The commercial activity and it’s relationship with the urban: the Londrina example

Abstract

Since the beginning of twentieth century, the narrative history has been substituted by the problem history; nowadays there are several ways to tell a story. In this sense, the cities, their growth and development can be analysed under different perspectives. This text tells a little about the history of Londrina, a city with 500,000 inhabitants, focussing on the commercial activity and its relation to urban growth and development. This text starts relating the importance of the commercial activity in the lives of the men and the cities. Then, it describes the commercial vocation of Londrina since its origin, dealing with its evolution and gradual trasnsformation until the establishment of the Shopping Center. Finally, it shows the role of the shopping center, a twentieth century symbol, in the current urban and architectural configuration.