Retail closures and urban regeneration: demalling in Piedmont

Abstract

The work examines "Commercial dismissals and urban regeneration: demalling in Piedmont", linking the territorial dimension with the relevant economic and institutional aspects. The commercial disposal is therefore a phenomenon that pushes to reflect on how to confront the large abandoned sales surfaces, assuming strategic addresses for the redevelopment of the building and, more generally, of urban regeneration. At the beginning of the new millennium, the present article is an extract of Maria Sergio’s thesis work “Demalling and regeneration: good practices and perspectives of requalification in Piedmont” discussed in 2016 at the Politecnico di Torino under the supervision of Professor Grazia Brunetta. Considering the multiplicity of the commercial offer and the projects for new settlements often programmed too close to existing poles (Brunetta and Morandi, 2009), the Turin metropolitan area is undoubtedly one of the most at risk of commercial dismissal. In summary, it would be appropriate to start working on demalling by recognizing in commercial dismissal an element of opportunity for new and more current urban metabolisms involving contemporary spaces of production and sale.

Keywords

urban economy; urban regeneration; Italy; environment; Europe; Local authorities

JEL codes

R58; R11; R14