احیای مرکز شهر در پرتغال: درسهایی از دو شهر متوسط

Retail activity in Portugal is undergoing tremendous changes. New forms of commercial development, such as shopping centers and hypermarkets, have been built in locations far from the traditional shopping districts, and normally near a major road or highway intersection. This out-of-town commercial development has impacts on traditional forms of retail in established city centers. This article analyzes ways in which retail planning and city center commercial revitalization can be used to make Portuguese city centers more livable for city dwellers. Its main objective is to categorize, evaluate and compare the actions proposed by two commercial urbanism projects in Portugal. This study uses the cities of Coimbra and Aveiro to discuss the hypothesis that the measures proposed under the PROCOM program will help to revitalize Portuguese city centers. The key finding is that commercial revitalization is crucial for the livability of Portuguese city centers.