The shopping center as a "third place": socio-urban reactivation and phygital marketing in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

Traditional shopping centers in Guayaquil face a relevance crisis that transcends economic concerns, evolving into a matter of social cohesion. Driven by digitalization and urban insecurity, this situation threatens their historical function as "third places" for citizen encounter. The objective of this research was to analyze, with an exploratory-descriptive scope, the decline of these venues from a socio-urban perspective and propose an experiential phygital reactivation model. A structured questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 138 citizens of Guayaquil (aged 25 to 50). The findings, presented as preliminary trends, suggest that visitor attrition stems more from the loss of the venue as a safe refuge and the lack of a robust cultural agenda than from mere commercial obsolescence. Physical modernization is identified as a civic demand for ensuring coexistence, while the desire for festivals and entertainment displaces traditional shopping as the primary motivation. Furthermore, citizens operate under a hybrid logic, where social networks act as guides for safe leisure. It is concluded that the revitalization of these spaces requires a socio-urban management approach that articulates physical safety, community-oriented experiential programming, and digital connectivity aimed at strengthening the social fabric.