Commensality, Consumption, and Conviviality

This chapter addresses urban and commercial transformations in city centres, exploring how they are influenced by the development of dining establishments such as restaurants, pubs, cafés, and other similar venues. It examines how the development of these commercial typologies contributes to the homogenization of the commercial landscape, and how emerging socio-spatial dynamics, such as touristification and gentrification, shape the local commercial landscape. The concept of commensality is discussed, and its influence on the transformation of city centres is analyzed. Commensality is characterized by various pillars, including physical transformation, the ambience of establishments and urban spaces, and the spectacular nature of consumption. The significance of this process recalls the act of sharing and communal dining, conceptualized as a phenomenon of socialization. It also embarks on the exploration of how this process fits into the broader context of city transformations. This chapter delves into the impact of the social atmosphere created by the commensality process among consumers in two aspects. The first pertains to the dynamics of the commercial fabric, and the second focuses on the urban areas where these establishments are located. This analysis aims to maintain consumer attractiveness, ensuring economic and commercial dynamism. The commensality process in historic city centres will also be reflected upon in the context of public space appropriation, consumer purchasing power, and the challenges and opportunities it will face.