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In der Neoliberalen Stadt gehören Megaprojekte zu den sichtbarsten städtebaulichen Elementen. Sie sind Ausdruck eines ständigen Wettbewerbs städtischer Räume um Ressourcen, Kapital und die Stellung in der globalen urbanen Hierarchie. Gleichzeitig stehen die Projekte in der Kritik, undemokratische Planungsstrukturen und räumliche Ungerechtigkeiten zu verfestigen. Touristifizierungs- und Gentrifizierungsprozesse gehören zu den möglichen Folgen von Megaprojekten – nicht nur auf der betreffenden Fläche selbst, sondern auch in umliegenden Quartieren. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erforschung des Zusammenspiels von Megaprojekten, Gentrification und Tourismus am Fallbeispiel Santa Cruz Verde 2030. Das innerstädtische Projekt transformiert die Erdölraffinerie im Zentrum der Stadt Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spanien) in ein nutzungsgemischtes und urbanes Quartier. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern das Megaprojekt in bestehende Raum- und Funktionsbezüge eingreift und welche Stakeholder bei der Planung des Vorhabens (nicht) integriert sind. Diesem Untersuchungsgegenstand nähert sich die Dissertation unter Einbezug von quantitativen und qualitativen Forschungsmethoden. Hierzu zählen ein systematischer Literature Review, eine multivariate Vulnerabilitäts- und Clusteranalyse sozialräumlicher Daten, geographische Informationssysteme sowie qualitative Interviews. Als theoretische Rahmung bedient sich diese Forschungsarbeit der räumlichen Gerechtigkeit (spatial justice). Dabei werden Polarisierungen zwischen primären und sekundären Stakeholdern sowie vulnerablen und nicht-vulnerablen Sozialräumen herausgearbeitet. Die Arbeit zeigt, wie Konzept und Planung von Santa Cruz Verde 2030 auf bestimmte Zielgruppen fokussiert sind, während lokale Bewohner:innen ausgeschlossen werden. Gleichzeitig sind infolge des Megaprojektes Touristifizierungs- und Gentrifizierungsprozesse in Santa Cruz zu erwarten. Die somit reproduzierten Ungerechtigkeiten könnten durch transparente Planungsverfahren un, Inner-city megaprojects are very visible elements in neoliberal urbanism. Such projects are regarded as a symbol of the ongoing competition between urban spaces and the fight over resources, wealth, and a higher position in the global urban hierarchy. Simultaneously, megaprojects are criticized for reinforcing undemocratic planning structures and spatial injustices. Thus, touristification and gentrification are often observed impacts – not only at the project’s site but also in surrounding neighborhoods. The objective of this doctoral thesis is to explore the relationship between megaprojects, gentrification, and tourism, using Santa Cruz Verde 2030 as a case study. This megaproject aims to transform the inner-city oil refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain) into a mixed-use urban neighborhood. In this thesis, I will investigate to what extent the megaproject will (not) interfere with existing spatial and functional relationships, and which stakeholders have (not) been integrated into the wider process. In order to appraise this megaproject ex-ante, a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods is proposed (such as a systematic literature review, a multivariate vulnerability and cluster analysis of socio-spatial data, geographic information systems, and qualitative interviews). Using spatial justice as a lense, I will show the highly polarized social and urban setting of the future megaproject. Apart from that, the concept and planning of the project are strongly focused on specific target groups, while local residents are excluded. At the same time, Santa Cruz Verde 2030 is expected to cause touristification and gentrification. This will reproduce spatial injustices in the city that could be mitigated through transparent planning procedures and participation – which is why this thesis demands to rethink the established decision-making in the neoliberal city.:1. Einleitung 2. Megaprojects, Gentrification, and Tourism 3. From one Crisis to Another 4. The Impact of

