Expansión de la ciudad turística y nuevas resistencias. El caso de Airbnb en Madrid

The recent and rapid expansion of touristification offers some critical factors that have fueled the local indignation and local resistance within the 'tourist city'. These protests are very focused on the negative impacts of touristification on the local real estate market, on the construction of the city for the monoculture of tourism, on the evictions of families from touristized neighborhoods and on the deterioration of neighborhood coexistence. In this way, different local actors and social groups show a range of non-linear histories and diverse discourses about the impacts of the recent and rapid expansion of urban (in) formal tourism in their local communities. In this article, in the first place, we analyze the expansion of Airbnb in the city of Madrid. The results reflect that the Airbnb market in the city of Madrid is controlled by professional actors who do not comply with the principles of the sharing economy. Its activity is based on taking advantage of the "rent gaps" generated by Airbnb and expanding real estate income by transforming residential housing into short-term rentals for tourists, which drives up touristification processes. This process is generating discomfort among citizens and is giving rise to new resistances against the touristization of the city. In second place, the article analyzes the social responses that are taking place against the recent urban touristification that has taken place in the center of the city of Madrid, paying special attention to the variety of political actors, strategies and collective actions in the center of Madrid over the past years. This article seeks to analyze how touristification is expanding through Airbnb, and to offer an analysis of the approach with which urban social movements fight for an inclusive urban coexistence in the complex 'tourist city'. La reciente y veloz expansión de la turistificación ofrece algunos factores críticos que han alimentado la indignación vecinal y la resistencia local dentro de la 'ciudad turistística'. Estas protestas están muy centradas en los impactos negativos de la turistificación en el mercado inmobiliario local, en la construcción de la ciudad para el monocultivo del turismo, en la expulsión de familias de barrios turistificados y en el deterioro de la convivencia vecinal. De este modo, diferentes actores locales y grupos sociales muestran un abanico de historias no lineales y discursos diversos sobre los impactos de la reciente y veloz expansión del turismo urbano (in)formal en sus comunidades locales. En este artículo, en primer lugar, se analiza el desarrollo de la actividad de Airbnb en la ciudad de Madrid. Los resultados reflejan que el mercado de Airbnb en la ciudad de Madrid está controlado por actores profesionales que no cumplen los principios de la economía colaborativa. Su actividad se basa en aprovechar los “rent gaps” que genera Airbnb y ampliar las rentas inmobiliarias por medio de sustituir vivienda residencial en vivienda para turísticas, lo que impulsa los procesos de turistificación. Este proceso está generando malestar entre los ciudadanos y está dando lugar a nuevas resistencias contra la turistización de la ciudad. En segundo lugar, el artículo analiza las respuestas sociales que se está dando a la reciente turistificación urbana que ha tenido lugar en el centro de la ciudad de Madrid, prestando especial atención a la variedad de actores políticos, de estrategias y de acción colectiva en el centro de Madrid a lo largo de los últimos años. Este artículo busca por tanto analizar cómo se desarrolla la turistificación a través de Airbnb, para después ofrecer un análisis del enfoque con que los movimientos sociales urbanos luchan por una coexistencia urbana inclusiva en la compleja 'ciudad turística'.The recent and rapid expansion of touristification offers some critical factors that have fueled the local indignation and local resistance within the 'tourist city'. These protests are very focused on the negative impacts of touristification on the local real estate market, on the construction of the city for the monoculture of tourism, on the evictions of families from touristized neighborhoods and on the deterioration of neighborhood coexistence. In this way, different local actors and social groups show a range of non-linear histories and diverse discourses about the impacts of the recent and rapid expansion of urban (in) formal tourism in their local communities. In this article, in the first place, we analyze the expansion of Airbnb in the city of Madrid. The results reflect that the Airbnb market in the city of Madrid is controlled by professional actors who do not comply with the principles of the sharing economy. Its activity is based on taking advantage of the "rent gaps" generated by Airbnb and expanding real estate income by transforming residential housing into short-term rentals for tourists, which drives up touristification processes. This process is generating discomfort among citizens and is giving rise to new resistances against the touristization of the city. In second place, the article analyzes the social responses that are taking place against the recent urban touristification that has taken place in the center of the city of Madrid, paying special attention to the variety of political actors, strategies and collective actions in the center of Madrid over the past years. This article seeks to analyze how touristification is expanding through Airbnb, and to offer an analysis of the approach with which urban social movements fight for an inclusive urban coexistence in the complex 'tourist city'