Paper short abstract:

Drawing upon a study of the platform-based touristification of Lisbon, we present the concept of collateral atmospheres to describe the affective spacetimes that emerge in the margins of designed atmospheres. The study included a series of interviews with leaders of local residents' associations.

Paper long abstract:

The city centre of Lisbon went through a profound process of urban transformation in the last decade. The increase in tourism demand has been the main driver of these changes, and digital platforms such as Booking, AirBnB and TripAdvisor have facilitated and promoted the conversion of the housing, retail and nightlife offer for tourist consumption. The emergence of a touristic city centre has led to a proliferation of festive events which often appropriate public space, generating conflicts between residents and city users. Simultaneously, the increase in airport and cruise ship traffic has generated complaints by local residents who are concerned with the effect of noise and pollution in their health and well-being.

With this in mind, this paper presents the notion of collateral atmospheres to conceptualize the diverse affective spacetimes that emerge in the margins of designed atmospheres. While research on urban atmospheres has highlighted the role of the senses in the affective experience of the city, and a significant part of this literature has been devoted to the techniques of surveillance and control of urban spaces through atmospheric design, there is more to know about how designed atmospheres can expand, mutate, or deteriorate.

We draw upon a series of interviews with leaders of local residents' associations to show that the affective atmospheres of the touristic city exceed their spaces and times, generating differentiated affective bodily states in this process.