Transforming Industrial Spaces: Exploring the Tourism Potential of La Neomudéjar (Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The reuse of industrial spaces in Europe has been a constant trend in recent decades. Economic and social transformations throughout the 20th century have led to the disappearance, abandonment, or, in the best cases, repurposing of former industrial spaces for entirely different uses. Among the new uses for these buildings is their adaptation as cultural spaces, which can be a significant tourist attraction both for their architecture and their artistic content. Thus, the objective of this paper is to present the case study of 'La Neomudéjar', an independent contemporary art center established in a late 19th century former power station and railway workshop near the bustling Atocha rail terminal in Madrid, Spain. After analyzing the case study, the results show that the center could generate positive cultural synergies in the city, establishing relationships with current cultural industries, and even having the potential to generate tourist flows in collaboration with these cultural industries. Likewise, this work explores the possibilities of designing routes and cultural tourism products around the 'Neomudéjar' architectural style, characteristic of the city of Madrid, which also gives its name to the mentioned artistic space. Finally, the paper discusses the benefits that could drive these cultural tourism initiatives to promote sustainable tourism in Madrid, by diversifying traditional tourist typologies and reducing overtourism. Additionally, this work explores the possibility to generalize the model to other European cities.