is reconstructed through direct observation, inventory, photographic records and the use of Google Street View. Statistical sources (Idealista, INE, Municipal Statistics Office of the City Council of Valencia, Airbnb) allow us to quantify a sharp increase in housing prices, the social homogenisation of the neighbourhood and the concentration of tourist accommodation in specific areas. The results show how “revitalisation” policies and urban branding strategies drive up the value of the neighbourhood, encouraging the arrival of new residents with greater purchasing power and the expansion of tourist rentals, at the expense of traditional residents and local businesses. In short, Russafa exemplifies how the contemporary city is being reconfigured as a space increasingly oriented towards consumption and profitability, reopening the fundamental question of for whom is the city.