An evaluation of urban regeneration: the effectiveness of a retail-led project in Lisbon

Abstract

To overcome the decline of the vitality and viability of town centres across several Western European cities, urban regeneration projects have been implemented. Despite their dissemination, there are shortcomings regarding the evaluation of the impacts produced by such projects. We aim to contribute to the existing literature on the subject by undertaking an evaluation of a retail-led urban regeneration project that was implemented in Lisbon's historic centre. We conclude that although there were significant outputs, the project was not effective and did not manage to improve the viability of the area as an important commercial area of Lisbon.

Survey of Sustainable Regeneration of Historic and Cultural Cores of Cities

“…During this period, urban regeneration had an instrumental nature and acted in line with spatial-physical regeneration to provide the opportunity for stakeholders and influential agents to return to these valuable historic urban cores [93]. As noted earlier, these areas of cities have several functional layers, and markets and commercial spaces can be considered as the most important and valuable functional layers of the area [53,94,95]. Therefore, researchers in this period sought to provide contextual conceptual models by which they could improve the quality of life of stakeholders and influential agents.…”

Enhancing Sustainable Urban Regeneration through Smart Technologies: An Assessment of Local Urban Regeneration Strategic Plans in Korea

“…Additionally, other studies have evaluated the success and effectiveness of urban regeneration projects by conducting in-depth interviews and employing various performance assessment indicators. Guimaraes [32] surveyed the business owners in one of the retail-led urban regeneration project target areas in Lisbon to investigate whether the project improved the overall vitality of the commercial district. Hemphill et al [33] examined three European cities' urban regeneration practices and policies by utilizing the sustainable development indicators and a point scoring system.…”

Exploring the Impacts of Gentrified Traditional Retail Markets in Lisbon in Local Neighbourhoods

“…In the late 1990s, the Lisbon World Exposition led to the renovation of a former industrial site creating a new centrality in the city. Already during that decade and in the period that followed, simultaneously with the spread of shopping centres in peripheral areas, several retail-led urban regeneration projects were developed to revitalise the commercial fabric of the main city centre (Guimarães 2017). Following plans to reinforce Lisbon as a tourist destination, in the end of the 2000s some effects began to be felt (Barata-Salgueiro et al 2017).…”

“…Campo de Ourique is an old neighbourhood of Lisbon, with a large commercial fabric, thus, any kind of impacts arising from the market are most likely to be uncovered, making this case study particularly interesting. Although the rehabilitation of this retail precinct did not share the same goals of some well-known retail-led urban regeneration projects, i.e., the rehabilitation or edification of a certain retail precinct aimed to produce direct and indirect multiplier effects in the broader shopping district (Glasson and Wood 2009;Guimarães 2017), it may also produce similar impacts. This article aims to produce novel knowledge on retail gentrification by studying the relationship and impacts that a certain gentrified retail precinct induces in the broader shopping district where it is located.…”