The ‘Urban Village’ versus the ‘City for Profit’: Querying NIMBY through a comparative analysis of touristification in Lisbon and Madrid

Southern European cities face the challenges associated with recent emergence of formal and informal economies ‘Tourist City’ are scenario for diverse social tensions. Local protests against these changes, sometimes discredited as NIMBY –Not In My Backyard– have led to conflicts visitors local public administrations. However, fuzzy definitions groups organising often found in literature, well regarding previous urban conditions impacts their actions. This paper presents a comparative analysis Portuguese neighbourhood Bairro Alto (Lisbon) Spanish La Latina (Madrid), order explore how moral ownership ‘belonging narratives’ around places variously put into play legitimise and/or contest changes. We also reflect on benefits perils building strong identities versus contemporary global tourism that flows cities.