Commerce and the European City Center: Modernization, Regeneration and Management

Abstract

The Second European Congress on Commerce and City was held in Lille between 15 and 17 November 2000. It was organized by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry under the umbrella of the French Presidency of the European Union. Its major aim was to discuss how, and under what conditions, the evolution of commerce in Europe can contribute to the renaissance of European cities. The congress included plenary sessions, the presentation of two major studies on commerce and urban regenerationin Europe, three guided study tours, and the discussion of 25 European best practices aggregated into four thematic workshops: city strategies, enterprise strategies, public-private cooperation, and urban planning tools and programmes. This paper identi es those best practices, highlights some of the discussed issues, and presents a synthesis of the congress's declaration.

Shops with a history and public policy

“…Shopping centres are often planned to anchor new developments, but the importance of retail increased when it acquired a prominent role in the regeneration of brownfields or waterfronts and in the revitalisation of downtown districts (Balsas 2001;Guy 2007; D'Alessandro and Salaris 2011; Wrigley and Dolega 2011;Parker et al 2016;Tselios, Lambiri and Dolega 2018). In Lisbon, the important regeneration of the eastern waterfront has a shopping centre in a central location.…”

Urban Regeneration Economics: The Case of Lisbon's Old Downtown

“…The progressive deterioration of the old urban centers has been worsening and creating new social and economic problems. Therefore, more and more European cities are pursuing urban redevelopment projects in different areas of public intervention aimed at attracting people back into the city (Bianchini, 1999;Law, 2000;Balsas, 2001Balsas, , 2004. Major urban renewal projects in urban central areas are justified by the public interest in restoring deteriorated architectural heritage (Couch et al, 2002).…”