The ‘tardeo’ in alicante: The commodification of space in a tourist city

Abstract

This study reports the social and urban conflict that underlies the advertising image of the ‘tardeo’ in Alicante (Spain). During the last decade, a leisure model characterized by alcohol consumption on the roads, noise and public space occupation has been institutionalized in the pedestrianized streets of the city centre. The specific objective is the identification and analysis of the discursive positions of the main social actors involved. These discourses express the keys to the conflict. In a medium-sized tourist city, this case illustrates prevailing logic in broader contexts, immersed in the transition from welfare capitalism to flexible capitalism. The democratic ideal leads to the imposition of criteria of one group over another, appealing to an instrumental reason guided by economic-business motivations and covered by public institutions.