Abstract
The aim of the paper is to critically evaluate the similarities and differences in the development of the temporal and spatial structure of shopping centers in the Czech and Slovak republics. We focused on the retail transformation and sustainable manifestations of the location and construction of shopping centers. We classified shopping centers according to their genesis, location in the city, and size of the gross leasable area. To analyze migration trends and geographic distribution characteristics of shopping centers in the capital cities of both countries (local level of analysis), we used spatial gravity and standard deviational ellipse. Generally, there is an analogous trend in the development of shopping centers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a particular two- to four-year lag in Slovakia (west–east gradient). Despite this, we still perceive the demand for shopping centers in both countries as above average, and it is not declining. The construction of shopping centers, mainly in small towns, also indicates this trend. In Prague and Bratislava, the pattern of spatial expansion of shopping centers differs. Prague probably represents a more advanced phase of shopping center agglomeration. However, neither country has reached the state of clustering.
Highlights
Academic Editor: Pedro GuimarãesRetail has become an inseparable part of urban residents’ everyday lives
The analysis reveals that the localization of the shopping centers is different in both countries, and it has its own specifics
Demand for very large shopping centers is higher in the Czech Republic than in Slovakia
Summary
Retail has become an inseparable part of urban residents’ everyday lives. Retail activities and consumers constitute an important element of the spatial organization of urban spaces [1]. While post-socialist countries share many similarities in retail development with other European countries, there are some noticeable differences in spatial distribution or functional structure of shopping centers [15,16,17,18,19]. This paper aims to assess the development and spatial expansion of shopping centers in the cities, taken as an example of post-socialist countries. RQ3: What are the trends in the development of shopping centers in a post-socialist city at the local level?. While much academic discussion focuses on the development of shopping centers, little attention is given to their development in post-socialist countries in terms of their sustainability. This study attempts to fill the research gap on shopping center development in post-socialist countries in relation to their life cycle with respect to their classification and sustainability. The study identifies spatial and localization factors that could be emphasized in the future when building sustainable shopping centers
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