Landscapes of touristification: A methodological approach through the case of Seville

Abstract

Touristification refers to tourism’s physical and symbolic appropriation in a specific area as a consequence of the activity’s rapid growth in a short lapse of time. According to different studies, it affects the housing market, cultural expressions, public space, and health or the environment. Touristification interweaves with other urban issues in cities that have become important tourist destinies, such as the changes in the housing market or people and retail gentrification. We explore the process through linking it to the concept of landscape understood as space socially produced, perceived, and shaped – we look into the transformations in the physical, social, sym-bolic, and emotional arenas, following previous studies on the landscapes of gentrification. Our research frames a methodology to explore these changes, highlighting the contradictions that emerge as the process unfolds. We test the results on San Luis Street and its surroundings, an axis that connects traditionally non-tourist neighbourhoods (San Gil, San Luis, and San Marcos) in Seville historic district, which has become touristic in recent years.