What Historical Cities Mean to Their Inhabitants: Environmental Challenges in the Era of Global Tourism

Giovanna Potesta (Rochester Institute of Technology)

In the last few decades dense historical cities have seen an exponential growth of tourism business. Global sharing of knowledge and values, make historical travel destinations high on the priority rank of consumerism. The result of this situation opens an ambiguous scenario. From one side in fact increasing tourism triggers increasing economic revenues and make a wider group of tourists able to select among a variety of hospitality options; on the other side, mass tourism creates problems of city heritage deterioration. Not ultimately locals who are outnumbered by tourists may experience a sense of disaffection for their place of residence. The same place, the historical city, interprets different places in the eyes of each of the stakeholders involved in using the city. The problem central to this research is theunderstanding of the conditions that make a traditional place of dwelling not desirable anymore to its citizens.

The methodology applied to the present research consists of the following phases:

• Research question: How do Florence residents perceive the space of the historical part of the city.

• Literature review addressing tourism, evolution of tourism, impact of tourism in European historical cities and particularly on the well-being of residents.

• Questionnaire addressed to Florence residents. Questions concern:perception of space, modification in the last 20 years, commercialization of the city, local government policy.

• Elaboration of data provided by questionnaire

• Analysis and considerations

• Final conclusion. Part of the final conclusion can be anticipated at the present moment after a quick scrutiny. It seems that Florentines perceive the modification of space in the last 20 years. The perception seems to be mostly in negative.

Keywords: Tourism, Over-tourism, Cultural Landscapes, Historical Cities, Perception of Urban Space.