Abstract
Urban commercial models decided during the last decades by the shopping centers and malls. The global economic recession sustained since the second decade of the twenty-first century has put in crisis these criteria. Urban culture had not gotten to eliminate the traditional commercial models and the culture of public space. At present, interest in the commercial potential of urban public space has reappeared through various forms of action. Some of these are a direct extrapolation of the strategy of shopping centers exported now to public space. This research realizes an observation of these practices, investigating in its social response and in its urban impact. As a main conclusion, the recovered relationship between public space and commercial activity can be positive, provided that the second one is subordinated to the first one, and not the other way around.
Keywords:
Shopping Malls; Public Space; Marketplaces; Urban Models; Contemporary Society