In der Neoliberalen Stadt gehören Megaprojekte zu den sichtbarsten städtebaulichen Elementen. Sie sind Ausdruck eines ständigen Wettbewerbs städtischer Räume um Ressourcen, Kapital und die Stellung in der globalen urbanen Hierarchie. Gleichzeitig stehen die Projekte in der Kritik, undemokratische Planungsstrukturen und räumliche Ungerechtigkeiten zu verfestigen. Touristifizierungs- und Gentrifizierungsprozesse gehören zu den möglichen Folgen von Megaprojekten – nicht nur auf der betreffenden Fläche selbst, sondern auch in umliegenden Quartieren. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erforschung des Zusammenspiels von Megaprojekten, Gentrification und Tourismus am Fallbeispiel Santa Cruz Verde 2030. Das innerstädtische Projekt transformiert die Erdölraffinerie im Zentrum der Stadt Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spanien) in ein nutzungsgemischtes und urbanes Quartier. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern das Megaprojekt in bestehende Raum- und Funktionsbezüge eingreift und welche Stakeholder bei der Planung des Vorhabens (nicht) integriert sind. Diesem Untersuchungsgegenstand nähert sich die Dissertation unter Einbezug von quantitativen und qualitativen Forschungsmethoden. Hierzu zählen ein systematischer Literature Review, eine multivariate Vulnerabilitäts- und Clusteranalyse sozialräumlicher Daten, geographische Informationssysteme sowie qualitative Interviews. Als theoretische Rahmung bedient sich diese Forschungsarbeit der räumlichen Gerechtigkeit (spatial justice). Dabei werden Polarisierungen zwischen primären und sekundären Stakeholdern sowie vulnerablen und nicht-vulnerablen Sozialräumen herausgearbeitet. Die Arbeit zeigt, wie Konzept und Planung von Santa Cruz Verde 2030 auf bestimmte Zielgruppen fokussiert sind, während lokale Bewohner:innen ausgeschlossen werden. Gleichzeitig sind infolge des Megaprojektes Touristifizierungs- und Gentrifizierungsprozesse in Santa Cruz zu erwarten. Die somit reproduzierten Ungerechtigkeiten könnten durch transparente Planungsverfahren un, Inner-city megaprojects are very visible elements in neoliberal urbanism. Such projects are regarded as a symbol of the ongoing competition between urban spaces and the fight over resources, wealth, and a higher position in the global urban hierarchy. Simultaneously, megaprojects are criticized for reinforcing undemocratic planning structures and spatial injustices. Thus, touristification and gentrification are often observed impacts – not only at the project’s site but also in surrounding neighborhoods. The objective of this doctoral thesis is to explore the relationship between megaprojects, gentrification, and tourism, using Santa Cruz Verde 2030 as a case study. This megaproject aims to transform the inner-city oil refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain) into a mixed-use urban neighborhood. In this thesis, I will investigate to what extent the megaproject will (not) interfere with existing spatial and functional relationships, and which stakeholders have (not) been integrated into the wider process. In order to appraise this megaproject ex-ante, a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods is proposed (such as a systematic literature review, a multivariate vulnerability and cluster analysis of socio-spatial data, geographic information systems, and qualitative interviews). Using spatial justice as a lense, I will show the highly polarized social and urban setting of the future megaproject. Apart from that, the concept and planning of the project are strongly focused on specific target groups, while local residents are excluded. At the same time, Santa Cruz Verde 2030 is expected to cause touristification and gentrification. This will reproduce spatial injustices in the city that could be mitigated through transparent planning procedures and participation – which is why this thesis demands to rethink the established decision-making in the neoliberal city.:1. Einleitung 2. Megaprojects, Gentrification, and Tourism 3. From one Crisis to Another 4. The Impact of

Growth rates in e-commerce, changing consumer behaviors, and COVID-19 have all put pressure on local retailers worldwide, threatening the resilience of city centers. Local online platforms (LOPs) have been considered as a solution to help local retailers increase their visibility and survive on the market. However, most platforms fail to attract a significant number of stakeholders. Simultaneously, digital platform solutions with more holistic urban perspectives, such as urban data platforms (UDPs), have emerged. However, a question remains: how can the integration of retail data (e.g., product availabilities) into a UDP succeed? Therefore, in this paper, we explore stakeholder-oriented networking processes to integrate local retail data into a UDP in Leipzig, Germany. Leipzig has increased its population by 26% since 2000, but presents the highest retail vacancy rate, compared to other major German cities. To investigate the networking process in Leipzig, we conduct a social network analysis which combines qualitative interviews, mapping, and ethnographic research. We interview ten stakeholders and uncover conflicts within the networking process: First, all stakeholders have different understandings of UDPs and how to integrate local retail data; second, the interviewees acknowledge the importance of, but none of them feel responsible for, initiating or managing the process; and third, the city administration has shown diverging interest, in terms of taking on more responsibility.

