While most published studies on the economy of culture present a clear bias in favor of large cities, a significant international bibliography has emerged in recent years that privileges the perspective of medium and small cities. Unfortunately, the case of Spain has been largely overlooked by these analyses; this text is intended to remedy that oversight. To that end, a bibliographic compilation has been undertaken of studies on the cultural economy and cultural development in small and medium Spanish cities, providing a review of the specific literature as contrasted with the international literature. The main conclusions indicate that the Spanish case is similar to that of other western countries. Thus, clear confirmation is found that the effects of agglomeration economies and the so-called metropolitan bias also prevail in Spain, together with dispersion patterns that, to a certain extent, favor particular small and medium cities. Furthermore, even though the literature on the use of culture for urban renewal is abundant, the same cannot be said for the economics of culture, where considerable research gaps persist, both in the geographical coverage of case studies and in the social or labor impacts of this economic model.

The objective of this study is to analyze the impact that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are having on our conception, appreciation, and use of urban heritage spaces. Although most evaluations that appear in the specialized literature are clearly positive in this respect, there is a critical line of thought that considers these new technologies as connected to prior theoretical assumptions about heritage, in terms of what we value, how we value it, and for what reasons. To contrast the two perspectives, we have selected and examined scientific literature evaluating the application of AR and VR in urban heritage spaces, in order to analyze whether, in addition to positive effects, certain negatives linked to the ‘virtualization’ of space are also at work. A qualitative methodology has been developed supported by the ATLAS.ti tool (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany), which allows definition of the different thematic lines treated in the literature as well as the connections between them. Our main conclusion is that concerns around the critical aspects are very limited, with only a few perceiving the possible dangers of trivialization of heritage, the creation of virtual tourist worlds separate from the material space of socio-economic relations, negative effects on the way in which knowledge is constructed, or the difficulties for some user groups in accessing these technologies.

¿Hordas doradas o simplemente bárbaros? Los discursos sobre el turismo, la turistificación y la turismofobia en el barrio de Lavapiés (Madrid)El barrio de Lavapiés, como el conjunto de la ciudad de Madrid, está experimentado en los últimos años un explosivo crecimiento turístico. En este contexto, están empezando a aparecer en la prensa discursos críticos con el proceso, y, sobre todo, con el modelo de desarrollo basado en nuevas formas de alojamiento y en el uso de tecnologías que ponen directamente en contacto a oferentes y consumidores. Frente a estos, encontramos otras narrativas que defienden dicho modelo, y que apuestan por su desarrollo. La investigación se plantea si dichas construcciones discursivas están compitiendo por la hegemonía, y, en consecuencia, por su capacidad para configurar los escenarios de futuro e influir en la configuración social y geográfica del barrio. Con el fin de responder a esta pregunta se ha optado por una metodología de análisis del discurso mixta, que incluye métodos cuantitativos (Lingüística de Corpus) y cualitativos (Análisis Crítico del Discurso). Las conclusiones son que, aun cuando incipiente, la competencia discursiva por redefinir los términos del debate en torno al turismo existe en Lavapiés; y aun cuando limitado, dicho debate está teniendo a su vez un impacto en la imagen percibida y en la realidad de este espacio del centro de Madrid.

The chief objective of this research was to analyze how the industrial heritage of three European capitals—Madrid, Brussels, and Copenhagen—has been integrated into the dynamics of their urban tourism, thereby generating new resources and cultural spaces. In regards to the latter point, this study poses the working hypothesis that industrial heritage can function as a tool for cultural sustainability, which allows for deconcentration away from historic city centers subjected to significant overtourism. To verify this hypothesis, a methodology has been designed based on the selection of specific indicators and the creation of maps, taking as reference data from the Tripadvisor travel portal. The results obtained are truly encouraging, and it would be interesting to expand this study by incorporating new case studies to allow us to discern additional patterns of behavior around urban industrial tourism.

RESUMENEn el municipio de Madrid se han detectado 18 espacios culturales de origen industrial que se integran en la oferta cultural de la ciudad, pero no en sus dinámicas turísticas a pesar de la calidad de sus programas culturales y sus valores históricos y artísticos. Aunque son reconocidos por la sociedad como recursos culturales de referencia no se suelen valorar como recursos turísticos capaces de diversificar la oferta actual. Con el fin de determinar qué factores están limitando su proceso de valorización turística, se han diseñado indicadores para medir aspectos claves de su operatividad turística.