I love being in the touristy parts of my city, it’s the first thing that makes me feel like I’m leaving my neighbourhood. Seeing the same kind of people and structures can be stifling and repetitive. I think that can be true for everyone at some point. We naturally look for difference.
On the other hand, I am someone who prefers to be in the same places all the time, which is a reflection of my character. The reason for that has to start with the idea that I feel comfortable there: “Being here will always make me happy”. Maybe it just feels like home.
The historical structure of the country (especially the region I mentioned) gives the impression that I have taken postcards from the past. I keep looking at the buildings, which are of different heights and serve different purposes, and I am always impressed. I am sure that most people do not pay attention to them as they try to find their way through the flood of people from different countries.
Apart from the architecture, I am also attracted by the structure of shops and businesses. Not always in a good way, of course. As I said, it is a tourist area and there are some that have opened or changed their services over time.
Photo by christian koch on Unsplash
I was interested because both my friend and I have a common negative feeling about shops that are structured in this way, according to the period or culture of the incoming tourists. If we look at it honestly, they are not unreasonable in terms of functionality. There should be no problem with that. What we are complaining about is the fact that the shops that used to be there and became symbols of local life have lost their function and become obsolete over time.
Wherever we are, the neighbourhood has a local culture. If you look at the construction in the area where you live, you will see a rough summary of the demographic structure there.
Structures in local areas are formed according to a certain order. I don’t know anything about architecture, but from what I’ve learnt in the economics course, I can make two clear points: Firstly, the shops and businesses in a neighbourhood should be suitable and sufficient to meet the needs of the local population. Secondly, if this is not the case (regardless of the type of housing), then uniformity in the neighbourhood will ensure recognition and competence.
In relation to the second point above, the development in the area that my friend and I agreed on used to be an area with an abundance of musical instrument shops and associated street performers and music recording studios. Although some of these still survive, the area is now more touristy than ever. This means that the most logical plan to dominate the vacant space would be to sell the kind of products that would appeal to the obviously large number of tourists (who are the new locals, even if they are not residents).
And so it was, and they multiplied. So much so that they reached the point of exhaustion. Because their excessive presence overshadowed the previous shops. A unique new example of local structuring was created. Yes, it may be necessary to act in accordance with time and what it brings, but this does not make it necessary to completely erase what exists. This is a provocation to both history and cultural structure.
The reason for this is directly related to opportunism. New shopkeepers who think they are clever do not find it absurd to betray this new city to which they have migrated in order to earn more money. They do not see this place as a local community, but as a business opportunity. The demographic decline has not only taken place on an architectural level, but also on a human level. And it has been going on for years. Probably irreversible.
We came across some very old shops. One of them was a very old one that sold to stamp collectors. It even had photographs from the old days in the window. It was like a mini historical tour; we respected the fact that it had survived despite everything and everyone. Even the signboard, which we can call the most modern (I think it is at least 20–30 years old), was left as it was, giving it a unique antique look.
Next to it is a shop whose colours, lighting and dimensions do not fit in with the aesthetics of the area or the surrounding shops. It is completely opposite, unpleasant and even disgusting. I don’t know what kind of person you have to be to open such a ridiculous, tasteless and irrelevant shop. All I know is that the few places where I feel happy are about to disappear under the assault of such people. I hope the stamps last much longer and continue to prevail against this vulgar mind.
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