Santa Cruz Verde 2030 is an inner-city megaproject that will transform the local oil refinery into an urban neighborhood in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The project is expected to reconfigure Santa Cruz’s tourism model significantly, while applying rather undemocratic planning practices. This paper explores Santa Cruz Verde 2030, focusing on the perception of local stakeholders. My research builds on 18 qualitative interviews with planning authorities, the city’s mayor, political parties, experts from the real estate sector and residents. I identify a large perception gap among the interviewees. While the project’s initiators praise the participatory process, other stakeholders feel neither informed nor integrated. In particular, the “behind closed doors” planning approach has provoked resentment among citizens. In contrast, the possible impact on tourism of the project has given rise to less discussion. This contributes to the “stealthy” touristification strategy that has already transformed large areas of Santa Cruz’s waterfront in past decades. Hence, this paper adds to the ongoing discussion on how to design megaprojects in a more sustainable way, for example, by ensuring political consensus and learning from former megaprojects.

Within the neoliberal context of today’s urbanism, a growing number of inner-city megaprojects aim to transform brownfield sites—accompanied by gentrification and tourism. However, there is no systematic review exploring the interplay between these phenomena. This paper aims to systemize the existing scientific contributions by means of a literature review. Using different databases, a total number of 797 scientific documents have been identified. After several screening steps, a final set of 66 studies was included in the review. I present an analysis from a quantitative and a qualitative perspective, exploring bibliometric aspects, concepts, methods, and relevant lines of discussion. The area studied is a relatively young and emerging field. Within the discussion, there is a strong dominance of countries located in the global north, with Spain, the UK, and the U.S. at the forefront. From a methodological point of view, qualitative and mixed methods are mostly applied. The discussion of megaprojects, gentrification, and tourism has an important descriptive focus, with main topics such as planning, justice, and motivations. There are considerable conceptual deficits, as one-quarter of the studies do not clearly explain their methods. Future research needs to find ways to enable knowledge transfer to planning practice.

The inner-city oil refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, has been shaping the city’s urbanism as an employer, but also as a polluter and a physical barrier for more than 80 years. The megaproject Santa Cruz Verde 2030 aims at transforming this area into a mixed-use urban quarter. Based on a mixed methods approach, this paper analyses the impacts of the megaproject by means of document, spatial and statistical analyses. The project is estimated to increase the city’s green areas by 39 % and the number of hotel beds by 70 %, provoking a strong touristifaction. Santa Cruz Verde 2030 stands for a new type of megaprojects, offering a variety of uses and sustainability wordings. Nevertheless, the impacts might reconfigure the city’s urbanism as a whole, shifting centralities to its southwest. On a neighbourhood level, spillover effects are expected to have diverging consequences. While in the Los Llanos neighbourhood gentrification and tourism are fostered, in Buenos Aires the megaproject implies the opportunity to integrate this currently segregated quarter into the city. Against this background, the paper outlines the necessity of transparent planning and monitoring processes, in order to ensure the sustainability of this new urban quarter., ¿De los megaproyectos a la gentrificación turística? El caso de Santa Cruz Verde 2030 (Islas Canarias, España)La refinería de petróleo en Santa Cruz de Tenerife (España) está condicionando el urbanismo como empleador, pero también como agente contaminante y barrera urbanística desde hace más de 80 años. El megaproyecto Santa Cruz Verde 2030 pretende transformar dicha zona en un barrio urbano con usos múltiples. Basado en un análisis estadístico, urbanístico y documental, este ensayo analiza los impactos del megaproyecto. La transformación implica un aumento de espacios verdes en un 39 %, mientras que el número de camas en el sector turístico crece en un 70 %, lo que implica una turistificación importante. Santa Cruz Verde 2030 simboliza un nuevo tipo de megaproyectos, caracterizado por usos múltiples e imágenes de sostenibilidad. Sin embargo, los impactos podrían reconfigurar el urbanismo de la ciudad. En barrios colindantes, el megaproyecto conlleva diferentes consecuencias. En Los Llanos, la gentrificación y el turismo están fomentados. En Buenos Aires existe la oportunidad de integrar un barrio segregado en la ciudad. En este contexto, el ensayo esboza la necesidad de procesos de planificación y monitorización transparentes que garanticen la sostenibilidad del proyecto.

Against the background of urban transformation processes aggravated by e-commerce, this paper discusses chances and challenges of local online platforms. Three hypotheses are introduced. Firstly, the rapid emergence of numerous local online platforms in various European countries is linked to the urban heritage of the European City. Secondly, the success of these platforms depends on the integration of diverse services. Thirdly it is argued, that platforms need to adapt to future topics of smart retail which is why a more holistic approach is appropriate. A best practice analysis is conducted, which gives an insight into the variety and complexity of local online platforms.