Los centros comerciales como espacios atractores de movilidad urbana. El caso de la Comunidad de Madrid

Abstract

Malls have become important focal points of trips in the outskirts of major urban conurbations. These trips take place predominantly in private vehicles, this compromising the objectives of sustainable mobility policies set by most of the metropolis. This article aims at characterizing the mobility patterns attracted by shopping malls within the Madrid metropolitan area. It is based on surveys carried out in eleven large commercial centers. Its departing hypothesis underlines that the location of shopping centers largely determines its incoming travel patterns. Therefore, from the standpoint of public policy, solutions should be addressed more from the perspective of urban planning that from the improvement of infrastructure and transport services.