Plan to revitalize the productive and commercial fabric in the most disadvantaged urban areas of Puertollano

As part of Puertollano’s DUSI strategy, the City Council sought to revitalize the urban centre’s local commerce, laying the groundwork for additional activities funded through the program. Khora proposed an innovative approach: combining public space enhancements with targeted interventions to support local merchants while ensuring efficient budget execution aligned with ERDF commitments.

THE CHALLENGE

Local commerce in Puertollano faced enduring challenges, including the growing dominance of online shopping, competition from large supermarkets, and difficulties in attracting new generations of business owners. Compounding these issues, the urban centre’s public spaces had lost their appeal, resulting in decreased foot traffic. The area’s activity had become heavily concentrated on weekends, driven by a vibrant restaurant scene that, while popular, disrupted the tranquillity of nearby residents. Acknowledging the critical role of local commerce in the city’s vitality, the City Council sought to revitalize the urban centre but struggled with how to maximize the impact of its €1.7 million budget.

THE SOLUTION

Khora proposed a strategic yet fully executable and tangible short-term solution, offering not only a detailed diagnosis of the commercial sector but also a multidimensional intervention strategy encompassing public space, dynamization, technology, training and awareness. The plan included a set of actionable projects ready for implementation and a strategic guide for public space interventions to homogenize, beautify and organize critical commercial streets, encouraging pedestrian flow and revitalizing the commercial sector.

An in-depth user study was conducted, involving observation, interviews, and analysis of shop characteristics, population demographics, street-level infrastructure, key stakeholders, and public space requirements. Khora developed a unique strategy for the area and outlined a series of actions with detailed technical specifications to facilitate implementation. Finally, a comprehensive guide for public space interventions was provided to the City Council, featuring furniture typologies—conceptualized as urban halls—and scalable equipment solutions for other commercial areas, ensuring consistency and order in future projects.