Post-souvenir city

Post Souvenir City brings together essays and investigations by architects, urbanists and other specialists, in which they address various dimensions of tourism and urban space. The focus is on Spain, whose tourism is among the most visible in the world, and which has experienced both the excitements and the lows of tourism-fueled growth. Recently, Spain was among the countries which suffered most in the global economic downturn. The environmentally and culturally unsustainable development has, first, spectacularised, then consumed and, eventually, all but abandoned the most attractive places of Spain. In order to change development patterns which glorify irresponsible growth, we need paradigm-breaking research and innovation. That can happen only within a broader, much needed paradigm shift that redefines the value system, so that it can recognise the difference between precious, rooted cultures and the superficiality of banal Disneyification. That is where Almazán places the work presented in this volume, and opens its themes to public.