Gastronomy-Tourism Urban Districts: Conflicts and Urban Management Problems. Guadalajara, Mexico

Abstract

The transformation of residential central areas into urban tourist and gastronomic destinations, is part of a larger process which poses important challenges for urban management and social conflict resolution. To be competitive, cities stage urban space as a place where tourists may co-produce travel experiences. Urban tourist destinations represented as safe spaces, open to investment and to product and service innovation. This essay analyzes the emergence of Gastronomy-Tourism Urban Districts (DUGTs) as a common process in large scale cities. It looks at the transformation of two residential areas in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, as spaces for conflicts of interests among high income groups, which are similar to those associated with gentrification. The paper identifies challenges for public policy and for negotiation processes aimed at solving controversies associated to the search for a better position for cities in the global economic map.