The International Network “City, Retail and Consumption” brings together geographers, social science scholars and urban planners from various countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and others) with the purpose of debating theoretical perspectives, methodologies and fieldwork experiences related to retail and consumption issues in the urban context. In order to internationalize the studies on the these topics, starting from 2006 the network celebrates a thematic seminar – generally every two/three years, alternating locations on both sides of the Atlantic – where to discuss the different approaches in the field of retail and consumption studies, as well as the practical implications of policies and urban planning for shopping and consumption places. From this point of view, the seminar represents a forum of discussion not only with geographers and specialists from different academic fields but also with stakeholders from different countries (link to International Seminars).

    Thanks to the possibility of sharing researches experiences developed in Europe and Latin America, the forum aim at producing a theoretical-methodological and empirical-applied advance in the knowledge of the role played by retail and consumption in urban change. The specific goals are to build a common international research agenda on city, retail and consumption and to discuss the new retail and consumption spaces and times in connection with the public policies and planning, in order to enhance the sustainability, liveability and social cohesion of cities.

    The results of these meetings have always been collected in scientific publications, book and papers, for contributing to the consolidation and dissemination of this line of research (link to Publications of the International Network).