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The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the City, Retail, and Consumption
Daniel Paiva (Edited by), Paiva (Author), Pedro Guimaraes (Edited by)
9781394278626, Wiley
Hardback, published 27 February 2026
672 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.9 cm, 0.992 kg
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: 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.
List of Contributors xviii 1 Introduction 1 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 ‘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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 34 Afterword: Focus on Challenges and Adaptations 609 Introduction 609 Places 610 People 612 Empowered Consumers 612 Leading Actors 613 Perspectives 614 References 616 Index 617
Daniel Paiva and Pedro Guimarães
Mattias Kärrholm
Chloe Steadman
Waldemar Cudny
Fujie Rao, Weiting Qin, and Yiwen Liu
Maria Gravari- Barbas, Chensi Shen, Yue Lu, and Sandra Guinand
Jacob C. Miller
José Gasca Zamora
Cláudio Smalley Soares Pereira
Daniel Paiva
Liliana De Simone
Hossam Hewidy and Johanna Lilius
Zhixi Cecilia Zhuang
Kelly Gregg
Marcia Alves Soares da Silva and Diogo Marcelo Delben Ferreira de Lima
Sandi Abram and Nathan Siegrist
‘For me, the most important place in the city is Metelkova’: Official Discourses on Designing Atmospheres in Metelkova 294
Nicola Di Croce
Carlos Diogo Gomes
Sina Hardaker and Han Chu
Daniela Ferreira
Pedro Guimarães and Nuno Rodrigues
Julie Horáková and Outi Uusitalo
Maciej Główczyński
Jack Lowe
Herculano Cachinho
Gary Warnaby and Steve Millington
Libera D’Alessandro and Rosario Sommella
Diogo Gaspar Silva and Kevin Ward
Leigh Sparks
Patricia Olivera
Lluís Frago and Alejandro Morcuende
Göktuğ Morçöl, Michele Tantardini, and Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan
Sharon Zukin
Teresa Barata- Salgueiro
Subject Areas: Geography [RG]
