Sunrise for Some: Retail Access & Social Sustainability in Alfama, Lisbon

Abstract

Departing from the premise that the mere existence of commercial enterprises is insufficient to determine whether the elderly population’s supply needs are being met, this research aims to analyse whether the recent transformations in Lisbon’s commercial fabric, driven by tourism, are affecting the ability of the elderly population of traditional neighbourhood of Alfama to access retail facilities. For this purpose, we draw on Levesque et al.’s (2013) conceptual framework on access, which encompasses the dimensions of affordability, appropriateness, approachability, acceptability, and availability and accommodation. Our findings show a detachment between the elderly population and the commercial fabric of the area. This is mostly due to the current orientation of retail towards tourism-related activities, neglecting the needs of the locals that continue to live in the area due to the gentrification pressure acknowledged to be affecting the neighbourhood. The results of our research highlight the need to consider the social sustainability of local communities living in areas with significant tourism activities. This research also underlines the relevance of recognising that access to retail needs to be evaluated from a multidimensional perspective to capture its complexity, especially when considering segments of the population affected by some sort of vulnerability.