Reconstructing Early 20th Century Madrid's Commercial Structure.

Julia de las Obras Loscertales, Spanish National Research Council
Diego Ramiro Fariñas, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Dariya Ordanovich, IEGD-CCHS Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Yolanda Casado, Valladolid University
Aitor Garcia Aguirre, Spanish National Research Council
Michel Oris, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (csic)
Stanislao Mazzoni, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Commerce has been, and continues to be, a fundamental element in the evolution of cities, playing a key role in their social, economic, and even political life. In recent years, the study of commerce has gained increasing relevance in urban research, addressing topics such as the commercial structure of cities, consumption patterns, and processes of gentrification and commercial transformation. These approaches have contributed to a better understanding of the relationship between commercial activity and urban space. However, most of these studies lack a historical perspective. As a result, early 20th-century commercial activity remains an underexplored area, despite its significance in understanding the processes of urban space structuring, the evolution of commercial activity, and the relationship between the population, trade, and the city. Reconstructing the commercial distribution of this period is essential not only for identifying the economic and social dynamics of the time but also for providing a historical perspective crucial to interpreting the current urban configuration. This study examines the spatial distribution of commerce in the early 20th century Madrid, exploring its role in urban development and its impact on society. By using historical censuses and gazetteers and georeferencing techniques, part of Madrid’s commercial distribution from the early 1900s has been reconstructed, offering insights into the relationships between commercial locations, urban dynamics, and the long-term transformation of trade. This contribution goes to Session: Geospatial Approaches in European Historical Demography.

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 Presented in Session 137. Geospatial Approaches in European Urban History