Commercial gentrification in a medium-sized city: An ethnographic look at the transformation process of the historic centre of A Coruña (Spain)

Abstract

[Abstract]: The present article analyses, from ethnographic and visual perspectives, the transformation of the historic neighbourhood of Orzán, in the city of A Coruña (Spain). We propose that this scenario of social, economic and symbolic change, masks its intensive commercial gentrification. Therefore, we suggest that factors such as the substitution of traditional shops for alternative shops, the regeneration of its ‘brand image’ and the consumption and leisure preferences of the so-called creative classes, as well as the impact of global gentrification help to explain the current stage of reinvestment. We contextualise this commercial restructuring by placing it within the general framework of a macro-project of regeneration of the city’s seafront that seeks, among other objectives, to promote tourism in the historic centre for which Orzán plays a key role for nightlife and ‘creative’ consumption.